I Made It Through the Rain....

Gotta love a good Barry Manilow tune, don't ya, Gentle Reader?
Well, it's all over but the screaming in DOMS agony. My first competitive half-marathon is but a memory, and...well, I finished on my feet. Despite the 15-minute late start and the piss-poor organization at the starting gate. Despite the chill that set in about 30 minutes after we finally got to start. Despite the course planned by a damned sadist so it had more hills and long climbs than flats and declines.

And despite the sprinkles that started around mile 9 that became an all-out downpour come mile 12.

"Come for the run, stay for the party" my soaking wet ass! The runner's village that was advertised as offering a postrace feast was a ghost town by the time I came in, a little less than two hours as the air horn marked the start of the run. The husband told me even before the rain started, very few vendors were attempting to peddle their wares. So as soon as I chugged down a Myoplex, walked a while, then walked back to the finishing line because I forgot to turn in my timing chip when I first crossed it, the boys and I took the long walk to the car and hauled our drenched selves home. Once there, I took a long, hot shower, snuggled up in my thick, fuzzy red robe and crawled into bed.

Yep, I made it through the rain. My newish running shoes, the ones I've faithfully only worn while on the treadmill at the gym so they'd be in really good shape for their first road race, are soaked through and through, just like the rest of me was by the time it was over. Sure, I wish I could have done better, but I didn't stop to walk, I didn't keel over, I didn't hack up a lung. I wish I could have done better, yeah, but I'll take the average 7:57 minutes per mile my iPod/Nike + logged for me, all things considered. Now I just hope my iPod made it through the rain....