The Great Wall

I'm back. And yes, I'm finally going to tell you about one of THE most amazing experiences of my life. The Great Wall Half-Marathon!

For many reasons, running the great wall marathon was one of the best decisions I've ever made. All the sweat, blood and tears preparing for this race paid off in so many ways. I would do it all over again in a heart beat.

Camille, Holly and I flew into Beijing and our first full day in China was "Inspection Day" for the race. They bused us all up to the Great Wall about 3 hours out of Beijing. They gave us a bunch of instructions and then told us we would be walking the portion of the wall that we would be running just 2 days later.

Of the 13.1 miles of the race, only 2 miles is on the great wall. And when you are there climbing the stairs...you understand why it's not more. Or maybe this picture will help you understand...

I only wish the pictures I took did ANY justice to what it was actually like to be there climbing these stairs! It was absolutely incredible...and completely insane! I was told there were close to 4,000 stairs in the race...all of which vary in size. Some are tiny, others are so steep and high you almost felt like you were climbing a ladder.

This picture pretty much describes what I felt like when I saw what I would be attempting to run a couple of days later....

I was really happy that we were able to walk the wall....take our time and take lots of pictures. It was so incredible to be up there and with runners from all over the world who were all there for the same reason.

The terrain on the wall varied. Some parts of the wall (as you can see from the pictures below) were single file because they were SO steep and rocky....oh and no wall on one side.

You really had to watch your step and be careful at these parts. I was a little nervous that it might rain on race day...cause certain parts of the wall (like these) would have been really dangerous. But luckily we didn't get any rain. :)

RACE DAY....

3 AM...we got on our bus and made the trip back up to the wall to do something I NEVER thought I'd do in this lifetime. I was excited, nervous and a whole lot more. I could not sleep at all on the bus. I was thinking too much about what was ahead of me!

Camille, Holly, Me and Andrew (a new friend from L.A.) right before the race.

We got ready and waited for our turn to start the race and then were were off....

Yes - I took my camera with me on the race! This was right after leaving the start line.

The one bad thing about Inspection Day (oh..and touring around Beijing ALL day Friday) was that our legs were pretty tired come race day. The first 3 or so miles of the race is ALL up hill to the wall. My poor calves were so sore from the climbing and walking the couple of days before, that I wasn't sure how I was going to manage to get up that hill....but I swore to myself before I started the race that I was going to run every possible part of the race that I could run. So I pushed through it and ran and it was hard!

Obviously you just can't run 4,000 stairs. But I was really happy with how I did on the stairs. I did them as fast as I possibly could. oh...Those parts of the wall I told you were single file? Well...they created a bit of a road block on the wall...

You came to a complete stop and just had to wait your turn to funnel through. Luckily I wasn't trying to break any world records or that might have been frustrating! But I didn't complain about being forced to take a break! :)

Besides the wall portion of the race...I really had no idea what was in store. I thought we were going to be running on pavement through villages the rest of the race. Well, I was half right. We ran through villages..but they definitely weren't paved. The picture above is from the villages we ran through. I wish I would have taken more pictures in there. Parts of it was really hilly and rocky. It was actually pretty difficult....but a very unique experience to be running through these humble villages where the locals come out of their homes to cheer you on.

The locals were actually one of the best parts of the race. Especially the little kids who are just so excited to give you a high five as you run by.

13.1 miles later (or 26.2 miles for Camille)....we made it to the finish line! And I can't even tell you how awesome it felt to cross that line! It took me 3hrs 22 min. (But just so you know...apparently marathoners increase their time by almost 50% on this particular marathon.)

I could not have chosen a better half-marathon as a first! Maybe I'll go back for the full marathon some day. And if you are maybe considering it as something you want to do...DO IT! The whole experience from the race, to the people you meet, and the places you see was absolutely amazing!

My next goal....to run a full marathon. After China I wondered if anything could top this experience and if all the other races I run will just never compare. So to solve that problem...Well, Camille and I already signed up for another race......

In.......

Antarctica! Yes, I'm serious. We've already put down our deposit and we're on the list for the 2010 full marathon. (The 2009 marathon was full already). I think I might officially be insane!