My Top 10 Favorite things about this weekend's race:
10. Expo Deals: Though I never visited Body 'n Sole when I lived in C-U, I was glad they were at the expo offering 20% off of everything. I picked up some Asics arm warmers and a pair of Mizuno shorts with a full size, zippered pocket - a.k.a. the Holy Grail. Those items, plus two flavors of GU and a pack of Sport Beans for under $35.
9. Crowd support along the course made me happy. C-U residents came out to support runners early on a Saturday morning. Students seemed to crawl out of the woodwork as the race wore on.
8. Kinetic Medal: it's awesome - the little person in the "O" spins around.
7. The Photog at mile 12 who took my picture, high-fived me and told me to "Finish Strong!" Outstanding.
6. Running past landmarks like the Alma Mater, Merry Ann's Diner, The White Horse Inn, and my old apartment in Urbana.
5. Pre-gun music selections. Among them: Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones...finally, something other than Start Me Up.
4. I like flat courses and I cannot lie. Illinois, you make Cincinnati look like the Andes, Alps and Rockies combined.
3. My updated iPod Playlist: I usually don't replay songs when I'm running, but I hit repeat on Run (I'm a Natural Disaster) by Gnarls Barkley. It came on right when the course narrowed onto a Nature Preserve path, with all the runners crowding and hustling in a formation of organized chaos. Plus, the helicopter overhead made me feel like we really were all running from a natural disaster. Oddly, it charged me up and gave me a boost.
2. OMG King's Hawaiian Rolls - soft doesn't even begin to describe them. At first, I saw them and was all, "Why are there rolls betwixt the Nature Valley bars and Papa John's pizza?" One taste of a lightly sweet dinner roll and I'm convinced that they are the most perfect, delicious food in the world following a long run. Hands down.
1. Finishing on the 50 yard line at Memorial Stadium - I was struggling in miles 10 and 11, but when I saw the Stadium, I knew I was close and started getting excited to finish the race. It's hard to fully explain, but running that last mile through the crowd, down the tunnel and onto the field put many things in perspective. Dan and Vicki were already on the field cheering for me, I ran the length of the field - along the sidelines where I used to stand for home U of I games. The course did a 180 turn and I saw myself on the jumbotron as I crossed the finish line.
I felt so satisfied at having come all this way - metaphorically and literally - and my eyes filled with tears. I shuffled to the end zone and laid down on the orange turf. Everything seemed more vibrant than usual. In my head, I told myself repeatedly, "This is why you run, this is what you live for."
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