Plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, and other things I'm currently googling

Sunday was my second half marathon!!  Which brings me to an important question: do two halves equal a whole?  Can I put a 26.2 sticker on my car?  I think the answer might be no.  Those 26.2 miles probably have to be consecutive and not separated by 5 months.  I guess I will just have to run a whole marathon at some point...in the distant future. 

So, can you tell how it went by my title??  Actually the race was great and I didn't really comprehend that I was in serious pain until the next day.  I'm currently working on a DIY diagnosis (I know doctors love when people do this) and if I am still hobbling in a couple days I will seek professional help.  But needles to say I will be taking a hiatus from running, which was not a club I was looking to join.

The foot is the one downer in an otherwise great race!  Here are a few of the highlights for the 2011 Denver Rock n Roll Marathon:

* Pre-race Loot:  I find race expos to be a bit of a hassle...but sometimes you get a bunch of free stuff.  Check out my haul!

I got so many bars that I almost don't need to go shopping for Halloween candy!  But then I would be known as the lady who gives Trick or Treaters mini sports bars...which is almost as bad as the people who give toothbrushes, raisins, and pennies.

*Pre-race Good Deed:

This is a picture of my race buddy, Audrey, pushing a homeless man (up a hill).  His power wheel chair died and we pushed him to the library so he could recharge it.  As you can see from the picture, the dude was not small and his wheelchair was not light.  Also, you can see that I was just taking pictures and making her do all the work.  Just kidding, I eventually starting helping.  Audrey is a PT and works with patients in power wheelchairs so she was actually the perfect person to ask.

*Pre-race Popsicles-  Audrey and I are a little neurotic about getting to races on time..which coincidentally makes us perfect race buddies.  We don't want to be stressed about finding a spot or being late.  So we showed up 2 1/2 hours before we started the race.  What we lacked in stress we made up for in frost bite!  It was cold!!!  I even considered hanging in a porta potty to stay warm.  Would I show up later next time?  No, but I would wear fuzzy slippers...and maybe a snuggie. 

We might have been cold but at least we weren't wearing shorts like that random guy behind us.  I wore my last Pepperdine sweatshirt as my throw away.  I'd had that thing since my Junior year of High School.

*Hanging with the tail vehicle- When I signed up for the race I had big dreams and put my finish time as 2 hours (spoiler alert-that didn't happen!).  I was assigned corral 6.  Audrey had never done a half before so she overestimated and put 3 hours (spoiler alert- she was under!!).  She was assigned corral 16.  We found out that I could move back with her and so I did.  Corral 16 was the end of the race and we literally lined up directly next to the tail vehicle!  Even though we started last, I am so glad I moved back so we could start together.

*Great Signs- My first half marathon was the Colfax Marathon.  I don't really remember that many people out with signs.  The weather was really bad that day...and it was on East Colfax so I guess not that many people wanted to hang out with the bums and prostitutes.  But this race had some great signs!  Here are a few that I saw and some that Audrey saw:

• "Worst parade ever"
• "Chuck Norris never ran a marathon"
• "Keep going!!  Keep going!! (That's what she said)"- I half expected to see my brother holding that one.
• "I don't even know you but I am so proud of you"- That was Audrey's favorite
• "Where are you guys going??"
• "That's not sweat, your fat cells are crying"
• "But this seemed like a good idea six months ago"
• "Don't stop-people are watching!"
• "Bike for rent-$50 a mile"
• "Lauren, will you marry me?"- Everyone thought that was cute but I would be so ticked if I was Lauren.  Really guy?  She has been training for this for months and you are totally screwing up her pace!  Hmmm, I am thinking I might not be the most romantic person in the world.
• My favorite signs were the ones that my best friend and her husband Nathan were holding that said, "GO KATIE!!"  We ran right by their house and I knew they would be out to cheer me on.  Knowing I would see them kept me going for 12.5 miles and those signs got me to the finish line with a smile on my face.  There is nothing better in this world than a friend who will sit out in the cold to see you for a few seconds (okay at this point it was probably several seconds).

*A downhill finish with seconds to spare- I knew going into the race that I was not going to make my original goal.  It wasn't going to happen but that is okay because I am pretty sure they are going to have more half marathons.  At some point I will break 2 hours, but I knew it wasn't going to be this race.  I also knew if I tried I would bonk or puke or pass out or my heart would explode.  None of those options sounded good so my revised goal was not to be slower than last time (2:06:16).  As I turned the corner to the downhill finish I glance at my watch-2:05.  My only thought was SPRINT!!!!  I crossed the finish line with an official time of 2:06:13. So basically in 5 months I improved my time by 3 whole seconds.  Hmm, maybe it is time to rethink my training.

*Friends make everything better!  I loved doing this race with Audrey!  It was great to see her come through the gates with her medal!

After the race we went to Susan's house for a post race brunch!  Nothing refuels you after a race like mimosas, waffles, and leftover wedding cake!  Loved it!

Overall, it was a great race.  I am really starting to enjoy the 13.1 distance and I will totally do another one in the future.  As for the present...it is looking like R.I.C.E., swimming, and hobbling.  Good times!