RECAP!!!
After the expo, we headed over to Vapiano's for a hearty pasta meal!! Gimme them carbs!!! I must say, it was my first time eating there and it was DELICIOUS!!!
Chicken alfredo with garlic and onions! Yum!!
After the expo and our carb fest, we headed to Jessica's house to meet up with her and Sasha. We ended up finding our way back out to eat again that night. Bih and I just split an entree to keep it light. I was uber excited so as soon as we got home, I was headed straight to bed! I laid out my race clothes and was ready to hit the sack especially since we were getting up so early in the morning (the race started at 7:30am).
I decided on wearing a running skirt, tank, and a long sleeve top to wear in the beginning of the race since it was soooooo cold that morning! It was in like the 50s!!
We originally planned to leave the house at 6:00am because Bih wanted to get to the race site at 6:30 so we'd be there an hour before it started. We ended up not leaving until 6:30am and as soon as we got on the highway....this happened......
Oh and it continued....the...whole...way...to...the...race!!! Bumper to bumper freakin traffic!!! All I could think was..."this soooooo is not happening right now". Oh but it most certainly did....HAPPEN!!! Turns out that over 4,000 people registered for this race and the lovely race people decided to have it a venue that only had a one way lane going in and out of the venue...thus..the delay! Ugghhh!! I prayed the whole time that we would still be able to run the race. I had worked so hard and to end up not being able to run because of this totally devastated me.
Needless to say, we ended up making it to the race site around 8:50am!!! It took us 2 hours to get there when it should have only taken 30 minutes. Crazy bananas like ish!!! When we arrived at the site, we got out and hustled our buns to the starting line which really wasn't necessary because EVERYBODY was late due to this prior piss poor planning on behalf of the race officials. The race didn't end up starting until 9:00am (an hour and 1/2 after it was officially supposed to start).
When we first got there, we got in line to use the bathroom (us and every other lady out there or so it seemed....lines were ridiculous). Then I hear "last call for half marathon runners to the start line". I was in a slight panic mode because we were behind! We were like the last people to take off and this caused me to be nervous and my mind was just all over the place. I took off running at a really fast speed thinking to myself "slow down....what are you doing!?" But I kept running at that speed and never slowed down! It's true what they say about the adrenaline rush you experience when you run these races. As we were running, I saw a lady who was about my height zip past me. I decided I would keep up with her throughout the race to stay on track. She looked like a serious athlete who would produce good results. I kept up with her for like the first 5 or 6 miles with both of us alternating between getting in front of each other. I then spotted a woman who was clearly a senior citizen who was GETTING IT!!!! She inspired me so much!!! And due to the fact that she was running at a pace that was phenomenal, I decided to use keep up with her too (tall girl left me in her dust around mile 9...ah well...Gramz and I rolled tight). I congratulated the older lady at the end of the race and told her she was truly an inspiration! She turns 60 next month!! That's so awesome!!!
I was feeling really good and everything was going wonderfully despite the fact that the race course was really hard because there were sooooooooooooo many hills!!! And we were running on gravel at some points. We didn't reach a flat stretch until mile 7 through 10. By mile 10...my right hip was cursing me out all kinds of terribly!! I was trying my bets to just keep running, but the pain was unbearable at some moments.
Around mile 11, there was ANOTHER freaking hill! And not only was it a hill, it was a beast of a hill! Super steep and ridiculous! I power walked up it and just did the best I could. Also at mile 11, we were running through a neighborhood and a family was outside giving out cups of beer. I sure did help myself to a cup! I was so over this whole thing by this point in time and my hips were on fire! I grabbed a cup and chugged it down as fast as I could. I got a burst of energy after that for about a tenth of a mile, then it was back to a power walk.
By mile 12, I was relieved to know it was almost over!!! I wanted to run the entire last mile, but I walked a little bit of it. I didn't start pushing through the pain until probably the last half mile. I hobble to the finish line feeling like my hip was going to pop out of the socket. I was in so much pain, but I just kept going. I managed to pose for the camera so I could at least get a good race pic out of the deal! I can't wait to see what they look like.
My friend Sasha captured this pic of me as I approached the finish line
You can see it on my face that the struggle was real!
Waiting at the finish line were some HUNKS handing out the medals! I got my prized possession of a medal and put it on with PRIDE!!! I also then went to the fuel station and grabbed a banana and two chocolate chip cookies (dag they were good). I was sooooo proud of myself after I finished!! It was one of the best feelings in the WORLD!!
Here I am post race! It felt soooo good to be done! I finished in 2 hours, 32 minutes, 07 seconds. I wanted to finish in at least 2:30:00, but hey, for my first time, I'll take it! And with all those crazy hills, I definitely will take it with pride!!
Now I'm off to prepare for the "off-season". This is just me getting stronger as I get ready for my next half marathon that I'm going to run next year. From now until about April, I'll lift and get more power in my legs. I'll focus more on getting stronger and just running a few times a week. By April, it'll be time to start getting serious about training for another late summer/early fall half!!!
Oh and I was super pressed to get this sticker and put it on my car STAT after the race!! It's official...I ran a half marathon and I'm proud!
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