Sea Turtle Half Marathon in Gulf Shores Recap
At first I wasn't sure I was going to make this race that I had really been looking forward to! Work has been crazy lately and just so happened that the week before the race, things really got crazy. We were working anywhere from 7 pm to midnight every night. Our boss told us to also be prepared to work all weekend unless we made significant progress by late Friday. So it was not looking good at all midweek!
I told my friend, Robbie, who lives in Gulf Shores, that I was probably not going to make it. I had really been looking forward to seeing her. We haven't seen each other in months! She has been struggling with some injuries and I really wanted to see her and encourage her. And I also hoped I'd get to see Mo, my friend that had breast cancer. She lives in Perdido and is normally at all the races there. I was so down and out about work and just plain tired.
Friday rolled around and it wasn't looking good, but by 4 pm things started to take a turn for the better so I finally got up the nerve to just ask my boss what the game plan was for the weekend. I had not mentioned to him that I had a race. I know work comes first, but I sure was wanting to get to the race. To my surprise, he said he felt we were good, but to stay on stand by for Sunday in case he decided to call us in. I think he honestly knew we were all just whipped out. Mental tiredness is a whole different kind of physical and my eyes were wore out from staring at my computer for hours!
So by 6:30 pm Friday I was on the road to Gulf Shores. I was excited, but also extremely tired. I kept telling myself that if I could just get there and get in the bed, that I would be good on race morning.. at least I hoped.... It rained off and on during the drive and Robbie texted me telling me it was calling for 100% rain on Saturday...booooooo Now I was kind of dreading the race hearing about rain.
I made it finally to Gulf Shores and got in the bed rather quickly. Saturday morning came early. We were going to head to the start line around 6:30 am. I really didn't sleep well. You know how it is when you travel.... the first night in a different bed... you just don't sleep well... or at least I don't. ha
Saturday morning I did something that I never do, especially before a race!. I grabbed a red bull at the gas station. I thought if it could really "revitalize my mind and body" as the can said then I would be ready to run.....because I was TIRED. Boy it perked me up fast. It was like a super dose of coffee! LOL I was ready to run. I was also excited that the rain had came on in quicker than they expected and was gone. It was overcast and humid, but no rain.
Robbie and I found Mo inside the hangout. She was going to be working the race. Her run organization puts this race on. It was so nice to see her and she told me some wonderful news! Her latest pet scan was clear! She was all smiles. The first time I've seen that on her in awhile. She said they would do another one in a couple of months to check again. We quickly asked someone to take our picture before Robbie and I headed out to the start line.
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| Me, Mo & Robbie |
There were some other friends at the race that are on team R4TK so we quickly grabbed a picture at the start line.
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| Robbie, Ann, Penny & me I also saw an old coworker! Tim recently retired from Sanderson. I remember when he did his first 5K and today was going to be his first half! We talked several minutes about his running and he told me that he'd been doing up to 2 hours on a treadmill! I told him I hated the treadmill. He said he had really learned to like it and the weather outside didn't interfere with his training. Here's a pic of me, Tim & Robbie at the start line. 
And then we were all ready to start. I saw another old friend, Gary Thornton, way up in the front and gave him a wave and the race started. I felt great. I was running with Penny & Ann for awhile and we were all talking about races, etc. They had both ran a full marathon the weekend before! And a hilly one too! Soon Penny told me to just go one because they were going to slow down some. I guess their legs were feeling the marathon a tad.. (I know mine would have been!) At first I didn't want to go on because I love running and talking. It keeps my mind off the miles, but I just felt so good. I think that red bull was really kicking in! But don't worry... I would soon crashed. ha
The race was an out and back course along the beach. Going out the wind was not bad, but coming back was a different story! It was flat and fast. I kept looking down at my watch and smiling. I had done so much run/walk lately that I wasn't sure I could maintain a 9 min pace (that's not fast to some..but for me here lately it was), but I sure was doing it. Yep, and you know what happens when you go out too fast and you get the "big head" thinking you are going to have a fabulous PR? .. CRASH.. ha well, maybe it was partly the red bull. My coworker told me I was crazy for drinking that thing.
