PART 3 (Day 1)
Another priority we set before the race was FUN. Back in October, I wrote:
If we’re not having fun, what’s the point? I’d love to laugh/smile as much as possible during the race - although I can get a bit serious during races and will most definitely puke at some point (or multiple points)
This all came true on Day 1, in the best ways possible.
Energy and excitement were high at the Santa Monica Pier for the start of the race. The solo runners lined up at the pier and set off on our adventure, splitting between taking a left and going straight. I headed straight and yelled “See ya in Vegas” to the runners turning left. Quickly, the other runners disappeared ahead of me as I settled into my planned pace. I knocked out the first 10 miles alone, using the quiet and dark streets of LA to get in the groove.
The next segments (~10 miles each) flew by as I got to run with Ashley, Alyssa, Emily, and Halle. They shared stories, jokes, gentle reminders to eat and drink, and got to hear me yell “Running is so fun” a few too many times. I ate tons of apple sauce, fruit chews, some bacon (thanks to our airfryer), and Maurtens gels.
I got to mile 50 right on schedule for my “A” goal. Literally to the minute (which brought so much joy to my little spreadsheet-obsessed heart). My crew greeted me with bubbles (SO FUN) and lots of cheers.
The dinner I tried to eat (a burrito bowl from Chipotle) was not settling well in my stomach and I puked in the bathroom of a Wendy’s. Luckily, this was literally the most expected thing of the race thus far. I’ve got hundreds of reps dealing with puking during a race so I tried my usual remedies (tums and ginger candies) and they worked. I took some ramen noodles to go and headed off on a solo segment where I got to FaceTime with my wife and my dad. I also got a surprise FaceTime from another solo runner, Rob, which put me in a great mood.
Sun was about to set, so my next few segments had two pacers each (safety first!). I got to share miles with Lauren and Lindsey for the first time and really leaned into the “have fun” mood - we FaceTimed with some friends, filmed my first Instagram live ever (which was silly and fun because people asked questions!), and celebrated running through the neighborhood where ‘Bring It On’ was filmed with a little cheer.
At this point, I was pacing faster than my spreadsheet but felt great and kept rolling through miles with Ashley, Alyssa, Maria, Emily, and Lindsey. I had another stomach issue at mile 80 that ended with me puking the parking lot of a gas station but I had more ramen noodles and kept moving. I closed out the night with Halle and Lauren as the rain and cold weather rolled in.
Day 1 ended with ~95 miles in just under 21 hours and a lovely ~2 hr nap.
Running is a team sport, and I’ve got the best team. That first day, my crew showed up and really brought the fun. The miles flew by. We problem-solved some unsurprising stomach issues. We laughed A LOT. They surprised me with little things like bubbles and silly videos. Everything I had hoped for when we planned this race.
Day 2 was going to be uncharted territory - farther than I’d ever run before and on only a few hours of sleep but I was excited. More on that tomorrow.
