The week after NOLA was not much better than the weeks prior to it. I was able to hold fluids down and basically lived on chicken broth and gatorade...not nearly enough to fuel any activity levels, so no training. I flew out Saturday morning, knowing I would be able to get through the Little Rock Half Marathon the next day, but knowing it wouldn't be pretty either. I hadn't checked the weather before leaving but saw a friend's Facebook post about how cold it would be for him...he's from southern CA so I didn't think too much of it, but threw in some compression shorts, socks, and sleeves in case. I checked the weather after I was on the plane...as if I could do anything about it then! I slept on the first leg of my flight and met up with Sherry in Atlanta. We boarded the second leg and each asked the gentlement beside us to potentially trade seats with one of us so we could sit together...they were jerks. Seriously 1C vs. 3C...you're still in first class and still in an aisle...whatever. Given that we weren't within chatting distance, I slept some and read some.
Ethan picked us up at the airport and had Gatorade and snacks for us - a wonderfully sweet gesture, but my digestive track wasn't even considering it...food was not my friend that day. We headed to the hotel and checked in, then walked over to the expo. While at the expo I bumped into Louie - though I almost didn't recognize him without his signature glasses!
While we were chatting other Maniacs and Fanatics began gathering and before we knew it we were in the midst of an impromptu get together!
After a short visit we decided to head out, but at the last minute opted to stop and say hi to Bart before leaving.
He told us he was going to be duck master at the Peabody that night, but we opted to head back to the hotel and grab some dinner. There was a Japanese steakhouse attached to the hotel and despite how sick I'd been lately it sounded really good, so that's where we went. I was able to eat, and ate quite a bit! I was pretty impressed with myself/relieved that I'd been able to fuel for the race. On the way back to the room, Ethan decided he wanted Oreos so we were going to slip out to the store...until it suddenly hit me what a bad idea that much food was after not eating for so long. I opted to stay back and just lie down. While they were gone, much (but not all) of dinner was revisited. :( So much for fuel...I'd still be running on empty for the next day's half.
Race morning dawned, VERY chilly! It was colder than my MN race.
We put on our layers and headed to the maniac/fanatic photo meet ups.
Then we set off looking for gear check. We were told it was REALLY far away, so we were surprised when we turned a corner and there it was! We dropped our stuff and headed to the start. Race Alert...if you plan to run Little Rock be prepared for a chaotic start! There were little herds of people and you couldn't move, let alone enter the corrals. I've never seen such a packed/confusing start area. We stood in line on the side of the street hoping to eventually make it into the corral (ours was C) until I realize the sign for C was a little in front of us. I grabbed Sherry and plowed my way through people - quite literally...if you were waiting near corral C and some rude chic pushed by you, sorry about that! Strangely enough, when we got to the Corral C sign, the corrals were nearly empty! I still have NO idea what was going on or why the corrals/street were so backed up all the way up to that point and then completely empty. I do know a lot of people waiting to get in that corral thought it was C.
We stood shivering, waiting for the start. I was shaking so uncontrollably that some nice woman behind me took pitty on me and tried to warm me up by rubbing by back. I know it was cold, but I think my recent illness had something to do with my reaction to it...I literally could not stop shaking. Finally we were off. I decided to keep an easy pace and not stress over time, but just to enjoy the run and complete the state. Around mile 1 I saw a sign that read: "Pass the weak, hurdle the dead"...it was a new one to me (not easy after 47 1/2s!) and I found it funny...I wished I'd had my camera out when I saw it, but I wasn't stopping for it. I kept going and started wondering where the hills came from. Who knew Little Rock was hilly? I really need to check the elevation profiles before showing up at races! My hamstrings were tight within the first mile! Grrrr...
I pressed on and we crossed the bridge into North Little Rock.
I was enjoying the scenery, when I saw another 'sign' that struck me funny; but again I didn't have the camera out. This one I considered going back for, but didn't...so I was thrilled when I saw that Endorphin Dude had not only stopped but posted a pic on Facebook! (I stole his pic.)
During the entire race I never warmed up (and I usually run HOT when running). I occassionally took my gloves off, but ended up putting them back on nearly every time. I slid my sleeves down to just below my elbows a couple of times, but ended up pulling them back up too. I actually used my headband to keep my ears warm.
The course itself was nice. It wound through a variety of areas and there was plenty to see, from the Governor's mansion to the State House.
There was an ample amount of crowd support in most areas, though some areas were unusually quiet for a race. The first split from the full came around mile 11. Right up to it I seriously considered attempting the full...just to see if I could do it, knowing I'd have to walk some. But at the last minute I realized that I had to have a half in the state to finish my 50 states this year - and that I was also running on empty - and veered right with the remainder of the 1/2ers. As we approached the turn to tie back into the full course I heard someone coming up behind me saying "Push It", "You got this", "Push" and thought he was encouraging someone...turns out, he was...himself. We were closing in on the finish and he was closing in on his threshold mentally. He kept going though. As we split from the full a final time and came upon our last mile I came upon him walking and offered some encouragement. I've definitely been in his shoes! He picked it back up and we all pressed on together. Shortly thereafter we passed a lipgloss station...that was a first...they were handing out lipgloss to help you primp for your finish photo - let me tell you, after 13.1 miles it was going to take A LOT more than lipgloss to get a good photo of this chic! A lipgloss was shoved at me and I grabbed it and kept going. I crossed the finish line in 2:23:54 with a high five from Bart Yasso.
A quick finisher's photo and I headed for the massage area!
The line wasn't too long, but I began wishing I'd grabbed my gear before heading over there. It was just long enough that I was shivering beneath my mylar blanket by the time it was my turn. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the folks at the massage tent took their time! Other post race massages have rushed you in and out, but this guy took a solid 15-20 minutes and really worked out my legs, hip flexors, back, and shoulders. I was impressed. However, once he was finished and I tried to stand up I decided I didn't know if that had been such a good thing afterall. My hip flexors were TICKED OFF. I literally could barely walk. I struggled in a lot of pain to get back to the gear check. On the way to the gear check I realized the reason we'd been told gear check was so far away...apparently we'd checked out gear in the "perks" area - which was extra and folks had paid for this privilege. We truly were not trying to 'get over' and no one had bothered to stop us that morning when we walked right in; but boy did they stop me trying to get back. She checked for my wristband and then read the bottom of my bib to inform me I was not allowed in. Shivering and barely able to walk I said, "I just want to grab my sweatshirt and go home." I must have appeared as pitiful as I felt because she let me in. As I was getting my sweatshirt I saw Ethan changing so I stopped and waited for him. In the meantime, I made some observations...IF you decide to do Little Rock, I definitely recommend paying the extra for the "perks". The band and dance floor likely won't be needed too much but they had an amazing spread of food and plenty to drink. I will likely do the full in Little Rock sometime, just because the medal for the full is so obscenely huge...and will definitely spring for the perks.
We were waiting for Sherry but I again began to feel REALLY bad so I left Ethan there and I headed back to the hotel. I had showered, changed, and packed but the time they got back. After they showered it was time to head out. Ethan dropped us back at the airport, my hip flexors had decided they liked me again after my shower, and Sherry & I headed through security while Ethan headed back to the car to drive home. I was still trying to get a little fuel in my system so I got some breadsticks and a Sprite. It managed to stay down, but that was about it. I flew home, drove back from the airport, and got in the house 44 hours after I had originally left - Another state completed but still running on empty.
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