Zach comes from a long line of runners. His Aunt Dawn is a personal trainer who has ran numerous marathons and 1/2 marathons. His brother as well as several cousins compete in marathons, triathlons and extreme relay races. I, on the other hand, was a sprinter in high school so the mere thought of running more than 400 yards sounds grueling and unthinkable. However, for some unknown reason, I got the itch to run a 1/2 marathon, which is 13.1 miles. So I started training in January. Countless hours on the treadmill (it was a cold, snowy winter here in SD), a carb loaded diet, and no alcohol quickly became my routine. Um...not quite. I wasn't your typical trainee. Yes, I did run faithfully but I lacked the discipline of eating right and not having the occasional beverage.
June rolled around and race day was finally here. Time to see if my hardwork had paid off so that I could finish the Deadwood Mickelson 1/2 Marathon alive. Zach's mom, Marla, and his Aunt Dawn were also running the 1/2 and Aaron, his brother, and friend James ran the full. It was runner's dream weather with tempatures in the 50's and no wind.
Catastrophe struck that morning and my MP3 Player would not work. How was I ever going to run 13 miles with no music to keep me distracted??? I pushed the buttons frantically, tried turning it off and on a thousand times, prayed to God to let it work but nothing. After I got over being a baby about it, I vowed to not let it interfere with my race. And it didn't I was easily distracted by the other runners and the gorgeous scenery.
Here we are at the starting point. Luckily, this photo does not portray the fear inside me. As thousands of runners lined up, we quickly tried to make our way to the front. The gun sounded and we were off!
At mile 4 I already had to go the bathroom. Now I'm a ranch girl and have no problem going in the wilderness. However, with hundreds of strangers running by at all times, it wasn't that easy. So I forged on and tried to keep my mind off it.
When I turned the bend and saw Lindsey, Larissa, and Randen at the first major "cheering station," I got an instant surge of energy. It was like a Hammer Gel pack but better.
By mile 8, I was really cussing myself for drinking those two Powerades before the race and was looking for every opportunity to slip off behind a tree. I finally found a secluded spot and quickly did my thing, getting back on the trail before too many people went by.
At this point, about mile 11, it felt like I was sprinting but when I looked down at my legs they were barely moving. I was wondering how I ever could finish. But I pushed on, telling myself I would never be this young again or feel this good. In the last 1/2 mile I saw Zach and Greg. They were whooping and hollering and it was just enough inspiration to get me to the finish line.
I've never experienced child birth but but many mothers say that you forget about all the pain once you get to hold the baby in your arms. Same goes for running 13.1 miles. Once I finished the race and all the "congratulations" and pats on the back began, I quickly forgot about all the pain, blood, sweat, and tears. (Okay, there were no blood or tears). I was happy with my time of 2 hours and 1 minute. I'm shooting for under two next time! Yes...there will be a next time!
Relaxing with my biggest fan
Many people have asked me if I would consider doing a full marathon but I don't think I'm that crazy!
1 comment:
We are so PROUD of you! I am so impressed with how well you did and how well you looked after the race! You didn't even throw your gatorade or pasta up!
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