16 weeks of training finally came to an end April 11th, when I happily crossed the finish line of the Rock the Parkway half marathon.
My last few weeks of training were extremely difficult. As my long runs got even longer, my schedule got crazier. I had to figure out how to balance school and testing for my boys, planning and attending a scrapbook retreat, spring cleaning, and all my other mom duties.
I was thankful that most of my last runs were outside on the open road. Running 13 miles for the first time was crazy. My previous week had been crazy with being out of town, limited workouts, and a crazy schedule. I seriously didn't think I was going to make it, but I told myself over and over that if I made it to the ten mile mark, it was just a 5K or about 30 minutes left. To actually do it, was an amazing feeling. I was pretty wiped out the rest of the day, but now knew I could really run a half marathon and not die!
The week of the race was insanely busy, but I was able to get in my last few short runs. The day before the race, I took a short jog and then just tried to take it easy. After a carb filled supper, I took a nice long bath with some essentials and epsom salt. Then I just foam rolled, got a massage from my husband, and went to bed!! Thankfully I slept pretty well, which usually doesn't happen before a huge event.
The morning of the race, was gorgeous. At 5:30 am it was already in the mid 50s and the wind was minimal. I had a couple of girlfriends, Lonna and Amy pick me up and we headed to the race.
There were around 7,000 runners, I was SO not ready for that. I was use to running by myself and having a very open road, sidewalk, or trail in front of me. I waited for my wave to be called and I was off, well sort of. The first half mile was slow because of all the runners and then my silly GU packet I carried with me, ended up oozing all over my waist band, t-shirt, and hands. I was able to get most of it wiped up or licked up, but ended up running the race with my GU packet in my hand instead of in my pocket.
The first few miles I struggled with trying to find my groove, I felt like I was having to slow down, speed up, maneuver around people, wiggle left, and then right. Once I broke free a bit, I felt less anxious and just ran.
The hump mile, mile 7, was a massive hill. Many ended up walking up it, but one of my goals for the race was to finish without walking, so at a turtle's pace, I kept running.
Once I got to mile 10, I knew I could still run a 5K. At mile 11, a sweet friend of mine, Karen, surprised me by showing up to cheer me on. I about started crying, but she told me to keep going and so, I did.
Coming down the last hill, I felt like everyone was passing me, but I just stayed trucking along. A couple other friends, Katie, Beth, and Caroline met me at the bottom of the hill to give me one last cheer.
As I approached the finish line, I started scanning the crowd for my family, but there were SO many people, I couldn't locate them. Then I tried to listen for my name, and nothing!!
I crossed the finish line at 2:13:29!! I still couldn't see my family, so I grabbed a bottle of water, and called my husband.
"Hello - where are you?"
"I just crossed the finish line."
"Are you serious?"
"Yep!"
"How did I miss you?"
My husband felt awful and so did I. My family are my biggest supporters. They encourage me to do whatever I come up with to try. I so wanted them to see it all come to an end. There were just so many people at the finish line, that my husband couldn't get a good view. He had even sent the boys up a few yards to look for me, but they couldn't spot me either.
We tried to get a few post race snacks and drinks, but the crowds were overwhelming and I was getting a little light headed, I just wanted to get out of the endless sea of people. I grabbed my results ticket and we headed home for a long warm bath, a lunch of waffles, and a nap!!
I am thankful for this experience for so many reasons
*It gave me a different perspective on this journey called life - you can't sprint your way to the finish line. You have to be disciplined. Life is crazy, and when all else fails. . .just keep running!!
*I have never seen myself as a runner, but I ran anyway. I don't have any plans to train or run another half marathon. I got pretty bored with running ALL THE TIME. Most runners say they enjoy it, it energizes them, but not me!! And that's ok!!
* I was able somewhat balance my crazy life for a time. I don't like feeling swamped with a crazy schedule. I don't function well with chaos, therefore my family doesn't function well with chaos. I am ready to go back to just exercising, not training!!
*My running gave me lots of time to think, to pray, and to take in the spring that was arriving around me. I loved the quiet and peace.
*I am stronger than I ever thought I was, both physically and mentally. I had asthma as a child, I couldn't even think about running. I was unable to do most physical activities. Training is a mental game, and I played it well, I think.
*My family loves and adores me, they wanted to see me succeed. They took care of our home, meals, babysitting, and whatever I asked them to do, most of the time without complaint!!
Thanks for your encouragement and prayers along the way!!
