The Journey of a Running Green Girl…

The Green Girl did cross the finish line of the San Francisco Half Marathon and she completed the California Dreamin’ Racing Series! Whoo hoo!

Friday before the race, I got my arch taped up with Phiten Titanium discs and tape at the Phiten store in Torrance. I’m a true believer in the power of Phiten’s titanium. I have a Phiten necklace and an anklet, too. For the race, I gave my foot extra arch support with regular sports tape.

I flew up to San Jose Saturday morning. My sister, Patti, picked me up at the airport and we drove up to San Francisco.

We met up with some fellow California Dreamin’ Sparkers at the Ferry Marketplace. We were all anxious to check out the The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. We walked around and looked at all the fresh produce. We even got to do a berry tasting. For lunch, my sister and I shared a mediocre muffaletta and some French macaroons.

After we finished eating, we headed over to the Expo. At the Expo, I ran into Penny. My favorite part of the expo was the foam roller section where I got to roll to my heart’s (and IT band’s) delight.

For dinner, I met up with some former Team In Training teammates and friends at Capps Corner for some Italian food. During dinner, one of my friends mentioned he had gone to this ice cream place, Humphrey Slocombe, that served really unusual flavors like Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper, and Thai Chili Lime. As soon as dinner was over, my sister and I headed over there to try these unique flavors out for ourselves. I sampled the Hibiscus Beet and the Peanut Butter Curry. My sister, the alcoholic, ordered the Secret Breakfast which is a mix of cornflakes and bourbon. I ended up getting the Peanut Butter Curry.

I was exhausted by the time we got back to our Hotel Vitale. My sister picked out the accomodations and she could not have done a better job – we were literally across the street from the Starting Line. The shuttle that would take me to the Starting Line for the Second Half was also right in front of our hotel. It could not have been more perfect. It was comforting to go to sleep knowing I wouldn’t have to be rushed in the morning because I was already right there.

In the morning, I met up with the California Dreamin’ Sparkers before they started the First Half Marathon and then I hopped on the shuttle to the Starting Line for the Second Half. The morning was chilly so I was glad I had my bright yellow “throw-away” sweatshirt to keep my warm.

The race start was uneventful – I wasn’t even sure when we started but the crowd started moving so I followed them. I started off a little faster that I would have liked to but it felt good to be running. My arch felt good so I was happy.

The first half of the Second Half was mostly uphill so I ran up the hills and alternated between running and walking on the flat parts. I was determined to stick to my plan of running uphill, walking downhill, and just listening to my body. Along the way, I heard someone call out my name and it was L.A. Runner! I was so excited to finally meet him in person.

I made really good timing on the uphill portion. I couldn’t believe it when I passed the 2:45 pace group and then the 3:00 pace group!

The second half was almost all downhill so I walked a lot. I tried jogging down a slight incline and my arch got a little sore so I immediately stopped. Besides, I had made such good timing in the first half so I knew I was in good shape. Both the 2:45 and 3:00 pace groups flew by me on one of the downhills.

Around mile 12, it really began to sink in that I was going to cross the Finish Line and complete the California Dreamin’ Series. I suddenly became really emotional. I was amazed by the amount of progress I was able to make in just seven weeks. I thought about all my family and friends who helped me raise $3,065.00 for Angelman Syndrome research. I thought about my niece and how I was looking forward to finishing the race, getting my medal, getting my California Dreamin’ Jacket and medal, and then heading back to San Jose to spend time with her.