The First Half

I have officially earned my 13.1 sticker that resides in the back window of my car.  Though it wasn't exactly pretty I ran for 13.1 miles on Sunday morning.  2 hours and 16 minutes after I started it was over.

We could not have had better weather for it, it was cloudy and even though it was a little windy, especially when we ran over the river, the temperature was great.  I didn't even have to wear a jacket, just my short sleeve pink (of course) shirt.  I was feeling pretty nervous as Josh drove me to Veteran's part at 6:45, but once I got there I felt much better.  Choon, Kim, Bob and I were all assigned to corral C for our start, so we got to wait for our start 10 minutes after the first gun, and being among all the other runners really calmed my nerves.

It was pretty crowded at the start, with 9,000+ runners registered to race it was to be expected.  My goal was to finish under 2:20, and I just wanted to run my own race.  Bob didn't stay with Kim and I for long, and Kim and I stuck together for about 8 miles, except for when she took off for a potty break and then caught back up with me.  After about 5 miles my hips started killing me, and I had a hard time working through the pain for the remainder of the race.  I remember running over the river the first time, but I cannot for the life of me remember when we crossed back over.

At one point the marathon runners had an out and back off the course for the half and I saw a sign that said 10 miles and then one that said 16 miles and had a partial freak out for the next two miles thinking I'd gone the wrong way.  Apparently I passed Bob in the last two miles, but I didn't see him, it all seems like a blur.  Near the end I did feel like my legs were going to give out on me and that last small hill up to the finish line about killed me.  But aside from walking into the four water stops I took I ran the whole time, and I finished it.

Here's a picture of Kim and I after we finished.  Even though my hips hurt, and my feet have blisters, and it was a long walk back to the car that smile stayed on my face most of the day.  I am so glad I did it, and so glad that I got to run with a great group of people that helped me every step of the way.

So now I only have to decide what is next.  After this I feel like I can accomplish almost anything.  I'm taking a few days off and then I plan to be back at it, pounding the pavement in preparation for where ever the road takes me next.