Nike Women's Half-Marathon Packet Pick-up Extravaganza!

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I'll start with Tuesday's dinner, for whatever reason.

Salmon patty (from TJ's), mixed green salad, brussells sprouts

There's no exercise or running to tell you about. I started to get sick earlier this week and am now on Day 3 of cold meds. I have a stuffy/runny nose, a slight productive cough and a slight sore throat. The timing is not good with the fast approaching half-marathon. I'm a little nervous given my bout of pneumonia earlier this year. There's not much that could stop me from running this race but if I get pneumonia as a result I'm going to feel a tad foolish.

I wish having a cold were my excuse for no exercise but nothing stopped me earlier in the week. Oh, other than life. I'm distracted by life right now, it's really calling on me to give it my full attention, and the exercise has suffered as a result. So I'm watching the food intake a bit more because I know I'm not burning through the calories like I normally do. And I'm being patient with myself, comfortable in the knowledge that as things settle, which they are slowly doing, I will get back to my routine. I love my routine, I love running/biking/swimming/weight lifting and all the rest, I love hiking and exploring and everything that comes with being fit and strong. I'm not worried about slipping off the exercise wagon.

I was able to sneak over to packet pick-up yesterday. But unfortunately instead of traipsing in and getting my packet I got this.

SFPD Bomb Squad

Ugh, that's never a good sign. Turns out someone left a "suspicious package" marked "booby trapped" near the Union Square park where the Nike Expo was happening. We were delayed by a couple hours. So what did I do with my time? Thanked volunteers and chatted up my fellow runners.

Meet Omar and Max, two younglings volunteering "just for something to do".

I am so grateful to volunteers, without them, these races couldn't happen. Thank you guys, and to everyone who volunteers at events! Sometimes volunteering is hard work, sometimes it's more fun than work, but it's always time freely given so us participants can have a great day, which is much appreciated.

And then I chatted up the runner chicks who were also waiting for the bomb squad to clear us. Meet Stephanie and Vonzie!

Stephanie (in the glasses), Vonzie and I

Stephanie is from Upstate New York and also ran the DC Nike event. She's doing the half on Sunday. And this is Vonzie's 3rd SF Nike event (she's a local) and she's doing the full 26.2 miles! We had a nice time talking races gone by and about our hopes for this one. Stephanie was wearing the official Nike DC shoes, how cute are these! They have DC etched into the back of them, as you can see.

Before I knew it the police were clearing us to go in. Finally!

But then, no, not quite. They cleared us to get in line but not to enter the Expo. More waiting.

At least the weather was nice

I was happy to be in a good spot in line, some people were blocks away. We all kept busy talking runner-girl talk and spectating. Another hour went by and we were finally let in. I got my packet and was surprised to find I put myself in the 9:00 - 9:59 pace corral. What was I thinking? Must have been in a super-optimistic/somewhat delusional state of mind when I registered.

After getting my packet I walked around the expo a bit - fancy! This is only my second "big" race (the SF Rock-n-Roll being my first) and I enjoyed all the hoopla. I purchased a post-race shuttle ticket and then walked around checking out the show. They had a DJ and the music was blasting, tons of people everywhere, it bordered on a run-nightclub scene. I didn't wait in line to get my free shoelaces, I was already running way late. But I managed to take a few pictures.

Fancy running digs

The route - in neon. This thing was huge. Very cool.

I matched!

The last one is the window in the Nike store with all our names on it. Of course I had to find mine.

I haven't taken a picture of my bib and swag so I'll have to put that in my next post.

Last night I went to dinner with the group-entry women with whom I entered. I had a shrimp pasta dish and even dessert (butterscotch pudding - yum!). We had a great time talking race-talk: what to wear, Camelbak vs no, corrals, expected finish times, etc, etc. I slipped on my blogger duties and forgot to take a group picture but this is one fun group of women and I can't wait to celebrate with them! We are all meeting for brunch after the race (and I'll be sure to take a group shot then), which is going to be half of what drives me to the finish line. The other half will be the necklace and finisher's shirt. Oh, and there's always my blind determination too.

So that's it. Oh, wait, one more bit of joyous news. I started my period. Can you believe that?! I just had it a few weeks ago. What is this, a thing now that I'm always going to get it pre-race? That's not a fun tradition. Good thing I'm running with the Camelbak so I can carry my necessities. Ok, so I have a cold/cough and it's TTOTM and I've only gone on two training runs since the triathlon. Yes, blind determination will be needed. And cold meds. And ibuprofen. And my inhaler. And a bit of luck won't hurt. But determination, perseverance, that's what I need more than anything. Good thing I have that. In spades.

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I am a licensed psychotherapist with a private practice offering Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for weight loss and maintenance. I have an office in Marin County, CA and I'm also available via Skype. To learn more please visit my professional website at www.michellefunez.com or email me at funez.michelle@gmail.com