Crush mode

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!