Today I ran a 1/2 Marathon...13.1 miles....a really flippin' long way...and I lived to tell about it! (The title was funnier before a guy collapsed at the finish line, flat lined, and was revived.) But anyway...yep, I can hardly believe I did it.
After I ran the 5K in December, I was thinking that I needed another race to train for...something longer. Naturally I looked for a 10K event. I didn't find any that were in the near future, so I Googled (I kid you not) "Flat Half Marathon WA" and the Lake Sammamish Half popped up...promising to be flat, fast, and fun. Perfect, because I hate running hills...well I hate running up-hill, down-hill is okay. Before I knew it, there were 5 of us signed up.
We started training, and I distinctly remember thinking after our first long run of 6 miles, that it was fun, but I was NEVER going to be able to more than double that distance. You have to keep in mind that at the beginning of November I couldn't run a 1/4 mile without walking...no joke. But, we kept after it. I suffered from bad shin splints, and in the course of trying to cure those I injured my IT Band...I didn't even know I had an IT band. I couldn't walk up or down stairs for weeks. But, I'm seriously stubborn and kept running. A friend, and amazing sport medicine doctor (Mark Mariani) treated me, and referred me for PT. That gal worked some magic and I was injury free by race day!
So, today I got out there and got the job done. My overall time was 2 hours 15 minutes (by my records...the official results aren't posted yet), and my overall pace was about 10:27 per mile. I ran every step of that race, and I'm proud of what I accomplished.
And, because I can't keep my opinions to myself, here are my race observations. Some people run a few "warm up" miles. I think that's dumb. Don't they know that it makes it so that they have to run 16 miles instead of 13...who does that? I learned a lot about these kinds of races. I think one of the best things is that you get to litter...a lot! I had a "throw away" jacket and gloves...and yep, I just threw them on the ground around mile 2. Then at every aid station they give you water and goo or whatever...you drink, eat, etc and then you just toss that garbage on the ground. I'm sure someone picks it up, but it makes you feel so rebellious! My kids would have been appalled!
So today, I started my day with a
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| Headed to the finish line! |
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| My biggest fans! I couldn't have done it without their support. |
