Last weekend, I completed my first half marathon. I just began running again around Christmas time, so this was a big accomplishment and I am very proud of myself. I was nervous the week leading up to the race, but I knew that I had done my training and was well prepared. The night before the race, we were supposed to drive to Annapolis and stay in a hotel so that I could walk to the start in the morning. Well, Mother Nature didn't like that plan much. There were heavy thunderstorms, tornado watches, and inches of rain falling as the time to depart neared. We decided to stay home instead, and drive to Annapolis early in the morning instead. Thankfully, the hotel let us cancel our room at no charge (we will most definitely stay there in the future, because of how nice they were when I called). The plus side was that I got to sleep in my own bed, and we saved the cost of a hotel and boarding for Callie.
The minus side was that I had to get up at 4:30 AM, and then the entire family had to be in the car and on our way around 5:15 AM. Yes, it was an early wake up call. We got to Annapolis fairly quick and then waited a while to park. After parking and waiting on a 20 minute line for the pottys, I made it to start line with 3 minutes to spare! No time for nerves, because it was time to run. I started with the 2:10 pacer, because I consistently run 10 minute miles in training. In hindsight, I could have started with the 2:00 pacer, because I think I could have pushed it more. But when I started I knew I had 13 miles to go, and the last thing I wanted was to fade. I felt great, I had no cramping or aches...just a great run. There is something so fun about running in a group, and this race was mostly women so it was even more fun. I didn't even listen to music the first 4 miles, just enjoyed running through downtown Annapolis, the sights, the scenery, and the group running dynamic. I drank Cytomax and water at each aid station, and had a Gu Energy Gel at around 4.5 miles. I also had another Gu at 9 miles but I don't think that one helped that much. It also gave me a bit of heartburn (apparently I don't like the Vanilla flavor). I'd say the last mile or 1.5 miles was my hardest. I was just tired, and felt like I was fading. Thankfully, I saw James and the kids a couple of times in that stretch and Quinn even ran with me for a bit to help push me long. I didn't lose any ground on my very consistent pacing, finishing just a shade under 2 hours, 10 minutes.
I was very tired that afternoon and evening, and my toes were very banged up. It's taken me over a week to recover. I have to stay patient with myself, but it's tough. Running seems to be in my blood now and it's hard not to run. I really enjoyed the half marathon, I like the distance and I know that I will do more. My goal is to finish under 2 hours. First though, I have to concentrate on the next step in the ultimate goal of 2012, to run a marathon. I am only halfway there, but I still have over 20 weeks until the marathon. I feel confident that I can do it...I've shown myself that I can stick to the training. I'm taking a little breather through June and July, but then I will step back up to a more formal training program and be on my way to 26.2!
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