Monday, May 9, 2011

It was definitely a day of surprises... both the good and the not so good...

Me, wearing my new bling
Well, I did it! I finished my first half marathon. It wasn't pretty... but it's over and done now and I can say I officially completed it!

First the not so good: I ended up with severe digestive issues about halfway through the run (aka Montezuma's Revenge) and had to make a couple of pit stops at the porta-potties in order to avoid having to go behind what few bushes there were. Not only did this mess up my time, but by the 2nd lap of the route I was feeling really crummy. I didn't feel ill, just super, super depleted of energy & stamina by this point. I ended up walking a huge chunk of the 2nd lap which was disappointing since Heather and I have been training at 12 miles for weeks, so I really shouldn't have struggled like I did. My overall time was not pretty: 3:03:27. My outside goal had been under three hours, which we weren't too far off of, but really I was hoping for something closer to 2:45:00. Well, like Heather said, this can only make my time for the Oct half look that much better.

Now, for the better: There was so much to be happy about despite my disappointing finish time.
  1. Of course, the main thing... I FINISHED. After all, that was the primary goal of the day, wasn't it? 
  2. Next, my dear, sweet, patient sister in law ran the entire thing with me... crummy pace and all. Heather stuck by my side and supported me and encouraged me throughout. We crossed the finish line together. 
  3. We were so happy about the weather... it had been predicted to be rainy all week and come race time, despite some pretty big ugly clouds floating around, it was actually dry throughout almost the entire race. We were sprinkled on for just a couple of minutes about mile 11, but that was it. In fact, it was so nice out that I actually got just a little bit of sunburn on my face.
  4. I had honestly been a little apprehensive about the route. I wasn't thrilled about the fact that it was a loop that we had to run... twice... but even more than that, I used to live out near the race route and wasn't sure of how much farmland vs business park we would get... and running through a bunch of business parks for the Hippie Chick run just seemed wrong. I am glad to report that I was unwarranted in my fears. The route was only a couple of miles in the business park district and then the rest of it was throughout very nice rural areas. The elevation changes were slight and gradual and the views were really nice.
  5. Mimosas! We were treated to mimosas after the race... alas, they were way too small and I think Heather & I both downed them in less than 30 seconds... we could have each drank about 5 a piece, they were so yummy... and they really hit the spot after the run. 
  6.  My family was awesome! We had been planning a cookout at my brother & Heather's place all week. Heather spent all of Thursday cooking like a crazy person (she's the cook, not me), so my DH and I provided the steaks (Gartner's flatiron - yum!) and the wine. Mom showed up with balloons for both Heather and me as well as coffee gift cards.
  7. Then, unbeknownst to me, my mom & Heather had conspired and got me this adorable necklace to commemorate the completion of my first half. It was created by "Gracie & Me" who offer their designs for sale on Etsy. I have seen their items in the past and have loved them, so I was super excited to receive one as a gift. They also, with the help of my niece, gave me flowers for the occasion. I was truly awestruck and humbled by their generosity and their genuine support of me through this whole endeavor.

Actually, maybe the worst part of the day was the fact that I was so keyed up and excited from everything that happened to me yesterday that I had a really hard time falling asleep last night!!! I think I might have had even more adrenaline coursing through my system last night than I did the night before the race.
  















 All in all, I'm happy to report that yesterday is a day that I will look back on with fond memories despite the less than stellar pace. For me, that was just one part of the overall experience of a really special day for me.
Me, looking tired, wearing my new bling part 2

9 comments:

Unknown said...

congrats on your finish!!!!!

Chris said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chris said...

Followed from Heather's blog. Wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS on your very first half!! I ran mine in February and you kicked my butt time-wise! Great job! And how sweet was everyone to you! Love the necklace and the flowers!

Unknown said...

Congrats! Can you believe the weather cooperated? I was so worried about the rain and getting soaked out there.

I agree with you, the mimosas were tiny. I drank mine like it was a shot! The breakfast burritos were surprisingly good, though.

Your necklace is awesome!
Are you doing the Girlfriend's Half in October?

Jo said...

Thanks everyone for the words of support and encouragement! My next half is the Girlfriends' in October... looking forward to improving my time!!!

Katy said...

Congratulations! I've been waiting for this post! I'm in awe of your dedication... wish I could get myself out of bed in the morning to do what you do! It's awesome your progress - 13.1 - way to go girl!!!

thewwchick said...

*~*~*~*~CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!~*~*~*~~*

Unknown said...

Congratulations on completing your first 1/2 Marathon. I wanted to let you know that your blog has inspired me to get back out there and start running again. I used to do 5k's all the time and was working on my times when I hurt my back. I has been a year, but after reading your blog I got the will to go back out there and tackle it again. Right now I am walking the course mainly just to get the feel for it again and hope by the end of the summer to be back running it again. Thank you for the inspiration and I hope you keep up the good work. Congratulations again!

Jo said...

Meg, I'm so happy to hear you're back out and running. I'm flattered and humbled to inspire you and others like you. Keep up the good work yourself and let me know how it goes!