I did it!

So this past Sunday was the big day!  My first half marathon - I still can't believe I ran a half marathon.  That's 13.1 miles.  I finished with a time of 2:56 - which met my goal of under 3 hours.  Just barely, but I still met it.  I really had no idea going into it how long it would take me to finish.  I really just wanted to finish within the time they give you and not have to be carted to the finish line in the "sorry its over and you didn't make it" vehicle.

Up until this point, the most I had ever run was 8.5 miles, so I was a little nervous about 13.1.  I didn't want to have to walk a lot, so I just paced myself and did what I felt like my body could handle.  Mile 11 was a little rough for me, and there was a lot of walking during that mile, but once I got to the end and there are hundreds of people lined up cheering you through the finish line, it kind of doesn't matter how much you hurt at that point, you just want to cry and make it across the line strong.

At least now I know I can do it.  It was hard work, there were points where I wanted to quit, every muscle was hurting by the end, but making it across the finish line was sweet victory.  A friend told me after the race, "No one ever said it was supposed to feel good".  

I feel like training for and running a marathon is a lot like every day life... there are times when it's gonna be hard and it's not gonna feel good, you might want to quit, but if you can just push through those hard points and make it to the "finish line",  it is so worth it.

If you've set a goal, no matter what it is, just stick to it.  It's not gonna be easy, there will be rough spots, injuries and times you want to give up.  But keep going, because it's all worth it!

Stuff

Well, once again time has completely gotten away from me.  My youngest came home sick from school today, so I'm squeezing in a post while she is resting and watching tv.  She's got that glazed over fever look going on.  I feel bad.
Anyway, things are busy as usual, but going great.  My oldest daughter (who is 11) and I ran a 5K this past Saturday.  She kicked my butt - finished in 30:02 and averaged a 10 minute mile.  When we started, she was trying to stay with me, but I could tell she just wanted to run, so I told her to go.  The trail was mapped out, there was no way to get lost.  And she took off and I didn't see her again until it was over.  I, on the other hand averaged 11:33 minutes/mile.  Which is pretty good for me.  Whenever I'm under 12 minutes a mile, I'm pretty happy.  I'm just not a natural runner, it is very hard for me.  She on the other hand, is very natural.  She wants to try out for track next year, and her PE coaches are encouraging that.  College scholarship in her future??  :)
My husband and I are running our first half marathon on March 25th.  I'm starting to get nervous.  Runner friends are telling me to not overthink it and just have fun.  So that's what I intend to do.  I have no expectations for this race, I just have no idea what will happen, how fast I can run, how I'll feel.  My goal for this first race is just to finish, and then I have a benchmark for my next one.  IF there's a next one - maybe in the fall.
Until next time...