Anyway, when I reached the turn around, I kept telling myself all I had to do was maintain that pace back and I was going to get a PR. Well around mile 10, the tiredness hit me again. And it seemed stronger than earlier that morning. I wasn't out of breath from running, but my legs felt like they had 20 pound weights on each of them. I could barely go! I started doing some run/walk intervals and then I noticed a guy way ahead of me that looked just like Gary Thornton who was also doing some walking. Soon I caught up to him and was surprised it was him! He's fast! Like 8 min and under pace normally! I told him there had to be something wrong for me to be catching up with him on the half. He said he was just tired. He had recently ran a couple races pretty fast and said he guess it had caught up with him. The wind was tough on the way back in and it was HOT. The humidity was getting to me! So we started walking and jogging off and on while talking. It was good to catch up with him. Him and Anna recently bought a condo in Gulf Shores. He says they love it there.
Soon I noticed an older man up ahead of us weaving when we were somewhere between mile 11-12. Then he walked to the side of the street to grab a palm tree and literally missed it and fell to the ground. Gary and I both went running to check on him. He told us he was fine and just needed help standing up. He had meant to stop at the tree and rest, but lost his balance. I could tell he was not fine. He needed to rest, but he insisted we help him up. So we did. Then Gary and I both told him we would walk the rest of the way in with him. We were not leaving him! He kept trying to get us to just leave him, but we refused. We ended up stopping 2 more times to let him rest and drink some water while walking him in the rest of the way to the finish line. There was also a nice lady that stopped that was a nurse who offered to take his pulse and check him out. She said his pulse was elevated and he need to take it real easy. We walked arm in arm most of the way in to help him keep his balance.
Here's a picture of us walking with him. George Freeman - 85 years young! He's in the blue and Gary is in the green.
 
As we were walking, we learned a lot about his man. He had on an old faded out shirt that had "Boston marathon" on it... so you know I had to ask about that. :>) He had ran Boston 6 times he said! He also did his fastest marathon at the age of 55 with a 3:04! Simply amazing!!! He's originally from New York, but now lives in Gulf Shores. Guess it's true that so many people retire and move to the beach! MY DREAM! :>)
Gary and I walked Mr. George across the finish line while a crowd of people clapped. I didn't see any photographers during the race so not sure if anyone got us crossing. If I find a picture, I'd add it later. My mind totally had forgotten about that PR that I was earlier dreaming of and somehow even with the walking and stopping, I finished a 2:21 half ....guess my actual running time was pretty good. ha I honestly believe God put me right where he wanted me. I'm sure he didn't tell me to drink that red bull....but he put me in that spot to see this man fall and help him. I wonder if I'll be like him when I'm 85. Lord knows this man could run back in his day! And here he is at 85 just wanting to finish and cross that finish line. He was still not steady after finishing. He said his equilibrium was off. I'm sure eventually he will have to accept that it's no longer a good thing to race and just walk casually. Oh and he was only doing the 5K which joined the half marathoners on their 2nd mile and finished in the same spot as us. I hope I know when to stop and quit pushing. I'm sure that decision for him or for me will be a very difficult one. Even at 50, I sometimes feel that I'm still 20 until I do something and then I'm reminded that I'm no longer as young as I use to be. His eyes would light up as he talked about many of his marathon experiences. You could just see the joy. We visited for a good while on the bench at the finish line until his breathing had steadied.
I had hoped I'd see Robbie cross the finish line, but we missed each other when I walked Mr. George inside the Hangout where the food was at for the racers. When Robbie and I found each other, we went outside and grabbed a picture by the Hangout hand.
I did grab a picture with Tim after he finished too. He laughed and told me and Robbie we were both crazy running long distance races. He said that half wore him out. I told him it was his first and not to quit now. :>) I hope to see him more often at races!
I also got my feet in the sand for a few minutes while I sat quietly listening to the waves. I could have stayed there all day!
Robbie and I went out for an early supper to catch up a little and then I made my way back home early Sunday morning. I knew I needed to be home on Sunday in case I got the dreaded call to go to work or so I could get some much needed rest. It was a SHORT trip, but a good trip.
Well that's a wrap for the Sea Turtle Half.. here's the medal.
Now to prepare for the Rock'N'Fly half in Pensacola next month. Looking forward to some girl time there! and BTW...work isn't much better this week. I've only gotten 5 tiny run miles in this week. We have a big management meeting coming up on the 28th and I hope after that things will return to normal. I don't like when things are out of order and I don't get my runs in. I'm cranky. Hee Hee
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