The Race

It started with nearly a year of preparation in a small German town. 5 ladies needing something to do to save the remaining bits of self and sanity while they weathered the longest 15 months of their lives. Given my medical condition (pregnancy) I had to wait until June to really start training for this marathon. You might remember I decided in July to have a lapse of sanity and train only for a half marathon. A few short weeks later there we were. Five ladies, 6 kids, 2 grandparents and an aunt with the patience of a saint. We got to Garda a week before the race so that we could enjoy the scenery, the outdoor experience, and who are we kidding, the gelato. Two scoops twice a day helped to cover new flavors and allow for repeats of favorites. Top that off with either a pizza or huge plate of pasta daily and we came up with the perfect combination of carbs, calories and endorphins to make this mom more sure of herself than ever.

Sunday morning was brisk and too early as the 3 remaining runners got ourselves ready for the race of our lives. Of course a ferry ride and an hour and a half later the race actually began. All was going well for the first few miles. We started setting goals such as "Must finish before Chef Boyardee" who had scarfed down no less than 2 sandwiches at the race ready point. We were all 3 on track and running when we all realized that the urge to pee was too strong to ignore. I thought I'd be the bold one to bare all first on the side of the road. Just as I squatted the motorcade pulled by. It wasn't just any motorcade it was the one to delineated the "you must run faster than this or you are disqualified" motorcade. I panicked, pulled up my pants and ran for my life to catch the other two girls. I couldn't be DQ'd in the first 5 miles of my first marathon. I decided to go ahead a bit to give myself some lead time to hand off my warm up pants and use the facilities without getting timed out. This is where the mental game started. I could see "the Chef" ahead of me. How was this possible, I don't know. He had calves of tree trunks, a portly build, a camelback full of snacks I presumed and a black beret. That's right the man was shuffling in a marathon wearing a beret. It was my mission to pass this man. I ran my little heart out, passing him just before the 10 K mark. We went through Riva with a great cheering squad. I almost passed out from hyperventilation because I got so excited I couldn't breathe so then I decided to breathe real fast to catch up on the lost breaths. You can imagine, I am sure, how that feels. I was desperate for a toilet. I ran past a nice yacht club where I decided to yell "Toilette?!" The nice girl cheering from the building told me where to go and I had the longest 2 minute pee of my life. Back on track and feeling good. I popped in a lifesaver and kept running. I was starting to get lonely and bored so I decided to take inventory of "my peeps" or those runners unfortunate enough to run as slow as I was. We had little man in black shorts. He had the same exact stride as I did so when I caught up to him we had a very uncomfortable 10 minutes of running exactly side by side without talking. Not sure where he was from but I wasn't feeling like using my brain to interpret other languages at that point. I stopped for powerade and he ran on at the 15 K mark. Then I had "guy with orange shirt and green shorts." Odd combination but heh we are in Europe. He seemed like he wasn't going to make it. He was dripping sweat at 15K and no sign of wanting to chat. My cell phone made the beep, beep, beeeeeep to signal that the battery was now dead. The cell that I carried so that I could call for emergency rescue if I got lost, fell out, or just needed to chat I suppose. I consumed a Cliff Block and drove on not phased by my now incredible loneliness. I could see "girl with sparkly pants" up ahead. She began the race with "the Chef" whom I assumed had dropped of a heart attack at that point. Sparkly pant girl was my new goal. We had come inland off the lake for the middle third of the race so I had to really try to keep my mind busy. I could hear my stomach growling from 15 to 20K. That is a long way to feel like you might eat your own fingers. I was scouting for a gelato shop. I teased the ladies that I was going to run half the marathon and have 2 gelato stops before catching them as a cheerleader at the finish. It was Sunday, it was early and we were running through vineyards and industrial areas. Not a geloteria to be found. I got to Riva and started clapping for myself. I had done it, almost finished half way. I just had to get to the 21K mark and I was done. I snapped a pic in front of the 20K sign for good measure to prove I had done it. The last K was miserable because I was running behind next to and then slightly in front of "stinky green guy." He literally smelt like he decided not to make a needed pitstop and instead used his pants, if you know what I mean. I was trying to kick up the pace to give some distance from the stench. Then, glory to all things wonderful, there was a stand of fruit, powerade and water. I downed 2 cups of beverage and snagged as many pieces of apple slices I could hold. I was wildly eating like a starved dog when I hear "Vicki!" It was Jess, she had caught up to me while I was consuming my buffet style mid race meal. I was so excited to see a friend and have a battle buddy. I said "Oh my god, I am so glad you are hear. I am so lonely. If you don't leave me I won't leave you." Here starts the second half. I briefed Jess on "our peeps" as we kept plodding along. 20-25K wasn't too bad, a bit sore but not too bad. Another fruit stand made for a very happy Vicki. I downed some more powerade, ate a handful of apple slices and then consumed 2 Cliff blocks. Minutes later I looked over at Jess and said "I feel great. Do you feel great? Were those the best apples you've ever had? Do you feel like you are on crack? I feel like I am on crack!" To which she replied "No but I wish you could share." The Cliff blocks were laced with caffeine which made 25-30K almost enjoyable. We headed back toward the lake and began the most scenic portion of the run for the last third. At 30K I started to feel it. I felt like my knees were rusting in my body, my feet were bruised and the apples weren't sitting well. I told Jess that I was not to be allowed any more apples for the remainder of the race. Thanks to Yani for the "happy song" Jess and I sang out loud for the remaining 12K off and on. At about 35K a medic vespa passed us and gave the never ending rubberneck stare as if to say "Are those ladies actually moving in a forward motion and do they need assistance?" We were pretty much on our own then out of the horizon we saw "yellow man." He was at least 60 and probably closer to 70 years old. He was our new goal. We ran, then walked, then hobbled, then ran, then decided not to ever walk again because it hurt so bad to start running again that we had to just keep going. Just after passing the 41K sign I turned to Jess and said "We are doing this. Only one K to go." She had missed seeing the sign so she wasn't so sure we were almost there. There were very few signs that we were on the right path and that we were near the end until 42K. We had .1K to go and then we saw the people. The people who had brought us to this place, who had run in the snow, rain, wind, uphill and down pushing any number of children for nearly a year. I heard "Look at Vicki." I looked up and saw the 6 month pregnant Marg get at least an 8 inch vert while hopping up and down and screaming. Just a few more steps to go. All the gals joined together and ran in to finish together. We did it. 42.1K, 15 months and 5 great friends. This I will never forget.