On Saturday I finished my very first half-marathon in 1 hour and 49 minutes. I ran under clear blue skies, in what was eventually a gorgeous afternoon with a high around 45 degrees.
My friend, LB, and I arrived a little too early to pick up our race packets, and proceeded to freeze in the unexpected chilly morning temps. We went against our better judgment and assumed that we'd be warm while running, and the cold 35 degrees wouldn't bother us one bit. Ehhhh. We were wrong. I wore the stretch pants that I've been training in, which was smart. But I paired it with a cute sports top I bought from Target on Friday, which was sleeveless. Not smart. I had a sweatshirt on (that I put in my bag before we started—there's no way I could've run in it), so I had no other option but to hope that my arms didn't fall off. Luckily LB saved the day and gave me her gloves because she had sleeves to hide her hands in.
As we lined up to start the race, I went to get my iPod ready. Turns out it was cold too. The touch pad was hardly working, and I couldn't get it to "select" or "scroll down." Ahh! After trying to warm it up and messing with it for about five minutes, I finally got it onto my “exercise” playlist and prayed it would stay there, which it did.
Race officials warned us that within the first half mile there was a big hill; don’t start off too strong and save some energy. As we started up the incline I could feel my left sock slowly coming off with each step. Awesome. I stepped off to the side to quickly pull it up, and within two seconds it was off again. All right, sock, I'm not looking to play games here. You want to be difficult and hang out just off the heel? Fine. And that's where it stayed the entire race.
So with the iPod being moody and the sock deciding on a different position for the day, I'm off to a great start right?
I found my pace, and after about four miles I looked around and realized that these are the people who will be running the rest of the race with me. I'll pass them a few times, and they'll step up and pass me every now and then. But we're all on the same page, and running in step with each other. One girl, wearing light pink pants with a black long-sleeved shirt, had a loose pony-tail that drove me crazy. I hate when my hair moves more than I do. She seemed okay with it. One guy, who looked about 55, had on a thick grey shirt and black sweatpants. He was barely picking up his feet between each step, which made it appear that he was running much slower than he really was. This made me think I should be moving faster than he was, and sometimes that was the case. But he always came back to join me. One lady was breathing so hard that I could tell when she was close to me because her exhale was louder than JT in my headphones. Another lady raised her hands to the sky every so often. Apparently gospel music helps her keep on keepin' on.
When I saw the 10-mile marker, I felt elated. My pace went up a notch because I was thinking, “All I have left is a 5K….easy!” I wasn’t tired yet, and I still had three miles in me, no problem. I already knew what lay ahead, because we had passed through the finish line at the end of the first loop. I had a few small hills, twists and turns, and a speed bump to conquer before it was over.
My music finally died at mile 12, unexpectedly, in the middle of the song I had been waiting for. I was left to my own thoughts for the last 1.1 miles….
How did 12 miles go by that fast?? How did the last four years go by even faster? When you realize you’re (only!?) halfway through, you feel exhausted. It’s the same old routine: classes, papers, exams, breaks, and then starting all over again knowing what’s ahead. When I started the second loop of the [half-marathon] trail, I knew what to anticipate. I knew where the hills would be, and I knew where it would be flat and smooth. But when you come around the last corner, you have no idea what you’re in for. All of the training that you’ve done in the last four weeks, or learning for the past four years, comes together. You know there’s one mile left—or one semester—and it’s nothing like what you expect. Instead of being bored and tired, you’re excited and pushing yourself to finish. You know that when you finally cross the finish line, the feeling of accomplishment you’ll get makes everything worth it.
The night before, I set a goal for completing the race in less than two hours, figuring that was reasonable. I sped up around the last corner and I saw the end. As I got closer the timer came into focus, and it read “1:48:40.” I did it!! I felt the adrenaline and sped up.
Sometimes in the rush of all the school stuff, and the going out, and the studying, and the activities, you forget to do things for yourself. I did this for Me.
A minute later I crossed the finish line, and I’ve never felt better!
Posted by Claudia Allen at 04/01/2008 12:16:19 PM