Oh what fun it is to ... run 13.1 miles in Miami

I thought it would be fun to tell my story w. lots of pictures... especially since I have lots of pictures (the blog post was delayed bc of all the pix to sort & I have a bad cold). I can't believe I was in Miami 24hrs ago with a high in the 80s, but now in DC with a few inches of snow on the ground. It's amazing what change a 2-hour plane flight can bring.... BUT more amazing than that is how awesome DC Team Challenge did in Miami!!!

We joined other Team Challenges from across the US at the Miami Hyatt Regency... we all had accomplished (many surpassing their minimum $3,600 fundraising goals with highs up in $20ks), but now we were even more excited about crossing the Finish Line (for a cure). Just to give you an idea, there were other Team Challenges from Fairfield, Florida, Illinois, Long Island, Mid America, New England, New Jersey, NYC, Northeast Ohio, Philly, and Western PA. All the Team Challenge Teams raised over $1.6M in total!!!

Day 1 (Fri, Jan 23):

All packed and ready to go to Miami!! Plane leaves Reagan Nat'l @ 3:00pm. I invited my Mom to go along with me... this was an important trip that meant a lot to me - running my first Half and supporting CCFA! The above picture is us on the plane heading to Miami!!
When DC Team Challenge arrived @ Miami Int'l Airport, there was a Coach Bus waiting for us to take us to the Miami Hyatt Regency hotel.

After DC Team Challenge checked into their rooms... we decided to have fun at dinner! We went to Bongos Cuban Cafe. This is Gloria & Emilio Estefan's restaurant... some of the team stayed late and she actually made an appearance at the restaurant. I needed to get back to my hotel room and get to bed b/c I had 13.1 miles to run in a couple days.. I'm sure Gloria understood :-) It was an awesome restaurant.... not many people can say they ate dinner under a disco ball!!!
Day 2 (Sat, Jan 24):
I woke up about 6am, excited to start my day in Miami. Our hotel was located in South Miami Beach... the Hyatt Regency was about 5 miles from the beach. Although I didn't make it to the beach during the whole wkend (I really planned on going there... bathing suit and suntan lotion were packed!!), but with Team Mtgs and rest I wasn't able to. Don't feel bad for me tho... I was in Miami to run 13.1 miles, not to enjoy relaxing under the beautiful sun on the beach (ha ha!!). I had breakfast at the hotel and we took a shuttle to the Miami Convention Center... it was great to meet my friend, Lynn, on the way!

We registered/picked up our race bibs and enjoyed strolling through the Race Expo - lots & lots of vendors. I bought a new pair of tech socks (mentioned in previous post) especially for race day... my feet loved me for that! I also got an awesome Miami ING Marathon shirt. After the Miami Convention Center, we walked around downtown Miami for a few hours before our 4pm DC Team mtg. We went to Forest Gump restaurant... well, it's called Bumba Gump Shrimp Co. @ Bayside Park, Miami.

At the 4pm DC Team Mtg, we all received our Team Challenge race tank tops + fun letters to write whatever we wanted on our tanks for the race. Lynn wrote "For Mom" on hers - it was great running in her Mom's honor... I wasn't very creative and just chose different color letters to spell out my name.

Actually, this was great b/c during the run, other Team Challenge team members from other areas would cheer for you as you ran the course!! It was awesome to be part of such a great organization - Team Spirit was unmeasurable!!! (Thanks to our great coaches - Dani, Kevin & Megan - for starting the team spirit back in September.) When our DC Team Challenge was introduced we agreed on a DC appropriate cheer (thanks, Obama!) - "Yes We Can, Yes We Can!"

During the Pasta Party buffet, we listened to CCFA representatives remind us why we were all there and the importance of what we have achieved so far. And to make it more personal, they invited guest speakers to share personal stories with us how Crohn's and/or Colitis affected their lives. The stories were devastating to hear, but also motivating how people can change misfortunes in their lives into something positive and gain strength becoming a better person in the end. After the pasta party buffet for all Team Challenge members, we took a Team Photo...

... then it was back to our rooms to get rested before the big day!

