Pounding Pavement

It's official! I can now say that I have run a Half Marathon. This past Sunday, May 25th, I ran 13.1 miles!

My goal had been to be under 2 hours. I had done 13.0 the weekend before in 1:46:31. I was pretty happy with that yet was aiming to at least hit 1:50:00 for time. I finished my half in 1:44:28 (by my watch)!

It was an amazing day. Everything from the weather, to the people, how I was feeling, it all aligned and I had an awesome race!

I was inspired continuously on my run. It was the runner next to me who was 70 trucking along. It was the runner who was running in memory of their loved one. The runner who was part of a team that raised money to bring awareness of an illness. It was every runner out there, everyone who was running for whatever their race meant to them.

I was inspired by the volunteers. The workers, security, and entertainment for this event. Without them none of it could happen. It takes an army of people to make an event like this be as electrifying as it always is!

I was inspired by the community. Those people in the neighborhoods we ran in, that stood there cheering us on. The ones that had hoses spraying to help keep us cool. The ones that handed out food and water because they wanted to and chose to be a part of this day. The sense of togetherness and support was over whelming at times. It was in these moments I found myself running with tears in my eyes and feeling over joyed by what I was a part of.

I loved my run. It was exhilarating. Empowering! I vowed to have fun and I did just that. I trained well and was ready, but of coarse there were hard moments too. It was a warm day, the rays of the long awaited sun (You know, that yellow ball of fire in the sky) pounding down on me. I am not use to running in the sun just yet. You have to remember winter didn't end that long ago and though I hate winter I grew accustomed to it's temps when running. The moments when it was hard, and a mile felt like 3, I just remembered my prize at the end of the race: my children. Really! That is what helped to fuel me. Running is my time, my therapy, my sacred place. But those two boys of mine, they are my life. At the end of any day, any race, it is their faces that I want to see. (Funny fact: BOTH boys were dead asleep when I was done! Go figure!)

So now that it is over what's next? No marathon for this chick! That's a big fat NO! Another Half? Most likely. I am already wanting to find another to do by the end of the summer. I will continue to run my 3-4 days a week as I did before training. I may have met my goal, yet I am a work in progress. Physically and mentally, there is always work to be done. Pounding pavement is a big part of me now.

There is a reason my moto is : Always believe you can. Completing my first Half Marathon proves this. Who would have thought?! Remember, if there is something you are passionate about, go for it! Don't ever wait for things to happen, make it happen! It's amazing what can be around the corner when you choose to go just a little further than you thought you could.