It's
the day after my first half marathon and I still feel great! A little
soreness in my legs, but nothing I can't handle after running 13.1
miles.
It's
kind of surreal now. It's over. All the training, all the sweat, the
tired muscles, the long runs. Was it worth it? Yes. Will I do it
again? Yes.
My
running journey started less than a year ago. It is amazing what you
can accomplish with hard work, determination and a great support
system. I have the two best running buddies a girl could ask for.
Jennie and Ashley were there all the way to the end. Jennie is a
runner, she's ran marathons, half marathons and is working on beating
her PR for the 5k, under 24 minutes! Ashley is a cheerleader, she
tells you, “You can do it!”, and you believe her! Jennie was our
training coach as she wasn't running Rock the Parkway half marathon,
and as long as we followed the 11-week training plan we would finish.
I became a runner during this time. I got in my miles each week and
my weekend plans revolved around the long runs. To complement my
running, I was doing yoga 5-6 times a week and I know that played a
huge role in being injury free and staying strong. I was also eating
healthy, drinking water and I happened to do a cleanse during my
training (not really part of the plan).
The
long runs were the toughest. You want me to run 8 miles? 10? Are you
crazy? Up to that point I had only ran a 10k (6.2 miles). You build
up to it, you keep going one more mile than you did before and each
one is a right of passage. We ran outside and I loved it! We ran in
the cold, rain and I didn't think twice. This is how you do it. This
is how you train. Treadmills were not part of the plan. Now I wasn't
perfect. I might have skipped a couple runs, ran on the treadmill
when it was freezing, ate a cupcake, but you do your best. It's not
about being perfect, no one is perfect. It's about setting a goal and
working your ass off to achieve it. I never once thought of quitting.
We
did have some fun along the way and that's what it's really all
about. Running was our time to talk, laugh, de-stress from work (we
all work at the same advertising agency). I looked forward to running
with these girls and hearing what was going on in their lives and
motivating and supporting each other. I was so happy on race day that
Ashley and I ran together the first six miles and Jennie volunteered
at mile three and ten water stations. I could not have done this
without them.
There are two long runs I'll never forget.
Eight
miles was tough for me and it was after a big snowstorm so we had to
find a strip of street that had been plowed to run on. I had a little
surge of energy at the end as I just wanted to be done. I was hurting
and you know what you do with tired, sore muscles you ice them. We
had a blanket of snow right in front of us so we jumped right in. Ahh
that was the best feeling!
Ten
miles was also a milestone for me. I felt great the whole way, partly
because to keep my mind off running it was pouring down rain. About
halfway through the run it started to rain. Now a little rain is not
bad, it feels nice. However it started to rain more and more and
eventually it was pouring. We were jumping puddles, sliding in mud,
cold. At one point there was so much water, we just stopped as we
didn't know where to go. We were almost done when I realized we had
to go up a hill to finish. I told Jennie “I can't do the hill”
and she said “You have to.” Those three words pushed me to the
end and 30 minutes in the steam room did us a world of good.
Now
to race day. I felt good, a little nervous. The best part was
everyone who reached out to me on Facebook and text messages wishing me good
luck and offering words of encouragement. My mom even drove up to
cheer me on. I did everything I could to prepare for this day and I
was ready. I lined up with my pace group and I knew I had this; I
just had to run a smart race. Not start off too fast and finish
strong, which is exactly what I did in two hours, seven minutes and
36 seconds. Goal crushed!
