Race completed!

I'm feeling really pooped now, but proud of myself all the same that I finished my first half marathon so I thought I'd do a short update whilst waiting for my Maccas to arrive.

Double cheeseburger meal for me, and a Mega-mac meal for him.

We started the day in a panic. My dad dropped us off at the train station because all the roads surrounding my place were blocked off (or so I thought), since it was part of the race route. Got to the train station, realised it was closed - CLOSED ! It was 540am, and our flagoff time was at 630am, giving us not a lot of time to get there, check in our bags (with 50,000 other people) and then make our way to the starting line.

I was afraid we'd be late, because then we'd be considered a non-finisher, even if we ran the entire race. And damn it, I wanted that medal !

So anyway, couldn't get a cab from there - well there was one, but the guy was parked there sleeping in his cab. Called daddy again to the rescue. He came down, picked us up and dropped us at the old Parliament House. We deposited our bag (in a very muddy tent - mud and shoes with holes for ventilation don't really go, I spent most of the race feeling like my feet were damp and fermentaing) and then I realised my bib that I was affixing paper clips to had suddenly disappeared ! One minute I was holding it, the next I was taking my ishuffle out of the bag and then it was just gone !

Honestly, it amazes me how feather-brained I can be. I let go of things without even realising.

I retraced my steps and thankfully found it just outside the baggage deposit tent. So baggage - deposited. Bib - found. Shuffle - clipped to my shorts.

Off we went in search of the starting line, along the Esplanade.

3hr 04min was the timing (based on the gun time) when I crossed the finish line - but my actual running time (discounting the long walk before I actually crossed the starting line) according to runpix.com is 2hr 59min - just under 3 hours was my goal, so I'm quite pleased!

I know we could have done better though because we had all these stops along the way:
1. walking (quite a lot)

2. pee break (him - long queue!) - that was probably one of the most trying 15minutes of my life because he decided to stop for a pee break at the halfway point, which incidentally, happens to be literally right outside the start of the road that I live on.

3. drink stops (on the way back, we were counting how many cups were strewn on the roads - there must have been at least a 100,000 given there were 50,000 runners and each had at least 2, but most, like myself, had at least 6-7)

4. deep heat stop (my ankle and knee were killing me at about the 13km mark so I grabbed a glob of deep heat from one of the volunteers and just smeared it all over both knees - couldn't reach the ankles - and for the next 3km it was burning! but at least the pain from the knee stopped, although my ankle and foot are still hurting. very much)

The boyfriend was incredibly supportive and with me every step of the way, even though I know he's hugely competitive and was dying to press on after the people who were over-taking us. He cheered me on, waited for me and kept me hydrated with his hydration belt in between the drink stations.

Particularly so on the home stretch - he wouldn't let me stop to walk. The last 750m, he was just screaming in my ear to keep going so I ran down past St Andrew's Road, past Old Parliament House and almost threw up once I crossed the 'Finish' line.

But it was a good feeling. And I'm glad we did this.

What's next :)