visit my website www.robynrittersimon.com

visit my website www.robynrittersimon.com

Monday, September 6, 2010

Day 142: The Day After

Today is the day after the big run! I'm feeling great. My legs are sore, which is to be expected... and I'm still dealing with past blisters which have never completely healed, but all and all I feel terrific! Woke up early and have been on the run all day.

In reviewing my race time we calculated that I ran just shy of a 14 minute mile for 13 straight miles, which put me at the finish line in 3 hours, 1 minute. Sure I'd like to increase my time, but it's the distance that trips me up. I love to run super fast! Love to run sprints and shorter quicker distances, but for long distance runs I've got to pace myself so that I can sustain my energy to make it to the finish line. It would however be great to tighten that number up so that I can run the full marathon in March in a faster time. May add that to my goal list!

The race course began at the entrance to California Adventure Theme Park. The first 4 miles of the race took me through this theme park and then through Disneyland while Disney Characters cheered us runners on ... and keep in mind this race began at 6 a.m.! We ran out of Disneyland through Main Street and headed for the streets of Anaheim which were lined with Cheerleaders and school bands from a dozen or more local high Schools! So darling were all these young people to come out in uniform and cheer us on!

This was the Ferris Wheel in California Adventure all lit up with Mickey Mouse in the Center. This is what it looked like when we ran through the park!

Then we ran toward Honda Center and then we ran through the most amazing part of the run ... through Angel Stadium! We ran through the tunnel that all the athletes travel to enter the Stadium. We ran around the bases while the stands were again filled with spectators cheering us on. Family members had made signs for their loved one's wishing them Good Luck ! Little children were waving & cheering Go Mommy, Go Daddy as their folks ran by! It was very much a family and community event that gave you energy to keep going.

Running through Angel Stadium I of course could not stop thinking about two things. Both made me choke up as I was running in this beautiful stadium. One was thinking about the young pitcher Nick Adenhart just 22 years old who had his debut pitching night just a year ago at Angel Stadium only to end up dead later that night after being hit by a drunk driver. I could feel his families pain as I ran that Stadium. It gave me a painful sick feeling in my gut.

The other emotion I felt was visualizing my three sons as they take the field as pitchers and what that feeling must be like. When my son Brandon exits the bullpen and makes that sweet jog to the pitcher's mound while the stadium is packed with parents and adoring fans... what that sensation must be like... I tasted it for one sweet moment and I can see the attraction to this feeling.

That's how I felt when I ran across the finish line... pure exhilaration! The nerves were all gone, I just felt pure jubilation that I had made it... I had finished a very long goal and I was alive to share the memory!