13.1!!!!!

13.1 is done {well actually 13.23, according to my Garmin watch, but who's counting ;)}!!!  

It is such a great feeling to have it completed!  After 6 long months of contemplating it and 16 longer weeks of training for it I have a half marathon in the books!  It feels like a huge relief and now I can think about life past April 20th :)!  

The one thing I didn't count on was how I would enjoy running it way more then I expected...I know crazy, right...me being the one who doesn't really enjoy the "running" part of running {I usually just enjoy the since of accomplishment}.  It was a really good race and it felt different then 5ks and even 10ks I have done in the past.  With this race there was more of a feeling of a running community pushing and supporting each other to the end rather then just trying to trample over each other to be the quickest, which I will NEVER be the quickest.  I think that's why it was more enjoyable because speed is not the biggest factor, it's the endurance first, which I knew I could endure. 

The best thing about this race was, however, the finish!  I not only completed it, but at the time I secretly wished I could do it in!!!  **Disclaimer here before I go on...my race speeds are NOT fast so if you are an actual RUNNER you wouldn't be happy with my times, but since I am just a "runner" aka more like jogger :) then I will let you know what they were**  So, I told myself you WILL be happy with a time around 2 hours and 45 minutes because that was what my training speed was telling me I would probably come in at.  However, I had a secret hope of coming in around 2 hours 30 minutes.  I tried not saying that out loud because I didn't want to be disappointed if I couldn't do it.  I was doing this half marathon just to finish, remember, not to do a certain speed...but like all people who enter races, you always have that number in the back of your head that you want to beat.  Well.............I did it!!  Yes, I got in at the secret number!  Not only that but a minute faster ;) at 2 hours 29 minutes {If you are a numbers person and want to know pace, that's a 11:25 minute pace...not FAST, but fast for me for that long}!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That felt great!

If you are wandering what a 13.1 mile race feels like here's my little break down of how this race went for me:

Before the race:  My mom got up and drove Ryan and I to Garmin, which is just 5 minutes down the road from our house.  Ryan wanted to wait in the car as long as possible beforehand since it was a crisp 34 degrees out...not a good temperature to stand around in, but it actually turned out to be good weather to run in {way better then sweating!}.  As the sun was beginning to rise they held a moment of silence before the race to remember those in the Boston Marathon.  I captured this picture which pretty much says it all:

Then it is time for us to go!

Mile 1:  Right off the bat, I noticed how this race was different.  People were happily talking to each other and people were running "together" rather then apart.  I just naturally started following a 2:20 pacer group.  I didn't think at all I would be able to keep this pace, but I wanted to start out strong.  I was still a little cold at this point {Ryan was actually hugging his arms together and someone told him he needed a jacket ;)}.  I did feel like I had a ton of energy!

Mile 2:  When I saw the aid station at mile 2 I got a little mad...you see I studied the course map many times and I thought for sure the first aid station was at mile 3 so my whole plan was to not stop running in the first 3 miles until I reached that aid station.  I told Ryan he couldn't let me stop in the first 3!  Therefore, when I saw this aid station I told Ryan we weren't getting drinks :).  We ran on!

Mile 3:  Rounding the corner to the downtown part of our city we finally get to mile 3!  I take very short walking break to congratulate myself and notice that my time is 32 minutes!  That is a really good pace for me since that is actually my best 5k time too!

Mile 4:  We are still with the 2:20 pace group and things are still feeling good for me. We get to the next aid station and I let us stop and drink here :)...I might be a little bossy to Ryan when I am running...sorry Ryan!

Mile 5:  The hills start...ugh!  Whoever called this race a "wickedly fast, flat half marathon" apparently forgot about miles 5-8!  I am not good on hills.  They mentally break me down!  Ryan started pushing me up these hills {he pushes his hand on my back and it actually helps a lot :)}.  I get through these mile 5 hills without walking!  However, I can't quite keep up with the 2:20 pacers so we start drifting off behind them.  My time is still great and I am at 53 minutes at mile 5 {It usually takes me right at an hour to get 5 miles}.  We also split off from the full marathoners at this point.  My hat goes off to all you full marathoners...that is a lot of dedication!!!  

Mile 6:  I knew a friend was planning on being on the course around mile 6 to cheer me on so that was helpful to think about at this point in the race.  After spotting her it really cheered me up!  A great encouragement in the middle of a half marathon, especially when looking at more hills!  I started walking up these hills to give my legs a break.  My time was still really good with a 10k time of 1 hour 5 minutes {my best 10k time before this was 1 hour 9 minutes}.  

