My half marathon experience was many things but a few that it was not:
- fast
- warm
- dry
- pretty
- A huge accomplishment to me. Something I would not have even considered before I had Adelyn.
- A celebration of my due date with Adelyn, support from my husband, and the freedom to move unencumbered.
- A fantastic challenge that gave me the opportunity to do something for me but truly motivated by my family. Without them I would not have thought of it or tried.
- And cold, wet, and tough. :)
My original motivation revolved around the need to lose the baby weight, my astonishment at what running felt like after having a baby, and a real need to feel "normal" again after being entirely focused as a mom for 6 months.
We found our hotel quickly and settled Adelyn for the night. I carefully layed out my clothes for the morning, shoes, running hat, a bottle of water, and the race packet with the all important number, chip, and instructions.
I slept like a rock until 3:50am. My alarm was set for 4:10 and I forced myself to lay there until 4:20am. Since everything was prepared, I slipped into my clothes and grabbed what I needed without Adelyn or Derek stirring at all. By 4:40, I clicked the door shut headed to breakfast.
The breakfast area was surprisingly quiet. Buses were picking up between 4:45 and 5:15. Missing the bus was pretty literal. Without that ride, there was no running. I grabbed a piece of peanut butter toast and a little coffee.
In the lobby I saw another single girl and we jogged through the rain to the bus. I am glad I met her because she had done a number of 1/2's and the Twin Cities Marathon so knew what was going on. Little things like, how to get to the best bathroom line, where to put your sweats bag, and where to line up according to your expected time.
Completely soaked and shivering like mad, we huddled waiting for the race to start. We were reminded, numerous times, to not throw things or urinate in the woods or on people's private property. After a particularly high-pitched rendition of Oh Canada and the National Anthem, the starting gun fired.
Much different than the 5K I was in, the participants in this race were here for a reason and they wasted no time getting to it. My goal was 2:10 and realistic goal was 2:15. 2:30 was the bottom of my time-hope bucket. The farthest pre-race run was a little over 9mi. It is probably no surprise that through mile 9, I felt pretty darn good.
But miles 10-13. Man, those were tough. A lot of mantras, self-encouragement, and even a prayer were uttered on that part of the course. I just wanted that finish line. The temp had dropped, noticeably, and I was ready for that moment of triumph! And although it was tough, it was worth it. When the girl gave me my "finisher" medallion, I loved it!
Here is a link to pictures. They are mainly from the last mile. I was crying at the finish line - just couldn't believe I had made it - so don't make fun of my goofy face.
