Kim versus The Race That Wasn't

A long time ago I signed up for See Jane Run.  It would be my first all women's half and it would be in Austin.  I honestly can't recall the last time I was in Austin.  It was quite possibly my freshman year in college...uh...a long long time ago.

I decided to make a whole weekend of it, though probably I should have dropped the race all together given my ridiculous lack of training.  Someone asked me why I was even going through with it.  I said that dropping from it gave me a license to continue along on the bad path I've been traveling.  Facing what would no doubt be yet another humbling/painful experience (see Kim versus The Half Marathon - Hottest Half) would hopefully be just what I need to once and for all get back on the right track.

I booked myself a room on Hotwire conveniently located a half a mile away from the "recommended hotel" (for significantly cheaper) and planned to leave after work on Friday.  I was really looking forward to the escape.

As I drove into Austin on the same street as my hotel, dread began building in my very being for the road leading to my hotel was extremely hilly.  I'm not dumb...I know Austin and the surrounding cities are called "the hill country", but seeing it was another story.  My only race with true hills to date was the Orange County half I did back in May and those hills were brutal.  Something told me this was going to be even worse!
I valet parked my car, lugged all my belongings to the lobby, and checked in.  My room was lovely, really.  A very comfy bed, a nice tv, and a strong cold blowing A/C.  I didn't have any real set-in-stone plans other than hitting up the Expo the next morning and visiting with a friend from college who I had not seen since those good ol' days.

I woke up on Saturday morning and read a bit, played my FB games, showered, dressed, went down to the lame continental breakfast, back up to my room to do my hair, and headed out to the hotel the Expo was being held at - just a half mile away.

sCaRy pic of me - hahaha!

I got there early, so stopped at Starbucks for my non-fat lite salted caramel mocha frappacino (no whip) and played around on my phone until it was time.

I always find it awkward to do a race alone...especially out of town.  I felt...lonely.  I got my bib (no pins - rar), my t-shirt, and my goodie bag.  I perused the vendors and got myself a free sample of Pinot Grigio courtesy of Barefoot and my free Luna bar sample, and then headed back to my hotel to examine my swag.

I read some more of my book and decided I should go find food.  The night before, That Pink Girl recommended I go to Kirbey Lane for a meal.  They are several around town, so I decided upon the original.

What a lovely atmosphere, a delicious menu, a nice waitstaff, and next to me sat a friendly woman who chatted with me throughout our respective meals.  I ordered the Kirbey chicken which was a marinated grilled chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese mixed with kalamata olives and mushrooms.  It was served with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.  I also had a mimosa and loads of iced tea.  Seriously delicious meal!  Seriously.

After lunch, I left out to go find my friend who lives in Round Rock.  She hadn't changed a bit in appearance and we chatted and caught up while her nearly 2 year old napped.  Right before he woke up, her parents arrived in town - visiting from Houston, as well.  We had the most wonderful visit and they even took me to dinner at Fuddruckers that evening.  After dinner, Monica took me to Academy so I could buy a hand-held for my race.  I didn't want to bring my Camelbak - thinking it wasn't as hot as The Hottest Half and therefore a bit overkill for the race, but I also didn't want to only rely on the hydration stations as that as lead me to dehydration (cramping) in the past.

We said our goodbyes and I headed back to my hotel - hoping for a good night's rest.  I never really sleep well before a race, by the way.  Before I went to bed, I discovered an email from See Jane Run letting us know the medals had been lost by Fed-Ex, so that we would not be receiving one upon completion of the race, but once they were found they would mail them to us.  This saddened me.  It's nice to have that medal once you cross the finish line.  Ah well...

I knew the forecast screamed rain, but that was the way the cookie crumbled, I supposed.  I worried a bit about that and went to sleep waking up twice in the night.  I never really sleep well before a race.

I woke up on Sunday morning, hopped in the shower, got dressed, geared up, threw back breakfast, and headed out in the rain.  I was very confused while trying to park.  There were no signs...just a bunch of fellow confused participants.  I ended up riding around in circles for a half hour and then rolled down my window and asked someone once I noticed cars leaving.  Turns out the race was canceled - no reschedule, no refunds.  I felt somewhat relieved - again...wasn't prepared...wasn't happy about walking in the rain, but then I felt somewhat sad.  I mean wasn't this the reason why I left town - spent money?!  Didn't I want that pain and suffering to get me on task?!  Wouldn't it have been awesome to start off my week with a 2,000 calorie burn?!   What about my chocolate and champagne?!

These were posters at the Expo - there were more, but here are my faves:

I returned back to my hotel, crawled back into bed and read for a bit before dozing back to sleep for a bit.  I then collected all my belongings and checked out - riding back home to Houston in a whole bunch of much needed rain.

It was a nice get-away in that I was able to visit with an old friend, but really...the whole trip just left me feeling lonely.  It could be that it's "that time of year" or the rain.  It could be many things.  Maybe I was just missing the camaraderie I would have felt on that race course.

So, I have no race to report, no finishing song...BUT, I do have a next stop!  It's the Monster Dash in Chicago on October 29th.  Costumes are encouraged and I'm working on mine.  Right now I feel motivated to battle the bulge and train for the race, so cheers to a fresh start and 3 weeks to get ready!