I'm a half-marathoner!

I don't even know where to start!  This past weekend was so incredible on many different levels.  It is difficult organizing my thoughts, memories and feelings.  I guess I'll do this travel-log-style so I don't leave anything out...

The morning of December 4th came EARLY!  Of course I'm a Procrastinating Packer, so I was up until 2AM getting everything done.  I met up with some team members at 6:45AM and we set out for the airport!  It was really fun to fly with other Team Challenge members, as we got to know each other more.  I was still battling a cold and the flights did not really feel great in my ears & head, but we got to Vegas and successfully checked in.  The hotel was all decorated for Christmas!  I LOVED this.  I'm sure everyone was tired of hearing me say, "Look at the decorations!"  "Oh!  The tree! Did you see the tree?!"  "Check out that huge wreath!"  I get so excited for Christmas stuff.  

I rode the elevator up to my room and quickly dropped off my stuff before I met some team members down in the lobby to head over to the race expo.  We knew it was at Mandalay Bay and there was a free tram we could catch to get over there, but when we left the lobby, we could clearly see Mandalay Bay and it didn't look very far away, so we decided to walk.  Mistake.  I should have remembered that a Vegas block = like 10 miles.  It seemed like it took forever to get there and then even more forever to make our way through the 100 miles of hotel to get to the expo!!  But we finally arrived, and WOW!  There was so much stuff.  We waited in line to get our bib number and timing tag to put on our shoe, then made our way over to get our tech tees and 'goodie bags' which had all sorts of stuff in it!  I opened it up to find a ton of ads, coupons, samples of products, and info for more races around the nation.  It was then that it finally hit me...  I'm actually going to do this!  Crazy.

We made our way quickly around the expo, but we were starving, so we didn't spend a ton of time there.  We hurried back to our hotel (via tram this time) to drop off our new stuff and head down to partake in one of the things that makes Vegas so great:  the buffet!  :)  By the time we ate and then checked out the "West Wing" in the hotel, I was completely wiped out.  I needed a good dose of cold medicine and a warm bed, so I crapped out at around 10:30 local time, which would mean to my body that it was 1:30AM!!  Not a good way to try to recover from a cold.

We had a group run scheduled for the next morning, so I set my alarm before closing my tired eyes.  That night was awful.  I couldn't breathe, my throat was sore, and my head hurt.  I hardly slept at all.  My alarm went off and I thought that there was no way that I would be able to make myself go running.  So I turned off my alarm and tried to sleep.  No luck.  After lying in bed for half an hour, I got up and opened my curtains to look out my window.  What do you know?!  I saw all these people running across the walkway bridges and down the street back toward our hotel.  It was fun to watch everyone come back from their runs from 23 stories up.  I instantly felt a closeness to all those strangers.  I knew that we were all here for the same reason, and I had to smile as I watched each runner return to the hotel.

I was able to shower and gulp down some more cold medicine before I headed down to the main floor for more buffet yumminess!  We had this cool discount card for services since we were part of CCFA Team Challenge.  Breakfast was only 10 bucks.  When I tried to talk to one of the guys in our group, my voice was all squeaky and sick-sounding.  I explained that I had a terrible night and really didn't feel all that well.  Which also explained why I wasn't on the group run earlier.  I felt a little sad about that.

After breakfast, a lot of us wanted to go back over to the expo to take a look around.  As we made our way through the casino, I noticed some penny slot machines.  GREAT!  I had a ton of pennies in my wallet that I didn't want to carry around.  So I poured them all out, gave half to another girl, and we sat down to play.  Apparently I'm not schooled with how things work in Vegas.  You can't just put pennies in the slot and play (there WAS a slot for pennies, by the way, but it was all sealed up) you have to put in a credit card or dollar bills.  LAME!  I just wanted to stick in 15 pennies!  I jokingly got angry, then threw all my pennies in the coin catcher at the bottom.  It made the "jackpot" sound I was looking for.  :)

The expo was CRAZY!  There were so many people there.  We scrambled through the crowd and made our way over to different tents.  I ended up buying a magnet and 2 shirts.  There was a lot of fun stuff to see and a lot of funny shirts to browse through.  We were probably there for almost 2 hours.  By then I was feeling really worn out and needed to get back to take more cold medicine.  I crashed on my bed for probably an hour or so and then I got a call from my mom saying she was there!  YAY!  I went down to the lobby to meet her, then we hung out for a while before we met up with the entire team to get our race tank tops, 2 more personalized Team DC shirts, and last-minute instruction on what to expect the next morning.  There was also sticky foam letters we could use to decorate our race shirts with.  I chose letters so I could spell "Matt" & "Tami".

