Number 4 at 44!

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of running the Run for the Dream half marathon in Colonial Williamsburg.  I have to say, that I did not think I would make it.  The Friday before, I had started with a horrible head cold that bordered on a sinus infection. I called my doctor and dosed up on antibiotics.  My friend also told be about Airborne, so I took some of that as well (amazing stuff!).  By Friday, I was on the mend, had done a few short runs (4 miles or a few more) on the treadmill, and threw in a few Jillian Michaels videos as well.  Yay....I was determined to run this sucker no matter how much it took!

We left Saturday morning for Colonial Williamsburg.  I did a 4 mile run on the treadmill before getting showered and all packed up to head out the door. We embarked on our trip with little traffic issues, and arrived at the Woodlands Convention Center for packet pick-up.  I got my packet, and received my free Colonial Williamsburg pass.  I then inquired about buying discounted passes for my husband and son.  The volunteer did not know an answer, so I told the hubby that I would just pay for us when we got to the visitor's center.  The volunteer then yelled, "Hey Cindy," and motioned for me to return. He slid me two free passes to tour Colonial Williamsburg (in addition to my own) AND three free passes to Busch Gardens....SCORE!  Tickets to BG would have been $206 and $75 for CW.  Discount Divas would have been very proud!!!

We did some walking around Colonial Williamsburg.  Matthew's biggest thrill was seeing a chicken that had gotten out of his coup (seriously!).  We stopped and ate at The Dog Street Pub (yes, I took my child into a bar).  John got the Crab Rissole Sandwich, while I ordered the Warm Honey Ham and Cheese Sandwich.  I was going to stick to the "salad" etiquette but opted for something more robust.  I knew I was going to burn some major calories on Sunday (2,043 to be exact!).

We kissed CW goodbye and headed to our hotel, Embassy Suites Williamsburg.  We stayed here for the last half marathon, and it was a good fit. Matthew loved all the activities around the hotel.  We could not check-in yet, so opted to go visit the Yankee Candle Factory.  

The last time we were here, it was a great visit.  I wish I could say the same for this time....  The train in the toy store was broken, and the teenager who helped us make colored candles was a nightmare!  He was more concerned about chatting with his friend and everything else around him than helping our son use hot wax! We went around the corner to see Santa's workshop. Matthew looked at/rummaged through a basket of miniature snow globes, only to get cut pretty badly by some broken glass. Thank goodness for husband who did some prepping. Typically, the cut was so bad that he should have had a stitch, but we were able to mend it with some handiness that John had brought with him (did you know that Super Glue can seal a cut?).  The employee who worked there only gave us a bandaid and a manager was never called. I have since emailed them about the whole incident.

After Santa's House of Horrors at the Yankee Candle Factory, we were able to check-in at the hotel. We pretty much threw our stuff down, and headed out to Busch Gardens.  It was CROWDED, but Matthew loved it.  My only complaint is.....after supposedly spending as much as you do for tickets, paying $15 to park is crazy stuff!  We visited many different rides, but the GREATEST part about the trip was Matthew's first ride on a train.  He was so happy!

After a stop at Arby's (yuck!)...I was outvoted on dinner, we went back to the hotel for some R & R.  I booked a two-room suite, that way I would have some sound sleep for the race. My head cold was still bugging a bit, so I was on the rail about whether I would run or not.  Our room was off from the pool...very noisy.  I called the manager at 10 pm sharp to make sure they were locking the doors to get everyone out.  I popped my Ambien, and off to sleep land I went.

I woke up at 4:50 a.m. even though my clock was set for 5:20....I called Triangle Taxi and asked them to pick me up at 6 a.m. sharp for my short 4 mile ride to the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center. Six dollars later, I arrived and plopped down in the parking lot to eat my Cookies and Cream Pop-Tart.  Pop-Tarts are a tradition for me before any race.  I am not sure why, but I guess it is a good sugar fix? I made some quick friends, just chatting away, and soon I listened to the fife and drums, and the National Anthem to send us on our way.  

No make-up, do not judge because I readily admit, I looked like crap!

I will not kid you, the first mile sucked!  My breathing was off and people were passing me......elite runners and athletes they were however.  I then found my space, and found my steady pace (about 10 minutes per mile) and settled into listening to my music on my i-pod.  At mile 7, the water at every mile hit me.  I hate porta-potties...gross. There was a line, and I said no way.....so kept trotting to mile 8.  Some lady came out right when I was heading around the corner, so I went in.  I bet I knocked two minutes off my time....damn shorts....but got back into the race.  I found those I had kept pace with and stayed with them the rest of the course.  There was some perky little lady in front of me, who kept jumping around chatting with everyone, I passed her. Perky people during a race kill me....concentrate on the run!  She then passed me around mile 11, so perkiness was in front of me again (damn).  I do not know why I found her annoying, but I did.

The course was different from two years ago. I loved it actually...it was grueling at times...many hills, but I credit my runs in Goochland for preparing me for the task.  We went off-road for quite a bit of the race into Quarterpath Park.  Off-road scares me....but I made it. It was a tight course but beautiful. I felt like I was talking to God some while I was there.

Some of the roads we hit were:  Bypass Road/60, Capitol Landing Road, Lafayette Street, York Street, Pocahontas Trail, England Street, Duke of Gloucester Street, and Jamestown Road.  While super fun, I think it would have been neater to see more of the community out there cheering us on.  When I did the Flying Pirate Half Marathon in the Outer Banks, people were out in droves at the end of their driveways, drinking their coffee, and cheering us down the roads.

My stats are as follows:

Congratulations Cindy Matejka on finishing the Run for the Dream Half Marathon on June 01, 2014.
For your records, the weather at start time was sunny, 55 degrees F, calm wind.
There were 108 finishers in the Female 40 to 44 age group and 1463 finishers in the Half Marathon Division.
Your overall finish place was 702, your age group finish place was 35 and your gender finish place was 266.
Your time was 2:12:26.21 giving you an overall pace of 10:07 per mile.

If you want to do a half marathon or any run, DO IT!  Think about how wonderful you will feel and accomplished.  I am so proud of myself and my family is proud of me too!

If you want to see pictures from the event, go here.