My Big Race

The night before the race I thoroughly enjoyed my Olive Garden with Jessica and Meghann.

(We had invited our other race friends but they couldn't make it.)
I did not have to worry about my alarm because I woke up just before 6am. I woke up with Maya standing right next to my bed staring at me. It totally freaked me out. The last time she did that I accidentally kicked her!
For breakfast I had a banana and a piece of whole wheat toast with some water.
I hitched a ride with Laura at 6:45am and I was off for my race.
Here I am with my peeps at the starting line.

I was mostly excited at this point and my nerves were pretty much gone. So no puking....yay!
Here I am running, and I didn't even spit once!

The course was beautiful and the weather was PERFECT! I was feeling pretty good until about mile two. Then the outside of my knee started to hurt. I was so annoyed and kept hoping it would go away. At mile six we were running at 8 min 50 sec pace. I was so excited that I was doing so well. But I was wondering how long I could keep that up with my pain increasing with every rolling hill. By mile nine I had to pull back and my pals had to go on without me. I kept going trying to block out the pain. At mile ten some older lady who was cheering on the side lines yelled "You can do it! Good job!" I seriously started to cry. Just ahead was a water station and I saw Amy so I sped up to catch up with her. The next three miles were SOOOOOO hard. That last mile seemed like it would never end. Then I saw/heard my mom and sister cheering for me right before the finish line. I was so happy to see them and then I heard my name over the loud speaker and I started cheering and clapping for myself....I seriously did see...

Then I crossed the finish line.

I saw my time 2 hours 7 min. I was happy...not thrilled, but happy. Throughout all my training I never thought that I could finish my first half marathon in two hours. But as I was running the race I was actually feeling really good. And if it weren't for my knee pain I could have probably made it in 2 hours. So that was disappointing. But I couldn't be that disappointed when I saw these people waiting for me at the finish line.

And yes those are pom poms.

I couldn't have done this without Amy. She was my training partner...through the wind, the rain, and the snow she was my motivation.

She was also nursing the same injury but on the opposite knee, otherwise she would have smoked me for sure.

(See Cynthia in the background taking pictures. She didn't even get to run the race because she is pregnant. Instead she went along the course on a razor scooter taking pictures of us and cheering us on. Now that is a real friend...thanks Cynthia!)

I still can't believe I ran thirteen miles without stopping. And even more amazing is that I am planning on doing it again next year. I have to see if I can get under that 2 hour mark. I really had a great time. I think it's because I had these friends doing it with me...

And an amazing husband supporting me all the way.

(I couldn't decide which picture I liked better so I used them both.)

And now I am taking a week off from running to give my knee a break. I was pretty sore yesterday but today I am feeling a lot better. I was able to rollerblade with Maya to school but that was about all I could handle.

I will say this about my race. It gave me an even greater appreciation for my body than I had before. I am so grateful to have a healthy body and to have legs that can run. What I asked my body to do was pretty amazing and I will not take my health for granted again. I feel more alive now than I ever have.

As I was trying to block out my pain and find some inspiration, I couldn't help but think of my mother in law. She is battling cancer, a disease that has no mercy. Her body has been put through hell and back just to stay alive. She has always taken care of herself and lived a healthy lifestyle. The fact that her body has beaten this disease three times before is a testimony of how amazing our bodies really are and why we should take care of them while we are young. So I dedicate this race to my mother in law, Kathy. She is an example of what real courage is and what real faith can do.