Well, I did it. I actually RAN a 1/2 Marathon! Yesterday, I participated and completed the Rock & Roll San Jose 1/2 Marathon. It was an amazing experience, and I still can't believe I actually did it!
I had a great running buddy, Kristi, whom I met through the 10-week training at ClubSport. She motivated me and inspired me all throughout the training, and we had lots of laughs and crazy conversations.
15,000 people all running the same race makes for a pretty crazy start, but the race was very well organized. We crossed the start line at about 8:05am, and soon fell into a pretty steady pace. Our goal had been to finish in 2 1/2 hours, so we had a mile-by-mile pacer to help us stay on track. We did pretty good for the first 5 or 6 miles, then after a bathroom break, began to slow down a bit. By mile 9, I was feeling pretty tired and miserable...and still had 4 miles to go! We dragged ourselves along until mile 12, at which point I really wanted to die. Kristi grabbed my hand and pulled me along about 100 yards, reminding me that there was only one mile left to go. How could I quit when I'd come so far???
It was crazy to run with that many people, and it blew my mind to see the winners blowing by us at their 12 mile mark when we were at mile 6. Definitely humbling...
Steve was so supportive, and had Jack & Grant in a double jogging stroller at a few points along the course. It was so great to see them cheering and waving - being a healthy mom for them is my motivation. I couldn't have done the training without Steve - he played Mr. Mom while I was out running over the past 10 weeks.
When we came to the final stretch at the finish line, we tried to pick up the pace and "sprint", if you can really call it that! I ran across the finish line and I don't think I'd ever been so happy to stop running! I got a fun, colorful medal, a pair of cozy sport sandals (boy did it feel good to get those running shoes off!) and some water. I tried eating a bagel, but could barely swallow!
By last night, the exhilaration of finishing had been replaced by sheer pain. Every inch of my legs were throbbing, and I almost couldn't make it up the stairs to bed. During the night, even moving my big toe woke me up. But this morning, once the morning stiffness wore off, I felt pretty darn good. Just enough stiffness to remind me that I used my body yesterday. Amazing how quick recovery can be!
While I don't forsee any more 1/2, let alone full marathons in my near future, I am so glad that I can add this to my life list of accomplishments. And while my finish time of 2 hrs. 41 minutes didn't break any records, in my mind, I ROCKED this race!
1 comment:
That is quite an accomplishment! I'm proud of you! Thanks for sharing your blog site with me. It's nice to be able to keep up on all the happenings with you!
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