Happy November!
I woke up on November 1st to THIS! We had a lovely Sunday drive into the city. Church was filled with excitement as some of our African friends were experiencing their first ever snowfall! Even members of our visiting Hawaiian team were seeing snow for the first time. What a thrill! After church, we caravaned to the airport to see off the team. And we all know what an airport run means, right? Right! Burger King! A good day indeed. I KNEW November would bring good things!
Love it!
Now let me recap my exceptional race weekend in the city. I'm so in love with the little hostel I always stay at while in Beijing.
I set out Friday morning to head towards the National Olympic Center, where I was to pick up my runners packet. It took me an hour and a half between all the subway stops and transfer stations. Once I reached the Olympic complex, it was more walking until I reached the stadium where my bib number was listed. At this point, I could already feel little blisters beginning to form on the bottoms of my feet. Not what you want to be feeling two days before a big race! Embracing the full experience, I continued walking and enjoyed seeing all the practice fields and housing units on the Olympic training grounds. The pickup process itself was very organized and smooth. It was so thrilling to be handed my own runners' bag! One of the goodies inside was a program book which listed all of the participants. It had neat biographies of some of the elite racers, many of which were participants in the 2008 Olympic Games. And then, on one beautiful page, amidst rows of Chinese characters, were the words 'Nicole Osmera. USA.' That's me! That's me!
I spent the rest of the day making my way back toward the hostel, stopping in some neat neighborhoods to peek inside quaint shops and soak up one of my last China experiences.
That evening, I stayed close to the hostel. There is a beautiful street just a block away that veers off the south end of Tiananmen Square. It has just recently been restored, so the store fronts all look old and beautiful, but they are brand new and house high-end western brand shops. And they have a McDonald's, which is why I was there! A hot fudge sundae was calling my name! I took an iced coffee to go and just walked the street all evening - so many people to watch, such a beautiful night.
Saturday had me itching to head out and soak up more Beijinger life, but my feet were begging me to stay off them as much as possible. I knew I needed to stay put, so I obeyed. That evening, I ordered spaghetti from the restaurant in the hostel lobby. This was the traditional 'carbo-loading' pre-race meal and I wanted it to be special. Bad idea. I should have gone to McDonald's. I think they boiled my spaghetti in mouth wash. It had a definite menthol taste to it. The sauce wasn't terrible, but it didn't mask the mouth wash, and I'm pretty sure the meat wasn't beef. A couple from Hong Kong joined me and I soon learned they had traveled up to participate in the marathon as well. This man runs 12 marathons a year and has completed several in The States. I choked down my spaghetti while I enjoyed his incredible racing stories.
I awoke the next morning with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. As I pinned my bib to the front of my shirt, I could already hear the loudspeakers blaring out announcements from the starting line, just down the road. I slathered vaseline on every inch of my feet, taking special care with my blisters, and laced up those pretty shoes. I bounded down the stairway into the lobby and was met with cheers and 'good luck's as I headed out the door. Passing through the hostel doors to the street beyond is like entering another world. Immediately you're thrown into the hustle and bustle of cars, buses, bikes, scooters and more pedestrians than imaginable. I always have eyes on me as I walk, with my curly hair and fair skin, but pin a number on my bright orange shirt and not a person could have missed me. The short walk to the starting line at Tiananmen was pure bliss. The skies were overcast and the air held a perfect chill.
This was the scene at the south end of the square. Port-a-potties as far as the eye could see! Thankfully, my only reason to visit was to take a photograph. :)
See the lady above the crowd in yellow? They had a few different podiums arranged throughout the square where some very flexible ladies were leading the crowd in some ridiculous aerobic routines. The trucks lined up behind her were the ones used for bag drop-off - you could leave your belongings with your designated truck and it'd then be available for you to pickup at the finish line.
There was a lot of interesting running attire to be seen. People in animal costumes, people in poor footwear, and way too many naked man legs in their little short shorts!
Finally it was time for me to take my position in the half corral. I KNEW I wanted to have a race day photo of myself in front of the Tiananmen Gate, so I strategically placed myself at the west end of the starting line so I'd be in the right position once we rounded the first bend. As I stood there shifting from foot to foot, another American girl lined up beside me. We began making small talk - she's an English teacher, from Wisconsin, and 'Hey, we have the same shoes!' As she pulled off her long-sleeve t-shirt before we took off, her wrist was revealed to me and 'Oh, my! We have the same watch, too!' Moments later the gun was fired and we slowly inched our way forward. Once over the starting line, we wished each other good luck, waved, and headed our own ways.
