After 16 weeks of actively training for this half marathon, today is the day. I have done everything I can to prepare for what I am about to achieve. I have ran, I have eaten, I have slept, I have recovered from (minor, thank goodness) injuries, I have modified things that can be and dealt with those that can't.
Today I run 13.1 miles.
Let's jump back a minute. I
So, Julie and I started running the "oval" - two soccer fields down by the kids' school - and to be honest, when we first started I couldn't run the long length of one of those fields. (See this post and this post and maybe this post, if you want.) Then we changed our routine and started meeting at the library and running a 5k loop (3.1 miles), included a stop at Starbucks, and a mile walk back to our cars. Next, we started just meeting at Starbucks, running, and then going home cutting out the walk.
Then one day, I casually mentioned it would be interesting to run a half marathon but I didn't think I could do it. Julie was all over that! Julie came up with a great training plan: 3 days per week with our longer runs being on the weekends since we were already running a 5k at 5am so we could be home in time to get the kids ready for school. I'm not saying it was easy. I run very slow. I walk way too much for my own good. I really need to learn to get out of my head and push myself harder. We ran through the heat, through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
And we stuck with it for four months culminating in today.
I picked Julie up early because we were worried about parking and being sure we had time to stretch, go potty, etc. We needn't have worried - we had plenty of time. The Rock N Roll Marathons are cool because they play music through speakers near the starting line about an hour or so before the race. Good music; loud music. Just what I like!
I am not a fan of the waiting, however; and as our corral started to fill up (they release runners in groups called corrals) I started to feel a little more anxiety come over me. it got more and more crowded as more and more people started filling in the space. We were in the "finishing in 3 hours" group so we were way near the back. As they announced the 1st group going off, loud cheers rippled through the crowd. Now we were excited. Let's go!
Unfortunately, when you're in corral 20, there are 19 corrals in front of you and they release corrals approximately every 5-7 minutes (or more if you have to wait for the trains to cross the road.) Needless to say, our group crossed the starting line about an hour or so after the first group of elite athletes.
We were off! I crossed that starting line and had to work my way through, around, between, behind other runners - everyone jockeying for space (again, not a fun thing to do when you are anxiety prone.) The first mile was hard because of the sheer number of people but eventually people got into their groove and spread out. There was a band at the 1st mile marker which was pretty cool and they were playing great music. Of course, there's no time to stop and enjoy it as we were flying by (ok, not really.)
The next few miles were uneventful. It always takes me about 5-7 miles before I really get into some sort of comfort zone (Julie says I'm going to make a great marathoner; I still think she's crazy.) We knew the families were going to be somewhere around mile 6-8 but not sure exactly where. I started to feel a bit emotional; not sure what to expect (even though I watched Madi & Elizabeth create a beautiful sign for us the night before.) The kids had been so supportive the entire time I was training so I knew they'd be excited to see mom "doing her thing."
Finally, we saw them up ahead just before we would round a curve. I could feel the tears well up and as much as I didn't want to feel emotional about it, I did cry a few tears. But alas, no time to stop and chit chat. We hugged on the run and kept on moving, even forgetting to discard our extra clothing with them. :)
The next few miles were pretty much the same: run, hit the water/Gatorade stations, run, etc. I refused to wait in the port-o-potty lines as it would take 10-20 minutes depending on the line. So, I finally saw a Denny's up ahead and decided I was going in there. I ran in past all the diners, took care of business, and ran back out. Not sure what they were thinking nor did I care. I was happy that I didn't have to wait in any line and had a (somewhat) clean bathroom!
Around mile 9-10 or so, my iPhone battery died (I run 2-3 apps when I'm running - a GPS app, MapMyRun, and Round Timer which tells me when to run and when to walk. Although I've learned I can do the same with MMR so I might make some changes.) All that time waiting in the morning had me playing on my phone, taking pictures, etc, hence the dead battery before I was done racing. This messed with my head because I rely on that to tell me when my 4 minutes of running is up. But, I persevered.
Passing mile 10 was a blessing. I only had a short 5k to go! I could do this! But I was starting to feel some pain in my calf, I was tired, emotional, irritated about my battery but happy to still be running as much as I possibly could. Mile 11, I started to feel great - only 2 to go!! Mile marker 12. Hmmm, ok this one stumps me because this is when I really started to feel... not sure how I felt. Happy to be almost finished? Elated by my accomplishment? Sad to be done? I don't know. We had merged with the marathoners (yes, some of them were finishing 26.2 as I was finishing my 13.1. Talk about inspirational? Whew!) and they were running on one side of the road while we were on the other.
About 200 yards from the finish line, I lost it. I started crying (not an ugly cry) just some tears which made it hard to breathe which started to make it hard or run. "Suck it up and finish!" I told myself. "Get it together and cross that finish line with a smile on your face." I said this over and over those last few years and finally crossed that finish line with both our families right there waiting, cheering, so happy for us. The second I crossed that line, I cried. I let it all out. There was no holding back. All the exhaustion, hard work, blood, sweat, tears, and effort we put in for the last 4 months and the past couple of hours finally paid off. I was handle my medal, a Gatorade, a bagel, and just let it sink in.
I did it! I ran 13.1 miles. I put in the time. I completed the training (and there were some doubts - on my part as well as others.) There were some cheerleaders who never doubted me, who lifted me up and encouraged me (you all know who you are; I've thanked you personally but briefly: Mom, Nate, Dennis, Julie, Anngee - to name a few of my brightest stars.) For your kind words and encouragement throughout this journey, I thank you again, so many times over.
If I had to do things differently (I've been asked): I'd make sure I start with a charged battery; I'd stay for the concert at the end (have my family bring me a big, fat, juicy burger and fries, and eat it right there because I had to miss the B52s); Train more effectively and efficiently; Push myself just a bit harder (not too much because I don't want any injuries) but enough to meet my next goal.
Speaking of goals, yes, we are running another half marathon. June 2, 2012, San Diego CA. My best friend turns 40 a couple days before that and is running the full marathon for her birthday so I said I'd join her, celebrate, and run the half. Honestly, I can't wait. :)
(P.S. ~ I had a really hard time trying to decide what voice to write this post in: past tense because it already happened, present tense as a recap as it was happening, or a mixture of both - which I don't enjoy but almost seemed fitting. Plus because it's so damn long, I just got all mixed up. Sorry for any confusion. I probably should have placed this at the beginning as a warning.)
~with much love, always
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