Race Day

Don't call me crazy.  

Don't be impressed (because there's really not anything to be impressed about).

Because this is where my friend Leah & I were last weekend, amidst the sea of 25, 000 other runners.

And this is me finishing...

How do you like my amazing 6 pac abs six months post-partum?  Pretty snazzy, huh?  And I'm sure you also like my obvious Hispanic persuasion.  Just going to San Antonio turns me into a ripped Latina running machine.

Instead, this was me finishing, just happy to still be standing...

Not an understatement.  What started off as this kind of race...

Dwindled to a snail's pace around mile 9.  I crossed the finish line though, and I suppose that's the most important thing.  The blazing hot temperatures should have been my first clue that this was not going to be a PR race.  Or maybe the fact that I just had a baby 6 months ago.  Or that Hudson was not a fan of the bed I made him sleep in at the hotel, therefore sleep was an unobtainable luxury for me that night. 

The most grueling part was the mile walk I had to make after the race to make it back to the hotel to feed Little Man.  I crossed the finish line and just kept going without even sitting down.  So I guess my medal (that Hudson happily gnawed) counts for the total 14 miles that I moved that day.

Even though it wasn't my most star performance, I love race days and was so glad to be able to carve another notch on my running belt.  The adrenaline, the enthusiasm, the crowds, the cheering, the music...if you've never run or even been to a road race, I highly recommend it.  Here is but a smattering of all the entertaining things there were to see on the course that day:

• the Alamo (It must be noted that the Alamo is directly across the street from Ripley's Believe It or Not and a few other tourist traps.  I wonder how Alamo hero Mr. Bowie would feel about that.)
• A little boy with a sign that said "You better run faster...I just farted."
• Two barefoot runners
• A dog with three legs
• A man running in a kilt
• A giant dude who really could have been a player for the Spurs
• A runner dressed as a hot dog
• Another sign that said "This is the most boring parade ever."

I will say that my favorite part about training for this race was the quality time I got to spend with my old high school friend, Leah.  Our Saturday long runs were like a weekly coffee date--minus the coffee,  plus sore quads when it was all said and done.  In fact, Leah was the first one to sign up for this race and let me come along to crash the party.  So none of this would have been possible without her.

Overall, our little weekend getaway to San Antonio was such a blast.  Though the race wasn't as stellar as I had hoped, it reminded me that sometimes all there is to do is just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Such is running, such is life.  A very applicable life lesson when these days my heart is not so keen on returning to China.  So for now, I'll just keep on going.