Mile 7:  I want to meet the person who called this flat there are more hills {no they weren't steep, but I also wouldn't call them flat ;)}.  I notice a person zooming by us up one of the hills and a police motorcycle following him.  Ryan and I realized he must be the top marathoner coming through on our course again {I don't talk while running, but I will talk to Ryan when we have to take a walk break}.  I couldn't even imagine keeping his pace for 26.2 miles!

Mile 8:  For the last few miles we were keeping up with the 2:25 pacers, but we were starting to trail behind them with the hills, but I was not discouraged.  I was starting to feel more energy weakening, but it felt good to be over half way done!

Mile 9:  The hills seemed to be over!  Thank goodness!  The best part of running a race in your city is you know where you are at.  I knew we were getting close to the trail we would be finishing the majority of the race on so I just kept thinking how nice the trail would be when we got there.  I did notice around this point in the race that there were a lot of couples running together like Ryan and I.  It is great to have a support system to run with you!  I couldn't have done it without Ryan!!!  We also started entering into a neighborhood and the spectators there were great.  I tried waving to as many of them as I could throughout the whole course, I even gave a high five to a little boy.  There is nothing better then to have people cheer you on, even when they don't know you!

Mile 10:  Right at mile 10 we meet the trail that will take us in.  It makes me excited to see it because I have ran on the trail several times.  It is nice and flat and familiar!  My family is also there to cheer us on!  It was a great sight to see at this point in the race when energy seems low.  So sweet!

We were also given gu at the mile 10 aid station.  That was the first time trying it and I am not a fan...it's like taking a swig of icing.  I gave the rest of mine to Ryan.  He said it did make him feel better.  He also told me later he grabbed a Snickers off the table there...I didn't notice him sharing that with me :). 

Mile 11:  I can tell my energy is getting low, but I have to remind myself that this is almost over.  I push on and have Ryan check for signs of 2:30 behind us because we haven't seen a pace group for awhile now.  He sees 2:30, but they are still a little ways behind us.  A relief...

Mile 12:  I start getting nervous now.  I had only trained up to 11 miles so any new miles I do always make me nervous.  Also, 2:30 has now caught up with us and I am doing my best to stay just ahead of them.  My left knee also starts hurting.  I know we are almost done, but I start panicking a little about my time.  My family greets us again at mile 12.  A wonderful sight!!!  They encourage me and tell me not to walk because I started doing sprints then walking rotations.  I needed to stop walking...ugh!

Mile 13!!!:  Coming off the trail and rounding into the high school parking lot.  I knew I was almost done, but I couldn't see the finish line yet.  Ryan reminds me that I probably need to be ahead of the 2:30 pacers in order to get that time since they started after us.  I try to keep up my running pace, but I started freaking out and keep going back to walking.  The 2:30 pacer lady starts to pass me and she turns and looks at me and says, "don't give up, you can do it."  That's what it took!  I suck it up and even though my breathing is very labored, my knee is hurting, and I am freaking out I start running toward that finish line.  I keep glancing at my watch seeing the seconds tick by.  I finally see the finish line and gun for it as I see the finish timer tick through the seconds at 2 hours 30 minutes.  Just as I cross I noticed it just got to 2 hours and 31 minutes...a great time, but not my 2 hours 30 minutes.  I quickly turn my watch off and see it's at 2 hours 29 minutes...can it be true!?  

After the race:  Once I stop running I realize that I feel pretty good.  After some races in the past I haven't felt that great, but for some reason I don't have to sit down or take a breather.  I finally realized that I had accomplished my goal of finishing a half marathon!  Woohoo!  After getting our medal and some food we go over to the table and get our official time and sure enough it is 2 hours and 29 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yeah!

Now before this race and even the morning of I thought I would be one and done.  I didn't think I really wanted to complete another half marathon, but now I am not so sure.  It really was a great experience and such a feeling of accomplishment there might be another one in my future?!  Who knows, but I wouldn't be against training with any of my local friends who wants to do their first one down the road from now.  I think if you have it in you then you should definitely try to do a half marathon at least once!

I want to thank everyone for supporting me on this journey!  I couldn't have done it without all of your prayers, love, and thoughts!