I DID IT!

I finished.


It wasn't the prettiest finish ever (my ankles and hips started hurting around mile 9) but I did it. I even have a medal to prove it. I'm fighting the urge to just wear it wherever I go.

My medal :) 

I even had a semi-respectable finishing time of 2:31:52 (that averages out to 11:36/mile, but really when I was running it was closer to 9:29 and then closer to the end I walked on and off for about two miles)


Here's the low-down on my first half-marathon:
Friday afternoon, I drove to Hector's house, left my Jeep there, and we drove his van down to Colfax to stay at Mark & Lori's. Lori, who also ran (and kicked my butt!) knew some other ladies that were going to be in the race, so she invited everyone over for some carb-loading pizza. It was great to meet some more people to have a few friendly faces at the race. 


Rachel, Lori's daughter, was nice enough to give me her room for the night, and I went to bed around ten thirty I think. The furniture in her room used to be mine when I was little, so it was weird to sleep on my old bed.... I had set my alarm for six, but to do the pre-race jitters, I was up a bit before my alarm went off. It would seem I was the only one with this problem since everyone else got up after six thirty. We left by eight to try and get a decent parking spot at the race site, and so that we could register and pick up our stuff before the race started at ten.


On the short drive down to the race site, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, I kept worrying I hadn't brought clothes that would be warm enough for the run. The hills were covered in deep snow and it was COLD outside, but thankfully, once we descended to the river's elevation, it warmed up a lot and there wasn't any snow around. It was actually pretty warm for early March. We got our race shirts, bibs, and a little bit of free stuff they were giving away and bought our pint glasses with the race's logo on it (I use mine for milk, not ale) and I'm glad we picked up our glasses so early because they sold out quickly. I ran in to several people I knew from Winter Warriors and a Sole Sister was even there (but not running. She was there to cheer her husband on and work the massage table afterwards) which was really neat. It was almost time for the race to start.

Me, Lori, & Hector

The view. Basically what the course looked like.

Sorry, I can't flip the picture. Weather clearing up.

Lori, Hector, Kelly, Brenda, Audrey, and me. (I think I got those names right.)

They were running a couple minutes behind on setting things up, but we got started without a hitch. Lori, Hector and I stuck together for a little bit in an effort to try and pace ourselves and not start out too quickly. We saw a dead, bloated elk in the river within our first mile. It was pretty gross, but proved to be a good landmark for me on my way back. The three of us stayed together for about the first mile, and then perhaps stupidly (in hindsight) I started inching forward. I did my first mile in 9:29, which wasn't too bad for pacing my self. I then I got cocky and competitive, and wasn't watching myself. I pulled quite a ways ahead of them, and kept thinking, "I got this! I sooo going to finish before them. I'm so much younger, etc, etc..." Well, right before the turn around around mile six, Lori and Hector come up behind me, say hi, and then pass me. Serves me right. (I'd forgotten to factor in that since their kids are older, they have more time to get out and run, and that they'd been pacing themselves much better...) 


The farthest I'd ever run at once was nine miles before this race. This was mile six, and I was starting to get really tired. Not a good sign. I thought to myself that I'd slow down, walk for a teeny, teeny bit, and then run and catch up with them. (It's happened before.) I did not catch up to them. And, after the turn around, it was very depressing how far ahead you could see. It wasn't like that on the way out. Now, I could see everyone that was ahead of me, and for a couple miles ahead. The scenery was starting to get old. There weren't many landmarks or signs or anything. Just the river, and hills, the road and a railroad track that ran alongside.


By mile nine, my ankles were starting to hurt, and from that point on, what was already a tough race became even harder. It's no fun to see people thirty-forty years older than you, or people that look like they have absolutely no place in a half-marathon passing you. It was a very humbling experience. So much for all my cockiness at the beginning. Mile ten or so, my hip starting hurting and I so badly wanted to quit. Every once in a while, though the road was closed, there would a pickup going from water station to water station refilling supplies, and I so badly wanted to hitch a ride. But I finished. From my estimates, which are very rough, I think all together, I walked somewhere between two-two and a half miles on the way back. 


I'm glad I did it though. It's something I can cross off my bucket list, I accomplished something big before my birthday, and completed one of my new year's resolutions. I also decided that while I think someday I'd like to do another one, I'll probably wait until the kids are a little older and I can train better for it. In the meantime, I have a few more races this spring, a fundraiser run for the local PD, a three mile fun run (for Girl Scout Cookies!) beginning of April, a 60 mile relay mid-April, and Phil and I are thinking about doing a duet-thalon in May.