GO! STL Half/Full Mary!!!

...yesterday was the STL GO! Half and Full Marathon. Jen and I met up bright and EARLY at 6:30 to head downtown. Our mission: mile 8, kick a$$ sign and wet towels. Mission: accomplished! We got there right in time as they closed down the street behind us. Whew! Here we are the mile marker and the awesome sign (Matt told me he didn't know what BC meant or why I put dollar signs. I informed him of BC and told him, I was trying to be as G-rated as possible since it is a family-friendly event).

First runners reached us at mile 8 right about 40 minutes. Sorry I was looking into the sun but you can see the lead car and the first two runners.

Now THAT is a lot of people that passed us!

The Smoothie Store across the street was trying to be nice and hand out water. I think people thought this was a real water station, the poor guy and his wife had a TON of runners, look at that wait!.

So the first runner to pass me was Fleet Feet Brian, he was TIRED, I could tell but I called him Ironman (he's done like 8 or 9 of them!) and he kept on trucking. Next to pass was my DM friend Chris. I totally didn't see him but as he was *quickly* passing me, he shouted, "ALYSSA!" I saw him and cheered.

Then we waited and saw another girl with the same sign as mine. Sorry, but mine was better-HELLO IT HAD GLITTER! Then Jenn yelled at me as she just getting warmed up for her part of the relay. As I looking at her, Cecelia popped up out of nowhere! They grabbed some wet towels and kept on trucking. DM Sarah stopped for a wet towel and then Della and her aunt stopped to chat and take full advantage of the wet towels.

Then my second grade teacher huffed my name. She's recovering from an injury and I could tell she was hurting so I put my sign down and ran with her for a bit trying to encourage her, opening GU and telling her to finish strong. I almost lost my shorts as I ran back to Jen. That's what happens when they're a little big to begin with and then you throw in a camera, phone and keys! Oops!

Suddenly there was massive screams and a bunch of runners on the opposite side of the road gathered around a downed runner. I'm not one to throw myself into scenes like this but I knew the runners needed to get going so I grabbed a couple wet towels and as I did, I saw Angie and Cammie. They took some towels and I wished them well. Then I froggered across the course to Linda, who was about to become my best friend.

Linda had some MASSIVE charley horses going on. She was screaming and rolling around on the pavement. One lady was holding her head so that she didn't hit it on the ground and Linda was grasping her arm. The lady with the race was holding her legs. I put a wet towel on her forehead, picked up her belongings and tried to wipe as much grossiness off her arm as possible. Eventually the lady watching her head and I switched places. The three of us had to remind her to breath and relax, we helped her sip some water and all the while the medic was "on their way." Yeah...not so much! Linda's husband Marvin showed up, she calmed down some.

By this time, it was just Marvin, Linda, the event person and myself.  I stood up and smiled and said, "Linda, I think you're doing good. You're in good hands and I think Marvin'll probably serve you breakfast in bed tomorrow." Linda looked at me and for the first time spoke, not in screams, "So I'm not going to finish the race?" I smiled and said, "Maybe if you talk Marvin into carrying you across the finish line." We all laughed and headed back to Jen. After 20 minutes of shrieks, squatting and kneeling on pavement, my hand and calf being in a death grip (by Linda) and dodging her flailing legs, I was exhausted. Jen and I decided to pack up and call it a day. By this point, it was mainly walkers on the course and we cheered them on as we walked back to the car.

As we got to the corner of Compton and Olive, they started diverting people on the course, I'm assuming for time. They were PISSED and there was a TON of them. We got to the car and realized we were boxed in, roads were closed on both ends. Well, crap! After waiting, we were finally able to get out and head back home.

When I got home, Twitter was blowing up because course officials diverted full marathoners if they weren't at the 9 mile mark by 9:15am(so 2 hours and 15 minutes into the course, something like a 10 minute/mile pace) due to the heat. It was really nice as a spector but I wasn't running so I don't know how hot it was to the runners out there. From the feedback I got from the runners, I think more water stations, especially with the heat, and more of a heads up about cut-offs when have been helpfully. I can't comment much because I wasn't running so I don't know what communication was like or what information the runners had.

Anyways, it was so much fun going to a race to cheer! I'm so proud of EVERYONE esp Cece and Della for finishing their first half with many more to come. I think this is what I needed to get me out of my slump and get excited about my upcoming races! Happy Monday all!

OH! And just for Jen, "Good job Char-les!" (I'm seriously LOLing as I type that!)