I DID IT! I ran 13.1 miles and it felt amazing. This was my first half marathon and a goal of mine for the past 5 years. If you asked me if I'd be able to do it even a year ago I'd probably have said "no way!" I got the itch to run a half five years back. I was at the top of my athletic game in college. I rowed on the crew team and was in the best shape of my life. My dad is a runner so I wanted to surprise him by running a half with him. My training did not go as planned and left me with horrible plantar fasciitis. Apparently rowing in boats does not translate to running :) My left heel was in so much pain I could barely walk. I was convinced I'd never run again.
My foot finally started to feel more like the old me this last January (4 years later!). So without telling anyone I secretly started working out a little bit to test it out. Man is it hard to get back into running when you haven't done it in forever. It was clear I needed some motivation to keep me going. I gifted myself a nike+ ipod system and was really amazed at how easy it was to push myself when I could track the results and join challenges. The only problem was I didn't get a lottery entry into the half marathon. Luckily Amandah was able to help me out with that. The NWM half was on!
I was equal parts excited and nervous going into race day. So nervous I woke up every hour on the hour. I knew I was prepared thanks to the Nike training runs I did every weekend, but that did not shake the jitters. I also had a race plan down to my pre-race breakfast (strawberry poptarts!) and as long as I stuck to it I knew I could make it across the finish line. Getting to the start line by 6AM was not as painful as I thought it would be. Since I was up most of the night, I was rearing to go by the time my alarm went off. And I'm glad I got there with plenty of time to wander around because it was exciting to see all the runners go through their own pre-race routines.
Nike does so much to make this race really special through out the entire experience. I crossed the start line at 11:21 on the start clock to a DJ spinning beats that made you want to sprint on through. The adrenaline was pumping and I managed to stick to my race plan even after unexpected mile 2 and 3. If the gorgeous scenery wasn't enough, every mile along the way brought something cool to keep you from thinking too much. Some of my favorites were the gospel choir, cheerleaders, and signs listing the reasons for running the race. Support along the course from friends and family was so amazing. And I was so proud of myself for running the entire race, even hill 2 and 3 which I had not expected. I was all smiles when I crossed the finish line and collected my Tiffany's finishers medal.
I got a chance to talk with my parents after I stretched out and rehydrated. They were of course happy for me. In the excitement of it all I may have committed to running 2 or 3 more half marathons next year. I start training for my next one in three weeks if anyone is interested ;)
