Unsure to empowered

WOOHOO!!!I did it!! One half marathon after not running for two weeks due to an injury, done. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the support and kind words. I took to heart what you said, gave it my best, and it all turned out great.

Michael and I woke up super early (so early, the people partying from the night before were still going strong) to get on the road.  The race was 3 hours away, so I was sure to bring every thing I might need.Tiger Tail, PowerAde, face wash, Ibuprofen, change of clothes, iPod, Garmin, and loads of snacks.  I ended only eating a few bagel thins from my stash before snagging some goods at the race beforehand.

Unfortunately, we forgot to account for the hour time change between Auburn and Georgia(whoops) and got there just in time rather than early like planned.  Pretty soon, we were lining up to start.I wasn’t really nervous or anything waiting for the gun shot to start the race.  At that point, I wasn’t even sure I would be able to run a mile…so there wasn’t much pressure.

Annnd we’re off!  Moment of truth…And the verdict was: No pain!! I couldn’t believe it. Not a bit of pain the entire 13.1 miles. I was so happy I could cry. (And almost did.)The run was incredible, too.  One thing that I really appreciated was the fact there were very few hills.  There were steep hills near the route but the route itself avoided them.  The coordinators deserve a bear hug for that one.Not to mention the scenery was gorgeous.  The town was pretty small, mainly consisting of old-timey buildings and beautiful neighborhoods filled with plantation style homes. The run flew by.  Perfect weather, perfect scenery, perfect atmosphere.  Heck, I was just happy to be running again!! That’s all my legs wanted to do.

I did take a few walking breaks, though. Even though my hip didn’t feel it, my legs were not used to it and my left quadricep cramped later in the race.  It wasn’t serious- a few walking breaks and a quick stretch was all it took to keep me going.

I wasn’t tracking my pace during the run..but turns out I averaged the usual pace anyway!Official time was 2:01 (forgot to stop the Garmin) for a 9:23 min/mile average. Here are the splits:

• 1- 8:20
• 2- 8:33
• 3- 9:02
• 4- 9:00
• 5- 9:15
• 6- 10:11
• 7- 9:35
• 8- 10:11
• 9- 9:33
• 10- 10:20
• 11- 11:09
• 12- 10:33
• 13.1- 9:48

Miles 10-12 were when the quadricep started cramping.  Fortunately, the last few miles always seem to go by the fastest and, pretty soon, I saw this glorious sight in the distance…Followed by something better: the finish line!!! Every runner deserves a red carpet. Woohoo!!I ran straight from the carpet to the grass. Oh, sweet yoga.Of course, we couldn’t leave without hitting up the food table.They even had no-bake cookies. It was awesome.

Being that the race was so far away, it made for a very long day through the driving alone  Michael was sweet enough to do all the driving, but I’m still completely worn out. Even so, I wouldn’t trade this day in for anything.

I went to the race feeling unsure and left feeling empowered.Nothing can replace that.

Taking the two weeks off from training really sucked..but you know, if it weren’t for being a little lazy, I probably wouldn’t have been able to run the half.  Rest pays off!

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

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Tagged as: Dalton half marathon, Garmin, injuries, RCM training, running, stretching