The half marathon that has been the dangling carrot I've been chasing for the past 2.5 months is now a page in my history book...
and I am proud of myself :)
The weather was perfect...just after a good, soaking rain (puddles!!!)...cool, cloudy, and breezy...
Thank you, God :)
The atmosphere was electric...loud music playing...people shouting directions over loud speakers...anxious runners warming up (or bouncing in the long lines to the porta-potties)...elite runners sizing each other up...friends helping each other pin on their race bibs...and people giving me the familiar "is that weirdo REALLY running with no shoes on?!?!" look.
The course was hilly, hilly, and more hilly. Some of those hills were asphalt, some were gravel, some were mud...no matter the terrain, they all sucked. Some of them I could put my head down and shuffle up. Some I had to walk. But...regardless of the size or the distance, I kept moving in a forward direction as swiftly as my stumps and my heart would allow.
In all honesty, I felt pretty amazing throughout most of the race! My first couple miles were a little faster than I wanted (roughly 10 minute miles...I was shooting for 12's)...but it all evened out in the end. My pace was quite comfortable for the first 3 miles and I knew that I would be happy that they were a bit faster when the hills started getting the best of me later in the course. I went in with the plan that I would allow myself to walk when I needed a break, especially in a few spots where the hills were long and gradual...and butt kicking. I planned that it would be on those hills that I would eat a GU, get a drink, put on or switch footwear if needed, etc.
The final 1.1 miles of the race were...in a word...excruciating. That was the LONGEST mile I have ever shuffled!! At the 12 mile marker my ankle started hurting. I had injured it a while back (pulled something...) and it has been a bit sore here and there ever since. At that mile, I felt the pain again...and it was beginning to sharpen. 'Please, God' I thought...'just get me through one more mile on this ankle...then I can be injured!'. As much as my body hated to keep shuffling, my ankle felt better when I shuffled than when I walked.
As I neared the final .2 miles of the course, I could hear the crowd cheering on the runners at the finish line...there's nothing that gets my stumps pumping like the sound of cowbells and cheering...and the face of my wonderful husband coming back from finishing his race to see me through to the finish line :)
At mile 13 there was a race clock. I was afraid to look....
Aaron and I have run this race 3 times previously. Never before had I been in worse shape before starting to prepare for this race...and never before had I prepared more. My best time for this race was 2 hours 41 minutes...my worst time was 3 hours and 3 minutes.
My hope for this year was to come in under 2 hours 45 minutes....
I looked up at the clock. I saw "2"....
'Ok...good!' I thought...'at least I am under 3 hours!'
The next number was a "3"...and a very large, goofy smile spread across my face....the next was a "6".
I shouted to my husband as he approached me..."Do you see my time?!?!"
He smiled back at me..."Yes! Go! You got this!"
"I cant go any faster! .... Did you see my time?!?!" I repeated excitedly.
It took me roughly 2 minutes to shuffle that last .1 mile....that's pretty darn slow...but I was OK with that. I finished in 2 hours and 38 minutes (and some odd seconds)....a personal best :) .
Good stuff:)
Here are a few things I learned yesterday:
1. I'd rather be first in the porta-potty line and last in the race than first in the race and last for the porta-potty.
2. I poop more right before a race than I do all week.
3. Elite runners can get away with wearing their underwear for a race...no seriously...JUST their underwear...perhaps I'd run a bit faster if I tried that....or catch my inner thighs on fire...
4. Oranges slices at mile 10 are magical and capable of giving you super-human powers...
5. One cannot run with an orange slice wedged against their teeth to pose for a "orange-toothed smiley face" picture for a blog while panting. It just doesn't work. Trust me. Don't try it. Humans are not capable of panting through their nose...
6. Butt cracks chafe....why does no one talk about this?
7. Oxygen deprivation mixed with dehydration and exhaustion at mile 11 feels a little like having too many glasses of wine...good thing there wasn't a karaoke machine or a Just Dance Wii game there .... I would have had to bring the party....
8. Cowbells. are. awesome.
9. Race volunteers are angels...runners can be a seriously messy lot!
10. "Runner's high" makes you believe you are capable of accomplishing impossible feats...like running a full marathon...or being the first person to run barefoot on the moon...
Here's to accomplishing impossible feats!!! :)
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