I've never hurt so bad...ok,,,childbirth maybe!

what an incredible day....
up at 4:30...
coffee and a successful poop
(a runner's thing is to talk about whether you pooped or not)
toast and peanut butter
Gatoraid and a hard boiled egg.

kissed my big girls and headed out by 6:15
we all headed downtown
our leader was interviewed on live TV just as we were heading to the start line.

heard a gun go off in the distance and i knew that the racing handchairs were off..
shortly after the throng of people started to slowly...slowly move forward..
out of nowhere sweat shirts and pants started flying overhead.
runners were stripping of their warm wear
some women wound up only in sports bras and shorts (not me)
the 'mob' ( a very real Nietzsche mob ) moved inched forward
stepping on shirts and pants
the warmth felt by the touching arms and legs began to disapate and space began to
make its way between us.
limbs began to move and heads began to bob up and down.
we were almost under the start arch
and then...
we WERE under the start arch

Put wings on our feet Sweet Jesus (what i wrote in the St. Joeseph book) and away we go.
I knew right away i started off too fast..
with each passing block i'd find that i was in front of my friends
i'd force myself to fall behind them
and then the next time i'd look i was in front again.
early on i knew..
i knew i was in trouble.
i knew the battle was on and my ipod was on for the duration.

We got up broad street and headed to our own (the racing group) neighborhood..
the crowds were going to be huge and i was looking forward to seeing my family.
i called them so they could tell me where they were and what side of the street they were on.

it was so great to see so many familiar faces.....seeing people you know totally motivates you to keep moving...so many little ones wrapped up in blankets in strollers and so many husbands or wives waving signs back and forth...
my favorite sign: Will Run For Booze....made me smile everytime i saw one
i ran anxiously (translation too fast) toward my family...Mom,Bert Mamma J and the kids all screaming and waving and smiling....
i wanted to stop right there and cry...
but of course i couldn't...
plus...i had to pee
and our 'private' pee stop was just another few houses away...
kissed my big boy and headed for the potty..
after the potty saw some fellow Girlscouts and then headed out of the neighborhood.
i knew...at this point the battle would really begin..

my body was numb from the cold and i hadn't noticed that my shirts were riding up and my chubb was making its debut so i pinned my shirt to my pants...while running!
Gross.....Gross
so of course i spent the next 10 minutes wondering if someone took a picture of that....and how i'll die if they did...:)

and from here on out folks...i followed Frances to the bitter end...
i wanted to quit so many times between German Village and the Finish...
there were a few folks i saw along the way that helped...
My cousin John
My neighbor Lucy
and then the strangers...
the strangers that can look at you and tell you are struggling..
they shout at you....'Keep Going' and 'You can do it'
hearing things like 'you're almost there' were helpful for sure!!

i will admit i walked several times
more than i'd like to admit
but still..
i ran way more!! and for that i'm proud!

the last couple miles were by far the toughest
coming up High Street took all of my guts.
i could see the hill at the end of German Village
and then hills at Nationwide and i really questions whether i'd finish...
saw Lucy at one of these points...
she saw me walking...
i started running again..

decided i needed to get my head on straight..
pulled my ipod out
found my Proud Mary
reached down and grabbed all the Tina i could find in myself
and did it...

seeing that Finish Arch as we rounded the corner was amazing....
seeing that the Finish Arch was at the BOTTOM of a hill was even MORE amazing...
the final decent...
where are my kids i think to myself..
i wanna cry
i wanna weep
i owed Doug a big thank you for pulling me through...i of course had done a ton of talking to him the last 13.1 miles...
i pick up some speed
an easy thing to do when you are going down hill :)

and woosh...
under the arch..
into the mob...

i can't keep the tears from stinging my eyes and i let a couple drops fall
i am completely overwhelmed with emotion
i'm also looking for my blanket cuz i'm feeling the cold air wrap around me...

the National Guardsman hands me a blanket....i stop to get my medal...
i turn and hug Frances
i owe her my running shoes
i promise you without her i may not have finished...

i spot my Peachy girl as i hear 'mommy'
a big smile for me!!

i hug a few more runners and then head off through the exit
to the rest of my family
big hugs all around...
now i'm really tired...
and really nauseous
totally feel like i'm going to throw up...
i hurray and eat my banana and bag of chips

my first Rational Thought...

hmmmm i just burned about 1200 calories...What can i have for lunch~!!!!!!


A huge Congrats to all my fellow Eastside Irish Runners...
how cool are we eh?
i offer special Thank You's to my little morning group....i will miss our mornings together...
a special Thank You to my Peach...who would manage the little ones if they woke up before i got back home from my morning runs...which was often....
WE DID IT!!















Race Results
Number of Finishers: 6,913
Number of Females: 4,114
Number of Males: 2,795
Average Time: 2:11:29

Sheri Barlay
bib number: 10276
age: 42
gender: F
location: Columbus, OH
overall place: 6505 out of 6913
division place: 429 out of 464
gender place: 3782 out of 4114
time: 2:54:11
pace: 13:18
10k: 1:22:02