Race Day Part 2

In Part 1 I talked more about feelin' the love. This time I'm going to put down what running the race felt like.

Let me start by saying that prior to this race, I thought a late start would be a good thing. I now know better. This race started at 5:30 pm, which means I had all day to anticipate, mull, contemplate, fret and generally get myself all worked up. By the time we gathered at the start line I had the worst cotton mouth you can imagine. It was ridiculous.
Lesson 1-- if you're prone to over excitement (that would be me) choose a race that starts early.

So there I was with my gummy dried out mouth at the starting line. I was thrumming with excitement. The announcer kept talking-- a welcome, a prayer, the Star Spangled Banner. I had to bite my tongue to keep from shouting, "SHUT UP AND LET ME RUN BEFORE I EXPLODE!" Finally the announcer started the countdown: 10, 9, 8...3, 2, 1 and we're were off and it was exhilarating! It felt so good to be moving with the pack I did what everyone had warned me against-- running too fast at the start. Fortunately I quickly realized my error. Unfortunately that made me anxious. I kept thinking, "What if I'm going too fast and I burn out? Am I going to hyperventilate?" Silliness!
Lesson 2-- Just chill out and breathe. Remind yourself you've run this distance before, it's nothing to fret over. Make your mantra, "I'll be fine."

Lesson 3 (this is a biggie) Make sure your shoes are securely tied! Sounds like a no brainer and  maybe it is, but I never even thought to look at my shoes. Never, ever before had one of my shoes come untied while running. I have to repeat that-- NEVER have I had a shoe come untied while running. Guess what? Less than half a mile into the race I felt something flicking my right shin. I looked down and saw the laces of my right shoe flapping away. I thought, "What the hell? Seriously?" and decided to leave it untied. A short distance later my shoe felt like it was going to come flying off. I gave in, moved to the side, stopped and tied my shoe. Problem solved. Umm, no. Perhaps 3/4 of a mile later I feel that familiar flicking on my right shin again. I look down and again I think (but with more fervor), "What THE HELL? Seriously?!?" And again my shoe feels like it's going to come flying off. Again I move aside, stop and tie my shoe. This time, with much pissy attitude and force,  I tied a double knot and moved back into the pack.  That knot stayed, thank God.

To be continued...
                                           Starting line crowd