As we crossed the starting line, we passed a stage that held a 'band' playing traditional Chinese instruments. TV cameras on the end of giant booms stretched out over the crowd as we passed underneath. I took a video as we crossed the starting line, but that will have to wait to be uploaded until I return to The States.
Like planned, once we rounded the corner, I stopped and asked a spectator to take my photo. After examining the photo, I saw that it was blurry and wouldn't make the cut, so I jogged a few feet ahead and asked another person. This person lined my head up right in front of Mao's head, which of course wasn't going to do either. So I moved on and asked yet another bystander, and the third time turned out to be a charm. :)
The first few miles were a blast. The traffic going the opposite direction had been stopped and folks were just out leaning on their cars wondering what in the world was going on. It was fun to find one lost in a deep stare with their mouth hanging open, and then wave and smile at them until they'd snap out of it and laugh nervously. Then we entered a more residential area, and the spectators now were old ladies on their bikes with carts full of vegetables, just trying to make their way home. They were not happy campers about having to stop and wait for us. So again, I pretended like I was in a parade and waved and smiled until I got a reaction. Along the route I passed many news or camera crews. I think about three times I completely stopped along the side of the route as ladies in fancy business suits shoved gigantic fuzzy microphones in front of my face. They all began by asking where I was from and what had brought me to Beijing to run. I knew I was wasting precious time, but if they want to put my pretty face on CCTV, I'll let them! It was fun and made me laugh deep inside, and those are the memories I'll always remember about my race day.
Tracking my mileage was a hoot, as they marked the route with kilometers. I had tried to brush up on my conversions so I thankfully had a pretty good idea where I was as I went along. The water stops were also a blast! It feels so rebellious to chug your beverage and then recklessly throw it to the curb. One table I passed was momentarily out of cups, so they handed me a whole jug. To this, I offered my camera to the young waterboy and had him take my photo. I made his day.
The crowd thinned out quickly as many racers were only running 5k or 10k. They would veer off at their designated finish lines and you'd hear the cheers and applause. Finally it was just us lone halfers and the full runners, chugging along. The last marker I remember seeing was at the 13k point. I had been running about an hour and a half by then. Some time later, they began letting vehicles past the road closures, and before I knew it I was running between six lanes of traffic. When I reached the next water stop, I was sad to see they were beginning to pack things up, which told me I was well-enough behind the pack that I wouldn't be making it to the finish line in the allotted time. I kept on for a while longer, and then decided to just hop in a cab and call it finished. I was literally running along and flagged one as it passed me - couldn't have been easier!
After my first half marathon, I was so sore I walked funny for a couple days. Even though I have no real idea how far I ventured this time, I didn't feel any pain or soreness. Once I got back to the hostel, I felt so well that I spent the whole afternoon walking around the hutongs and exploring more sights. That made me extra thankful that I had quit when I did, because it allowed me to use the rest of my day to the fullest, instead of simply limping straight to the bus stop.
So folks, I can't say that I finished the Beijing Half Marathon - but I did run in the Beijing Half Marathon. And I had the absolute best time ever! That one race was what motivated me to run literally hundreds of miles around my village this year. It's what got me out the door on all those early mornings. It's what set the stage for all those Red China sunsets. That is what makes the race a success. And really, that's what is going to make me excited about CROSSING THE FINISH LINE at my next race.
The three weeks since have flown past with record breaking speed. We had another team from Hawaii. We had an American family visit that used to live in our neighborhood. We currently have two doctors in from the Shriners Hospital in Chicago. This past week they've done surgeries on four of our kiddos. A number of O.I. families have traveled in to be seen by the doctors, and some of them will be staying with us while they recover post surgery. We've had lots of bazaars to attend, so the bakers have been busy. My girls are pushing to finish strong in their schoolwork and we've been having lots of laughs in our little classroom.
In just one short week I'll say goodbye to my little bedroom in China and board the flight for home. I can't believe that when I say I'm going home, that home means Nashville, Tennessee. Pinch me!
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