A little bit later, it was time for our pasta party!  We walked for miles through the hotel (exaggeration) to get to the conference center.  I could hear some cheering going on and when we walked around the corner, we saw a huge line of CCFA people standing and cheering for us!  It was certainly a surprise and so much fun!  It was like we were celebrities or something.  Because my physical reaction to any overwhelming feeling is to cry, I got a little choked up.  ALL these people cheering for us!  There were even cheerleaders from a local high school on the sides in formation.  I high-fived my running coaches as my mom and I made our way through the line.  FUN!

We sat down to a yummy meal and a great presentation.  There were over 900 people from all over the nation that participated in this Team Challenge event.  And altogether, we collectively raised almost $3.5 Million!  That is so amazing!  Each regional team was recognized as their name was called and they stood up to cheer for their team.  Yay Team DC!  :)  The President of CCFA got up to speak and told us how just a few days earlier, he met with the researchers and scientists dedicated to finding a cure for Crohn's & Colitis and informed them that we had raised $3.5Million for this one event.  The reaction from these amazing people was to give us a standing ovation.  That was an awesome feeling to know that they appreciate the funding as much as we appreciate their smarts and dedication to finding a cure!  There was some more honoring of highest fundraising individuals and a participant who shared her personal experience on why she joined the cause.  All in all a fabulous night.

By the time we got back to our hotel room, I was a bit of a nervous wreck.  Mom worked on personalizing some Team Challenge signs, and I finished decorating my race tank, attached the timing tag & emergency info to my shoes, laid out my clothes, shoes, socks, gloves, earwarmer, iPod, gear check bag, etc.  Everything was ready.  And it was a good thing that I was already exhausted so my nerves didn't keep me awake.  I crashed, but then woke up at about 1AM with a sore throat and had to use the restroom.  After that, my mind wouldn't quit thinking about everything, so I didn't sleep at all after that.  I got up a few minutes before my alarm was set to go off:  4:15AM.  We were to meet in the hotel lobby at 4:45AM so we could gather ourselves together and head over to the start line as a team.  My mom was such a trooper.  She got up with me and came down in to the lobby to see us off.  She was a picture-taking fiend!  I've never seen her so camera-happy before.  It was fun.  :)   She gave me a hug and told me she was proud of me.  That meant a lot, and of course I started getting teary-eyed again.  I waved goodbye and we were out the door!

Oh BOY!  It was C~O~L~D!!!  Temps were in the low 30s and the wind was blowing.  BRRRRRR!  We all made our way over to The Mandalay Bay, checked our bags in to the gearcheck area, then stood around for a while chit-chatting with eachother.  I was SO glad that I had packed my gloves and earwarmer at the last minute!  I was wearing shorts and my body was so cold.  When the time neared around 6AM, we went to find our corral.  Since there were 28,000 runners, we had a "wave" start.  I was in corral 21.  We witnessed fireworks as the first elite runners took off.  The local news station was broadcasting live, so we were able to watch the footage on the huge Mandalay Bay screen.  When the camera did a pan of all the runners waiting to start, I got a little panicky.  I said to my friend April, "What are we doing?!?  We are sitting in the middle of all those people.  I don't even like people that much!"  I don't know why, but I started feeling like I had agroaphobia.  It was probably just the fact I was so freezing cold; my muscles were spasming and my whole body was convulsing while we stood there waiting, and was nervous about the run ahead of me.  There was one lady who was standing near me who said, "I'm from Minnesota, so this weather doesn't really affect me, but you look so cold!"  Then she proceeded to rub my arms.  Haha.

We eased our way closer to the start line and finally, at 6:55AM, I crossed it!  Oh, it felt SO GOOD to start running so I could warm my body up!  The start line consisted of a Blues Brothers cover band, caged live tigers and some Vegas showgirls.  I cheered as I crossed the start line.  I was pumped!  I decided that I would partake of the water and/or Cytomax at all the water stations, just to make sure I was well hydrated and could keep my energy up.  Since I had only eaten a granola bar at about 5AM, I was already starving!  I was counting on that Cytomax to give me the extra energy I needed to keep running.  Things started off very well!  The sun came up and I put on my sunglasses.  I actually felt really great as I kept my body moving.  We  ran for about a mile or so past Mandalay Bay, then looped around and came back.  I passed MB, the Luxor, Excalibur, and started nearing MGM Grand when I heard my name.  I looked over and there was my mom!  Yay!  She was cheering for me and holding the signs, then got her camera out to try to take a picture.  As I ran away from her, I heard her yell, "Go Emily!!"  :D

There was a live band every mile or so and there were Team Challenge cheerers along the ENTIRE route!  Every time an orange tank top was spotted, they would cheer for us.  This was so cool!  I've never felt so awesome.  I cheered just as much for them as they did for us.  It was great to have so much motivation.  I also clapped and cheered for all the live bands.  I was seriously on top of the world and felt so great.  I had a smile on my face for most of the route, I would say.  I was passing people left and right, which also made me feel good about myself.  Haha.  I was trying to keep pace with the 5:00 marathon pacers -- if I had them in my sight, I felt like I was doing ok.  I had no idea what pace I was keeping, as all the official clocks along the way were on schedule from when the first people started at 6:15AM.   So I just kept going.

