Half-marathon, full birthday!

Run Vermont's Unplugged 1/2 Marathon started yesterday morning in cold, windy conditions -- even a sprinkling of icy rain droplets. By mid-morning, the sun was out in full, the breeze off the lake was still brisk but the air had warmed up nicely. Around Mile 6 I was soooo relieved Jess had convinced me not to wear the heavy running tights and jacket. (The jacket might have been nice around mile 11 where the waves from the lake were crashing over the bike path...)

The race culminated 3 weeks of indecision and poor training, and finish time of 2:34 is exactly what I expected, and exactly what I had earned. I felt good finishing, even though it was definitely not a day of reaching my full potential.

It was, however, my birthday! Running a 1/2 marathon was not a bad way to kick off the day. But the eventful weekend actually started the night before when a storm knocked out the electricity at my house. A few hours later, electricity still off, my carbon monoxide detector started beeping erratically. I tried to check the battery, but it wasn't easy balancing on a ladder with a flashlight and trying to twist the detector apart and detach it. I gave up and called 911 for advice, and the dispatcher rightly diagnosed that the battery died after the power went out.

But since nobody messes with CO, the fine volunteers of the Grand Isle Fire and Rescue Squad showed up around 11 p.m. in a fully rigged fire truck, outfitted with gas masks and oxygen tanks. They cleared the house, and then sat around joking with me about birthdays, 1/2 marathons and the joy of a "live training" exercise. The EMT had to go through the all the protocols of taking my vital signs, but drew out the process with corny jokes and questions about my party plans. The rescue commander kept telling him, 'she wants to get to sleep. 1/2 marathon tomorrow, she wants to get to sleep.'

The electricity came back on just as the fire crew was leaving, which put to rest some of my pre-race worries about alarm clocks and charging my Garmin. But the next morning, I was half-way to Burlington when I realized my Garmin was still plugged into the charger in my bedroom. Dang.

I wasn't sure how to approach the race: fight through and try to match the results from New Bedford, or just run and enjoy the day. Forgetting the watch kind of sealed the deal: I ran as fast as I felt comfortable running, but I didn't worry about much else. No watch, no time, no pressure. I was a little disappointed seeing '2:34' on the clock when I hit the finish line, but I'm still glad to have finished.

Beth and Heidi had awesome races, and Jess amazingly appeared along the course at just the moments when I needed a boost. And to the volunteer who told me that I was the best-dressed runner in the race, THANK YOU! You made my morning!

I went from the race to Mirabelle's to pick up 24 gorgeous cupcakes for my birthday party. I was still wearing my running dress and bib number, and the waitress said to me, 'Congratulations! What did the marathon benefit?' She meant this without accusation, maybe it was like the MS Walk or Team in Training. But I laughed and told her, "The runners. It benefits the runners!"