Day 3 (Sun, Jan 25):
We had to be up and ready to go @4:45AM in the Hyatt lobby on Sunday. Race time was 6:15AM and the Start Line was a few blocks from the Hyatt... so we walked from the hotel to the start line as a warm up. When I woke up, I saw this sign, Dani put on my room door... she wrote a special message for everyone on DC Team Challenge!
At the Start Line, everyone was assigned a race corral according to your projected finish time/pace. I was in E w/ Lynn... there were so many people (OVER 15,000 runners to be exact - and all 50 states + 52 countries were represented in the Miami Marathon race - it was amazing!!). I was really glad to see my friend (pace twin), Kate, at the Start Line. She was toughing it out fighting a flu! And Robin helped me find an "R" for the back of my tank top... I almost just stole her "R."


Running 13.1 miles....
Click here to check out the race course info & maps. It was a great course, just like they said - with entertainment and cheering sections at every mile marker. This was very motivating to hear music and crowds cheering for you as you ran closer to the next mile.... so Sherry's comment to "Rock the Clock" was perfect!! Thanks again, Sherry!! The first mile included one of several bridges... actually you had to cross the bridge before you reached Mile Marker #1. It made me laugh to hear some runners say, "This isn't friendly with a hill before we even reached Mile 1." It was awesome to start with Marathon runners and run with them all the way to somewhere around Mile 12, where half-marathoners split "LEFT" from the full marathoners. I remember Coach Kevin stating that when you reached miles 11-12, it will seem like you've finished, but don't be fooled... keep running!! They loop us around sort of to the Finish Line... and he said we'd know the Finish Line when we got there!! He was right there was tons of cheering and noise as you turned the corner towards the Finish Line. Here's couple pix I took of the Finish Line the day before....

I remember thinking I was @ Mile 10, but I had just passed Mile 9 and heard some other runners talking about Mile 10 coming up. Maybe that's why some runners choose to wear their ipods, so they're not distracted. Also, next time I'm starting my watch when I cross the Start Line. As much as I know I was rocking the clock, it would have been a little more motivating to know what time I was rocking exactly. Because of so many ppl starting, and you not being able to actually cross the Start Line until 20 mins after the race starts... it means the clock doesn't actually show your time. So I just tried to pace my runs at each mile.... and they had Pace Runners running with us. I noticed 5hr Pace Runners for full Marathon... shirts read, "Follow us to the Finish Line for a good time!" So I made sure I could always see or pace myself with them.. since that was my goal (2.5hrs) besides running all 13.1 miles. It was great to see the gun fire of the start of the race, even though I didn't start really running until 20 mins after seeing it. I thought the picture of the Start Line before & after everyone had left, was neat to see the comparison.

13.1 miles is definitely different from running a 10K... and not just for the obvious distance difference!! I noticed that so many more runners got hydrated w/ water & gatorade at each mile marker which meant MANY MORE CUPS thrown on the course and the course was very wet around these areas... so I had to be careful not to slip or trip. I also remember around Mile 9 or 10, someone was handing out Hershey Kisses... I took one, but threw it in a cup when I realized what it was. I didn't want short/fake energy.... and it's funny how you grab and take anything handed to you when you're running a long distance. I was glad that I thought before I ate or drank anything I was handed tho... oh! and one fellow runner handed me a Cliff Shot gel... I hadn't tried these during my training, so I opted not to try it now during the big day. I'm glad I had 16 weeks with Team Challenge to prepare and experiment w. different things before and during our long, Saturday morning runs. That's one thing I'm definitely glad, all our coaches stressed to us to make sure we took advantage of trying things before the race.

I'd like to say my next race will be a full marathon... but I now have a new appreciation for full marathon runners!! My Dad's awesome to have completed marathons + ultras, too.... then again, he's a Marine. He still believes my first marathon should be the Marine Corps Marathon... lol... we'll see... but I definitely am looking fwd to my next Half and the Full marathon will happen with continued training! :-)

The last night, we had one more Team Challenge dinner... and this was the Team Victory Party!! It was a healthy dinner provided for us... different salad mixes, variety of salad toppings, breads, and chicken to top the salad. Plus the desserts were different types of cakes including, chocolate, cheesecakes, apple crumb, cherry etc. Oh and we got a complimentary drink at the bar... I slept good the last nite!
Thank you for all your support and encouragement for me to reach the Finish Line - CCFA is determined to continue research & find a cure for Crohn's & Colitis and I believe we will soon.... there's just so much awareness out there now.... and like Forest Gump said, "Miracles do happen!!"