I ran my first (and not my last!) half-marathon on May 1st! What an amazing experience! I may be remembering it with rose colored glasses, but I loved running the half! It was hard. I had to push myself through the last 3-4 miles. But I did it, and it was amazing!
So I had to be lined up by 6:50, but I didn’t get to cross the start line until 7:33am! I lined up in the 12:00 min. mile groups…behind the 2:45 pacer. That was a little longer than I was hoping to run, but I wanted to give myself some space. I have always said that I like running because it is a solitary sport. I like that I can do it whenever and wherever. But I have to say, as I was standing in line waiting to begin the race, I was lonely. Then about 5 minutes before the run began I ran into some friends, we chatted and then it was time and we were off!
It was AWESOME!
I started running down by the UNL Coliseum, that’s where the start line is, and I wasn’t about to start by walking! I was ready to go, I had been training for this day for months! And my run started out great. In October, I ran my first road race ever, a 5k. We took some of the same path that the 5k took and boy, was it ever different from the half to the 5k. I felt so much better and more prepared for this race. I set a nice easy pace, and off I went. Soon, I was passing people! Me, passing people! What a cool feeling!
There were already people walking only a few miles into the race, but I didn’t need to. And I knew if I walked I wouldn’t want to start running again! So I kept going. I saw my parents with my sign at mile 3, just before the 5k split and first aid station. My mom took some great pics! I got my first drinks, took a gel and kept going. Soon, we were across town and I didn’t even feel it! I kept looking around thinking how far I had come since I had lost the weight. What a great feeling.
I got to mile 9 without stopping running. But this is where The HILL is. Its pretty much the only hill on an otherwise pretty flat course. So I ran up the hill, and then my heart was racing too fast, so I walked for a bit, then took off running again. Those last 4 miles, my knee was hurting and I was having trouble with a stitch in my side, so I kept having to run/walk. However, I was able to run most of the race, only ran about a mile.
My final time was 2:42:57. I beat my pacer, and kept ahead of the 2:40 pacer for a lot of the race! I am officially addicted to running. I am planning on running a 10k next month. And am looking for more runs the rest of the summer. What an awesome experience!
Runnin' Down a Dream 