Cinco de Mayo was race day for us: we took a trip to Indy to run the Mini. This is probably David's 15th time doing it? It's my 2nd. In any case, just getting to Indianapolis was an adventure for us. We left early in the morning Friday to get to Indy in time to pick up our race packets (this includes our all-important race numbers, without which we would not be allowed to even enter the race course and would hence make our trip completely pointless). Packet pickup goes until 9pm so we figured we were giving ourselves plenty of time.
But then.
We've all been there: you board the plane and it backs away from the gate and just sits there. We watched the minutes tick away, and right about the time we decided we might just barely make our connection in Memphis if we were to leave right at that moment, the pilot announced that we're going back to the gate to check out some electrical something or other. No big deal, we've got smartphones!! David took pictures of our packet info and IDs and emailed them to his sister so she can pick up our goodies for us if needed (she, fortunately enough, was also headed to Indy to run this thing). We knew the next flight out of Memphis would get us to there too late, so I got on the phone with Delta and rebooked us to a different flight that would be leaving Los Angeles later, but would still get us there before packet pickup ended. Problem solved, and we weren't even back to the gate yet.
But when we got back to the gate, they wouldn't let us get off the plane.
They let some folks deplane who were headed to Orlando, but they literally stood in front of the door and refused to let us get off. They said this flight had to get going so there wasn't enough time (for us to walk past them off the plane?), and besides, there were no more seats available on any flights to Indy. They were deaf to our explanations that there were no more seats available because we had just claimed the last two.
It was infuriating. To add insult to injury, after we returned to our seats we sat there for another 15 minutes while they allowed everyone going to Miami to also get off the plane, and then they upgraded a few people to first class.
Sure enough, we missed our connection, and sure enough, we got to Indy too late to pick up our packets. (Thank you Camille and Mike for doing that for us!) While we were stuck in Memphis we called Delta and got half our skymiles back, thankyouverymuch.
Enough about that.
Race day was hot and humid. My least favorite running conditions. I was dripping after mile 2, and the sun wasn't even fully up yet. But those Indy-ites are smart. They had some little arches you could run through every couple miles that were spraying water. I took full advantage of those, as well as every opportunity I could find to dump water on my head at the water stops. I also had a killer running mix I that had put together to distract myself.
And that's how I had what I felt was my best half marathon yet.
Not that it was the fastest, I just felt the best...unless you count the last mile - the "victory mile," which completely destroyed me. It's just a long straight stretch where you can see the finish line up ahead but it never seems to get any closer - and I couldn't stop running or I'd never start again. And although I felt better than after any of my other races, I felt like I was going to black out from the moment I crossed the finish line. I didn't even stop to get my picture taken with my gigantic medal, because I worried that if I stopped moving I would pass out. I just inched along through the masses of people until I could sit on the ground and wait for everyone else to find me. (David finished before me, but he was waiting for me at the finish line - I completely missed him because I was so focused on not losing consciousness.)
In any case, WE DID IT! (in 1:59 and 2:04)
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