My journey of 15 months has been an adventure - from doing no activity to running a half marathon. I never would have dreamed of it, when I started my running journey again. I started my half marathon training around February. I had two weeks off due to back problems, but I was able to pull through it and move along.
As the race week approached, I was dealing with a lot of outside stress, and I wasn't sure how rested I would be for the race. My training worked, and I completed my first half marathon. It was a bumpy start that day. A bad thunderstorm rolled in, and I thought for sure we would be delayed a lot or reschedule. We were bused to the start, and they allowed us to stay on the buses until the weather let up. The race was only delayed by 15 minutes, and we were off. It was such a powerful experience.
I thought I would post a list of 10 thoughts about training and the half marathon race.
1. Thanks to my brother for mentioning to me the last time we went to visit, "Have you every thought of doing a half marathon?" I had the thought of it before, but no one really confirmed for me that they thought I could do it.
2. Training takes a lot of time! A shout out to my husband for holding down the fort, when I went for my runs. :-) He never complained once about me going for a run, and he always was the one to push me out the door when I was dragging my feet.
3. Running is a stress relief. I find that it is just as beneficial for physical health, as it is for mental/emotional health. I did a lot of self-talk in my head on my runs.
4. I learned how to run without headphones. At first I found it super challenging. Now I never run with them. It allows me to clear my mind. 13 miles gives a lot of time for thoughts. 😊
5. Thanks goes out to all my running friends! They were motivators! On those days that I didn't want to get out of bed or those late nights, their encouraging words got me through those workouts.
6. Trust your training! I only ran 3 days during the week, and one long run on the weekends. I did some weights (but not a lot due to my back issues) and some cross training. I think hill work helped as well.
7. Running with a lot of people is a huge motivator. It kept me going as I focused on the runners in front of me.
8. Thank you, thank you to the water/drink stops along the way. They were all along the course cheering you on and offering fluid. I was so thankful every time I arrived at one. The signs were a lot of fun to read. One of my favorites at 1.5 miles in, "If you pass out, I will pause your Garmin!"
9. The last 2.5 miles for me was rough! I imagine it was due to my first race and figuring it all out. I set a goal for myself to break two hours (I knew I shouldn't have done that for my first race), but it pushed me. My 10th mile I felt like a turtle moving.
10. The last mile felt robotic. It is super hard to explain. In my head I kept thinking, "Are my legs really rotating like I'm running?" When I crossed the line, all I could say was: thank goodness that is over. This may have been one and done for me. ha! Now, I am considering running it again next year.
I've taken some rest this week. My plan is to improve on my 5k time this summer and possibly do a 10k. I want to go run just for fun for a bit! Now off to sign up for some 5ks. :D
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