The Half Marathon is OVER!
The morning started with a 4am rise. Elisa and I headed out by 4:45. We got downtown and made our way to the clothing drop off. There were people shuffling around everywhere! It was really exciting. I will have to be honest and say that I was kinda scared. I kept thinking to myself….”what was I thinking signing up for this race?”
We found our place in the road, by the 11:27 pace sign. They started the race with 20 seconds of fireworks. It was cool. The mob began to move, and along the way to the actual start line, we jumped out – used the potty and jumped back in line! Once we crossed the start line we began to run! YAY!
Things were going pretty well. There were bands along the way and a ton of people running. There were runners and walkers. The only pressure was whatever pressure you placed on yourself – and the whole 10 mile marker! The race people said that you had to be at mile 10 by ten am or you would not finish and get a shirt or medal.
We made our way through and I had to stop and walk a few times in the first 4 miles, but really ran a whole lot. I got to a place where I could not feel my legs anymore. Around mile 7 I was started to have some pain in my knee and hip. I just hoped it would not get worse. After mile 10, it started getting a little tough. Then we got to mile 12 and it was a HUGE hill! Have mercy! The last mile was tough. There was alot of run/walk. Once we made it around the capital we ran the whole way in! Seeing that 13 mile marker was amazing! Crossing the finish line to get our medals and shirts was really cool! They had bagels, chips and bananas with powerade for us.
I still really can’t believe I did it. I truly feel like I probably only walked a mile – definitely no more than two – if you added up all the times that I walked. That is really amazing. I’m sore as hell today though! I went home after the race, ate, and took a nap. I put some ice on my legs and knees.
Today, the day after, my right foot hurts, and my body is sore, but I’m ok.
Triathlon is less than 2 months away!
So very proud of you and becoming a FINISHER!! You did it! And you are right – the only pressure on this race was the pressure you put on yourself. Couldn’t of said it better. You now have this experience to refer to when you face your next physical quest. You ran 13.1 miles? Who does that? Why do that? I’ll answer that. We do that. And when someone asks me why – I answer why not. Why does anyone do anything – b/c they want to push themselves further. It’s amazing what the mind can tell the body to do. Keep running. See you at the next START line.
E.