My First 1/2 Marathon Experience- Long!
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This past Sunday I officially completed a two-year old goal to run a half-marathon. It still feels a bit surreal. I would say that I can't believe it, but everytime I try to walk down a flight of stairs I am VERY aware that my muscles put in 13.1 miles. :smile1:
My husband and I both ran the marathon. Although he and I have been training together with a local running group since July his knee has been causing a lot of concern and we weren't sure if he'd be able to follow through with the race. While I'm proud of my accomplishment, I am in awe of him. He put in 13.1 miles on a blown knee. That's strength.
My bestie, Dana, came into town to watch us run (and wrangle our munchkin while we were running). We stayed at the race hotel so that we could sleep a bit later and not be so stressed on race morning. This worked out awesome as Dana and our four-year-old daughter were able to sleep a lot later than if we'd been coming from home. My parents meet up with Dana and the munchkin that morning to form our cheer team. They were AMAZING!
You think that having people cheer for you is nice but not necessary until they are there cheering. Holy smokes- they made such a difference for us. It was so motivating when they were there at miles 7, 11 and the finish. I am so thankful for them.
I finished in 2 hours and 43 minutes which was 2 minutes faster than my goal time. I would've finished almost three minutes quicker than that except that I drank more Water than usual before the race and had to make a potty pit-stop. Very disappointing. After the race, the hotel proved a fantastic choice. We were able to go back, stretch and shower before lunch. Our cheer squad took us to lunch where the soreness and fatigue began to seep in. Naps followed shortly thereafter.
Since early December I've been thinking that I will work towards the goal of a full marathon for next year. On Sunday, at mile 12, I was convinced that people who run full marathons are idiots and no one in their right mind would choose to do that to themselves. I'm happy to report that I'm finally starting to entertain the idea of a full marathon again.
Just so you know, 11 months ago I weighed 316 pounds and was winded walking a flight of stairs. I didn't even attempt running until this past July. I was 245 pounds then and was able to run at a 14 minute pace for barely 7 minutes. I joined a local USA Fit affiliated run club in July and followed their program which required three "homework" runs a week and a "long run" every Saturday morning. I can now run at a 12 minute pace for over three hours with my highest mileage being 14 miles.
I've made some amazing friends and truly found depth within myself that I never imagined existed. I was NEVER an athlete. In fact, my one foray into athlectics in 5th grade playing softball resulted in my being encouraged NOT to sign up again the following fall. I share all of this so that others may realize that this accomplishment is just as much within your grasp as it was mine.
If long distance running is a goal of yours, I will be happy to share any of my experiences. I will say that the nutrition requirements for this type of activity are very different than what we traditionally follow post-VSG. I can share how I've coped.
I am over the moon and looking forward to the next challenge. Setting such an intense physical goal and meeting it has taught me so much about myself. The most important lesson I've learned is that it truly is mind over matter. The body can do anything the mind believes it can.
Now for pics! :smile1:
Amanda