I realized around mile 8 that I had not stopped once.  WOW!  I only had slowed down to grab a drink from the water stations, then I would take off again.  Once this realization hit, I was amazed and I thought, "YES!  I can actually do this!  I will not stop the rest of the way."  This was my goal from the beginning, and I was surprised that I still felt really good after all those miles and that I COULD actually do it.  This made me that much more excited and determined to accomplish my goal.  I had passed all the hotel/casinos along the way:  Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Tropicana, Excalibur, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Monte Carlo, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, Harrahs, The Mirage, Treasure Island, The Venetian, The Palazzo, Encore, Trump Hotel, Wynn, Riviera, Circus Circus, Hilton, Sahara, and finally The Stratosphere where we turned around.  This was the first year that they had closed down the entire strip for the Rock n Roll Marathon, and it was so cool!

Around mile 9.5-ish, I started to hurt.  My hip-flexors were really sore.  I felt like I needed something other than the Cytomax and cough drop I had sucked on the last couple of miles to give me an extra "oomph".  I knew there was a GU station coming up at mile 10 and that would give me some much needed calories.  However, just thinking about my experience from consuming the GU last time, made me a little sick to my stomach.  I was scared to chance it, so I reached in to my running belt and fished out some Sportbeans.  I chomped on those for a while and fought the sick feeling in my stomach.  I powered through.   I needed to keep going.  I couldn't stop!  My legs were REALLY hurting.  I wanted to stop.  But I kept thinking about Tami and Matt and how they couldn't just stop their pain.  They didn't have any choice but to suffer and power through it.  So that's what I was determined to do.  "Only 3 more miles!  That's it!  I can do this!!"  I could see Mandalay Bay in the distance, and I focused on that.

Oh, how my legs hurt!  My mantra going through my head was, "Tami & Matt!  I can finish!  Tami & Matt!"  Just about the time when I really started questioning whether I could finish strong, one of my running coaches spotted me and ran with me for a while.  He told me that I was holding a good pace.  I told him how badly my legs were hurting, and he encouraged me to keep going.  He reminded me that I could see the finish line.  Not long now!  He gave me one last encouraging word before he left to go find others to cheer and run with.  He made me feel good about my performance and his encouragement worked.  About a mile later, there was my other running coach!  He appeared out of nowhere, but he was suddenly by my side, and I was so grateful.  I needed a big push at the end.  He too told me how great I was (this is one thing I could never tire of :) ) and ran with me for a while.  After he parted with a "You've got this!", I was pumped again.  Around mile 13, I heard my name being shouted.  I turned, and there was my mom cheering and yelling and holding up her signs.  And there was my Fundraising Endurance Manager on the side, too, with pom poms and a loud cheering voice.  AWESOME!  I got such a huge boost of energy from them, and as I was running away, I heard my mom yell, "That's my daughter!  That's my daughter!!"  I also heard them cheering my name after I was down the road.  It was then that I realized I was actually going to do this!  I didn't stop.  I was .1 miles from the finish!  I started getting emotional, but then I couldn't breathe!  I checked myself and told myself to just hold on.  Don't lose it yet!  I have to breathe to keep going.  :)

When I saw the finish line in sight, I found a little burst of speed in me and picked up the pace.  I was so happy to cross the finish!  Oh, what a relief!!  I immediately thought of Tami and Matt and silently thanked them for sticking with me through the last excruciating 3 miles.  If they weren't such incredible people, I never would have been able to do this.  This was all for them.  I finally let myself break down after I crossed the finish line.  It makes me emotional just thinking about it.  I cannot even fully describe the rush of feelings that came over me.  I was on such a high!  I'm so grateful for my family.

Soon after, the physical pain made itself apparent again.  :)  I could barely walk!  I was handed a medal and a mylar blanket, then made my way over to get a picture with a Vegas Showgirl.  Sweet!  After I got through the line, I retrieved my bag, put on my coat, then called my mom.  She was waiting for me over by our Team Challenge tent.  On my way over there, I grabbed a bagel, banana, orange, granola bar, bag of pretzels, etc.  I was SO hungry!  I hardly even remember eating the bagel, I consumed it that fast.

The day ended with a free massage, eating more PF Changs than I thought was humanly possible, a souvenir T-shirt and getting my medal engraved with my name and time.  All in all, this was an experience I will NEVER forget.  What a fantastic organization Team Challenge is!  I would love to still work with them in some way.  Maybe I'll volunteer to be a mentor.  I really never thought I would be able to do all that I did.  We had such great support from the very beginning and I am so grateful I could overcome all the personal hurdles that came along so I could honor and praise the lives of 2 of my wonderful siblings:  Tami and Matthew.

Here's to finding a CURE!!!