One Down...

What a crazy and fun race to start out with: 35 thousand registrants, 25 thousand non-registered participants, a whole bunch of naked guys, not that many naked girls (to the chagrin of the guys I was running with), a gazillion tortillas flying through the air, lots of whacky costumes (some I saw: three guys in a kayak, a gladiator, a pair of skunks, Tarzan and Jane), a city that cheered on the runners with music booming from windows, free water handed out at doorsteps, bands cranking out the tunes, a gorgeous day for running and just this general feeling of euphoria and joy in the air. Can you tell I had a good time?

It didn't start out auspiciously. Though we had made excellent time in getting to the city and to the start area, I found myself needing a bathroom break before the start. Why did I drink all that water? Why? After determining that the lines stretched all the way to San Jose, I thought I'd just hold it till later. Thirty minutes later, I really needed to go and it was just about time to start. AUGH! What to do? Get into line. It was much shorter but it was still a twenty minute wait and, let's just say that I have never been so happy to get into a Port-a-Potty in my life. Thank goodness my friends were kind enough to wait for me because I would never have found them again in the writhing mass.

The Hayes Street Hill was not that bad (Thank you, Dish!) and, after cresting it, the course rolled very nicely downhill with gravity pulling us closer and closer to the finish line. I think I saw one mile marker (number 4) and thought to myself, 'More than halfway there, keep going.' There was lots of weaving between walkers and slower runners, sometimes we had to stop running altogether. M, by taking care of the boys, got me to the race and my friends, by running slower than they can and being my mental 'pull', got me through the race. We crossed the finish line in 1:26. Shouts of joy!

We walked down to the ocean and into the water. It was freezing cold but the feel of the ocean breeze on my face and the sand between my toes was glorious. Ahhhhhh.

The beginning of an era. As one of the songs that blasted out of speakers on the run said: "Where do we go now?"

The answer for tonight: to bed.

God bless ibuprofen.