Saturday was a crazy hectic day. We were at the soccer fields all day so I was afraid I wouldn't get enough to drink and eat the day before the race. I made sure to bring water with me though and then we had a good dinner at Spaghetti Factory. Saturday night I got all my clothes, gear, and food together for Sunday morning. The plan was for me to pick up Christine at 4:30 and then Kristin a little after 5:00. I decided to eat breakfast along the way because the idea of swallowing food at 4:00a.m. was not appealing to me so I got all my breakfast stuff situated on Saturday night too.
I tossed and turned all night thinking about the race so I never even needed my alarm. My alarm was set for 4:10, but I was up at 3:30. I got dressed, put a ton of foot cream on my feet, drank some Vitamin Water, grabbed my gear, and lubed up my arm because my iPod has been chafing me and I lubed under my bra too...(TMI?) and then I was on my way to get my running partners.
The drive to Silver Strand wasn't too bad. We got there around 5:45. We stayed in the car for a bit getting our stuff situated and figuring out what we would check in our bags and stuff. This is when I ate my breakfast (peanut butter and honey sandwich). Then it was time to catch the shuttle. We scored and got on the double decker bus. Naturally we sat on the top and in the front...FUN and a little sketchy. It was on the way to the start line that Christine explained to me we would be running by the car. That freaked me out because the thought of running past my car might do me in mentally. We got to the start, went the bathroom, I fixed my bib (I can NOT get those things to go on the right way), took some photos, checked our gear, and got ready to run. I was super nervous and wasn't exactly sure how I was going to run that far.
We took off at 7:30 and Christine, Kristin, and I all stayed together for the first mile. It was at that point we split off. Around mile 2, I was already giving up and thinking I would need to walk which is insane because I know I can go further than that without stopping, but the first mile was at a faster pace than I usually run. As soon as I started to walk, I heard some familiar voices. It was my friends Amy, Rosana, and Lori. They got me running again and I stayed with them the whole time. Their running plan worked for me. They would run to the mile marker and then walk for a bit. Thank goodness for Amy who kept right with me and encouraged me the whole time. I told her what my time was for RnR (2:56) so she was bound and determined to help me beat it. I didn't tell her I was out there to just finish. I figured if she could push me and my body could take it, why not try to beat my time?
Around mile 9 is when it got really challenging. My feet were hurting (they were sliding in my shoes) and my left calf was cramping. This course didn't have a lot of water/energy drink stations. I wish they had more of them along the course because that would probably have helped with my cramping. Mile 9 was through a neighborhood with turns so it seemed to go on forever. Mile 10 is where I saw a friend from high school, Aaron. He was at mile 12 and shouted out my name. (Mile 10 and mile 12 cross paths) It was so cool to see him out there since I haven't seen him since high school. A little bit later I also saw Kristin and Christine. It was so nice to see their smiling faces and give them high fives. At this point I knew they were going to make great time because they were already at mile 12. After I saw them, Amy and I stopped to walk for a bit and she pointed out that there was an incline coming up. She asked if I could run to the incline and then walk up. So that's what we did.
Mile 11 seemed like it was forever away. During this mile, we encountered a sweet girl, Rebecca, running alone. She asked if we were trying to make a certain time because her goal was to be under 3 hours. She stuck with us most of the way. Thankfully there was a water station at mile 11 so I drank some water and dumped some on myself. Only two more miles to go. At 11.5 it was downhill to mile 12 so down we ran. When we got to the bottom I had to walk again; but at that point it was mental not physical keeping me from running. We started running again and Amy kept telling me the distance and my time. So when we got to the final straight away and could see the finish line (it might as well have been a million miles away) I considered walking, but I knew I could do this. I picked up my pace a little bit and crossed the finish line with Christine and Kristin cheering me on. My time was 2:49!!!! Yes to many that is slow, but to me it was just right.
I did this!!! Christine pointed out all the obstacles I have been through during the last 10 weeks and how I could have easily used those as excuses to give up, but I didn't. In 10 weeks, I had an injured foot, Caden was sick, Drake was sick, our house flooded and we're still in a hotel a month later, and my dad died. But I didn't give up and kept with the run and now I have two half marathons under my belt. If I didn't have Christine to keep me going with the morning workouts and the training runs, I don't know what I would have done. Having that support and constant in my life made all the difference in my attitude and in my training.
As for the actual race today, Amy was my angel out there. If it hadn't been for her pushing me those last couple miles, I wouldn't have beaten my time. She was so selfless to run slower to be my motivator and I don't know how to repay her for doing that for me.
After the race, I was desperate for some juice and water. I didn't eat any of the food they had available (muffins, bagels, bananas) because I was more concerned with hydrating myself. Got my drinks, found my peeps, and chilled for a bit before we started the photo shoot, congratulatory hugs, and war stories. Kristin beat her RnR time by 6 minutes and Christine ran her first half in 2:36. Yes, I know, my friends are amazing and they inspire me everyday.
I'm hobbling around today mostly because my feet are sore and my legs are a little tight. Overall though I feel good. I'm proud of myself for doing the run today and I think my kids are proud of me too. It has been really nice to receive emails and FB posts from all my family and friends. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by the right people in my life who motivate and encourage me. So if any of you are reading this, THANK YOU!
So, will I do another half? Not sure. I've done two now and today I came close to what my original goal was (2:45) so I'm feeling like I've been there done that with the half marathon stuff. Running isn't my passion in case you haven't gathered that from my blog. I would love to try some new things that keep me challenged, excited, and motivated and I know those things will include running, but maybe not such long distances.
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