My original goal for traveling with Cheyenne as he completes these 1/2 Marathons was to just do a 5k or something small while he was running the 1/2. Well, lucky for me that at only 2 races into our traveling that the race he chose had no 5k or even 10k. Awesome. So I signed up for the 1/2 Marathon too. I figured I would run and walk it, how hard could it be? (It's always nice to look back and eat your words...) We booked this trip and registered for the race in July, so this was well before I had even run a 5k. After stepping up my running and completing a 5k or two, you would think my attitude would be more toward "yea, I got this", instead it became "there's no way in hell I can complete a 1/2 marathon..." Running. Is. Hard. And with each run I went out on, I just didn't know how I could keep my mind occupied for the length of time it takes to complete 13.1 miles.
I have worked the Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon for numerous years now and I never understood why someone would sign up for a race and then not run it. Now, I get it. I was ready to eat my $50 registration fee and just not do it. I did not want to do it. I was not even bothered about losing the money, that is how bad I did not want to do it. My plan then became how to tell Cheyenne I was backing out without him thinking too badly of me.
Then about a week out, I'm not sure what happened, but my attitude just changed. I was suddenly ready to do it. I wanted to see if I COULD do it. I absolutely knew I wouldn't run the whole thing, I did not want to run the whole thing. I'm just not there yet in my running abilities. But suddenly it became less scary and more of a challenge.
So on race day, I got ready and made sure my race bib had my emergency contact information on the back:
We head to the Start Line and part ways. There were no corrals for this race, but I know my place, so I headed to the back of the crowd and left Cheyenne up front.
They blow the horn to start and we take off. Here are my thoughts as I went through the course...
Mile 1: Oh, this isn't too bad. Maybe I can do this
Mile 2: F. I shouldn't have done this. I just don't know how I'm going to finish this. Oh my god! Is that the tail car 50 yards behind me? I WILL NOT be the last person, go Amy, go!!!!!!!!!
Mile 3: I'm tired. Remember self, when we did those 5k's? We'd be done by now if this were a 5k
Mile 4: Hill up ahead! We're not running hills today self...
Mile 6: Now I did fairly well on Mile 6 driven by my intense need to pee. At this point we were running on a trail and I asked the girl near me, jokingly, if she thought I'd get arrested if I got caught peeing in the woods. I think she was scared I was actually going to do it. I probably was going to do it, but she was there...so you know...
Around Mile 8 I saw this:
and then all I could think about was donuts....
(Sidenote: when you sign up for any kind of race, you think you will be surrounded by people the whole time and that will help keep you going. However, what you don't realize is that if you are slow, you will NOT be surrounded by people. The race was pretty lonely for me for awhile. The Marathoners and 1/2 Marathoners up front just took off, along with pretty much everyone else, and left the handful of us slow pokes alone, in the back. I had a group of people ahead of me, and a few behind me, but rarely was I at the same pace as anyone else.)
Until Mile 10: Hey, where did these people come from? Oh, it's the Marathoners. Wait, you mean you're speeding past me on your Mile 17 and I'm about to die on my mile 10????
Yes, they all sped right past me, but I really didn't care. It was just nice to be surrounded by people again! It really helped get through the last part of the course.
The last part of the course was hard. My legs felt like jello and my quads were so sore. I admit that I walked most of miles 9-13. I had some running spurts, but it took all of my energy to run at this point. I had a running buddy at this point and she and I would pass one another occasionally, never getting too far ahead of the other, and when one passed the other, we'd say things like "almost there!" "we're doing it, that's all that matters!" "come on, we can finish this." Love it. The race is worth it right there when strangers can come together to push and encourage each other.
I don't know what mile this was, but when you run slow you can make funny faces at the photographers:
So thanks to my running buddy, and some really encouraging text messages from Cheyenne, I finished the 1/2 Marathon! And I ran through the finish line! (And the photographers got some action shots of the progression of my ugly cry. I will not be posting those...). I was greeted at the Finish Line by my amazing husband who had waited over an hour for me to Finish and he hugged me while I got all of my ugly cry out of my system. I guess I just cry at races now...
I knew I would walk and run the whole race, so the only goal I really had was to finish in under 3 hours. I finished in 2:56! Rock freaking Star!
I know thousands of people have completed and run in Marathons and 1/2 Marathons before, but this was HUGE for me. HUGE! I have hated running since high school basketball conditioning, so if you would have ever told me I would complete a 1/2 Marathon one day I would have never believed you. I never thought I was capable of doing it. I honestly did not think I could do it. So you just can't imagine how amazing I feel knowing I did it. I DID IT!
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| See my pony tail swinging? Proof that I did run some of it. :) |
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| Look at my man! He has been a huge inspiration to me |
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| Me and my medal! (I have things in my pockets, so it gave me a weird mid-section in this pic) |
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| Me and my medal having a post-race drink |
I will definitely do more 1/2 Marathons. It sounds weird, but I actually enjoyed it. I think I have decided to take up Cheyenne's goal as my own now, so I guess it's now "our" goal. I am still a long ways away from running the entire 13.1 miles, but for now I will just try to improve my time. I am excited to see how I progress in the future.
This weekend we are doing a free Mayor's 5k event and Lincoln will be doing the 1-mile fun run. I am so excited to see him do this. He always wants to run "like Daddy." Hopefully soon he'll start adding me into that sentence too.
Very cool! Way to go Amy!
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