My half marathon has come and gone. It is actually crazy to me that just three short weeks ago I ran and completed a half marathon. I wish I had written my thoughts down the day of the race...I'm sure my thoughts are a little less "accurate" after a three week "recovery!"
Overall, the run was great and now (after three weeks to think on this) I can say that I will most likely try to run another one at some point in my life. I would like to do one that is bigger - I think if I could run one with a larger crowd presence, I would have fewer "I want to quit running NOW" moments....cause I definitely had a few!
Here is my brief recap of the race....this may seem boring to a non-runner, so feel free to skip right past...
The race was in downtown Ge@rget@wn, SC on October 13th. This was the 2nd annual run. Aside from about a 3 mile stretch, the course was beautiful...and tough...and I imagine as the years continue, the race will continue to grow. There was a 5K or a Half Marathon option. Obviously, we went for the half.
Pre-race:
Emily
Anne, Jess, Emily
We picked up our registration packets with plenty of time to spare the morning of the race....of course, we had to leave Mt P at 5:30 in the morning to be able to get there with enough time to do this. We hit up a fast food restaurant for a bathroom stop before heading out to the starting line. It was chilly the morning of the race and I had some confusion over my running attire - luckily, Chad let me borrow a long sleeve N!ke shirt. It was a little big but it did the trick.
As the starting time grew closer, I was definitely getting nervous....we started in one spot and as expected, Anne quickly ran out ahead of us. What I didn't expect was that Emily and I would be separated. I started out a little quicker than I intended but was caught up in a group of runners at the start and couldn't do much about it. My first mile went by so fast and I was a little under pace running in in about 9:30. In fact, the first 3 - 5 miles went very fast. The first part of the course was beautiful as the sun was coming up over the water.
We hit the first bridges around mile 3...3 - 5 were all part of the 1st bridge - with two elevated portion - four total, as it was out and back. At mile 5 and 6, I was still doing great...and it seemed to by flying by....although I had settled in to my pace of a 10:30 min mile. Emily and I were running together. In my mind, I thought if I could just get to mile 10, it would be easy to finish up. Somehow, between mile 6 and 7 this started to change. At the time, from mile 6 to 7 was the longest mile ever. Unfortunately, that didn't get any better. Somewhere around mile 8, we started up the second bridge. The bridge was tough, especially considering most of my training did not include bridges (hello flat lowcountry!). At the end of the bridge, we entered a neighborhood...a desolate neighborhood that has not been developed. As we entered, we passed Anne coming out, so despite the fact that my brain "knew" we had to run 2 - 3 miles in this neighborhood, my hope was that we didn't have to run too much in there because Anne couldn't have been that much ahead of us. The neighborhood was the WORST part. This made up miles 9 - 11.5. It felt like we were just going and going and going with no end in sight. It was out and back so we were passing people coming out and then as we turned seeing others coming in, who were still behind us. Emily and I were side by side for this entire part. My worst mistake came at mile marker 11. I had been running and grabbing water or gatorade at the mile markers. I was doing my best to grab it and go...and, was choking each time. At mile marker 11, I was tired and I knew that beast of a bridge was coming up....we had to cross back over....and I knew that I wanted to finish strong. I thought that if I could just stop, drink my gatorade, and start running again, I would be able to do this. WRONG! While I only "stopped" for 10 seconds...if that long...it was enough for my muscles to start to slow down. As we reached the bridge, my left hamstring was starting to cramp up a little...but, I did my best to keep going. I walked briefly up the bridge (and I'm still mad about that!). At the base of the bridge, we passed the marker for mile 12....1.1 to go. After coming off the bridges, my leg started to cramp a little more. I walked one more time between 12 and the finish. Thankfully, my friend Emily, who had advanced about 40 yards in front of me, turned to wait for me.....well, I couldn't keep walking because I didn't want her to have to wait on me....I picked it back up and we ran the rest of the way. I'm thankful to her for that last little urge I needed to kick it into gear. I am still kicking myself for walking at all...in total, I probably walked for less than a minute but it would feel so much better if I didn't have to say that at all! We crossed the finish line together....13.1 miles under our belt!
Anne finished well ahead of us...beating her goal and finishing 3rd in our age group...WAY TO GO ANNE!! Luckily for Emily and myself, we had a cheerleader and photographer as we crossed the line!
Emily and I coming in towards the finish - we're right beside the silver SUV...Emily is in teal, I'm in black and blue.
On our way to 13.1!
Crossing the line...2:26.17!
This shows Anne finishing 3rd in our age group! Still so proud of her!
My watch....I saved this all the way home to show Chad!
Immediately after Emily and I crossed the line...I honestly felt like I was about the die in this picture....all I wanted to do was sit down but Anne would let me. I really was about the puke! After a few drinks, bagel and banana pieces, I perked up a little...and despite Anne's advice, sat down!
After about 30 minutes, I felt much better and we got another group photo!
So proud to have accomplished this with these girls! Anne is a runner...and, I guess Emily and I are runner's now! I appreciate Anne and Emily more than they know for helping me accomplish this personal goal!
Waiting on the awards...for Anne...did I mention she was third in our age range!!
Happy to have my medal....and a dry long sleeved shirt in the cold!
After the awards, we packed up and headed home....smelly girls for sure...we were back home in time for lunch...and after lunch, the aches started to set in. My stomach hurt most of the day and my legs hurt for several days. But, all that is long forgotten now...
This is something that nobody can ever take away from me. I did not run the biggest run and I certainly did not have the fastest time....but, I did run a half marathon. It was tough but I survived and I hope to do it again someday! I can honestly say that I have no desire, ever, to run any thing more than 13.1 and I may be happy sticking with an occasional 5k or 10k....we shall see! Looking forward to keeping the running up and hoping that I can maintain what I have accomplished.
Yes, I will be that girl with a 13.1 sticker on my car...as soon as I find the time to get my car cleaned so it will stick on the window!
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