So I have been wanting to run a half since I was 20 years old. I have started "training" over and over again, only to injure my back (while I was in London, wearing super old shoes...not a good idea) or do something like getting pregnant (hello Sabrina!). It was definitely a relief to finally get this done!
I started training for this particular half marathon in September. My sis-in-law Kim and I originally planned on running this race in Corpus Christi in December, and the date of the race was changed to January 4th. I'm actually glad it got moved because it gave me some wiggle room with training. Some weeks I couldn't train because I was traveling with Kirk, and others I just got sick and didn't want to push myself.
This past week I wanted to make sure to take it easy. I only ran on Tuesday and Thursday, for 30 minutes each day. I had made it to 10 miles a few weeks before and my brother-in-law (who has done other long races) suggested not doing a long run a week before the race, because you didn't want to risk getting injured.
I also made sure to carbo load this past week. That was the fun part. :) It helped that I'd had a nasty virus the week before and a little of this week so I was definitely craving some yummy processed goodness.
For fueling before the race, Kim and I decided to wake up at 3 am to fuel up on rolled oats, Greek yogurt, chia seeds, milk and fruit. The race was at 7 am and she had found in her research that you should eat a good meal 4 hours before. I had a hard time getting back to sleep but eventually I did. I was just so excited/nervous!
Right before the race I popped about half of a pack of these bad boys:
Excuse to eat some candy? Don't mind if I do! I was incredulous about these actually working, but I popped some during the race too and I definitely noticed a little boost of energy. I mean, they are basically a bunch of sugar and electrolytes. Not needed for every day eating, but great for when you're pushing your body.
Most of the race I felt like time passed by pretty fast. Kim and I chatted sometimes, and I'd done up to 10 miles before so I knew what to expect up until then. But oh.my.goodness. That last 3 miles was killer!
A little after we hit mile 10 I turned to Kim and said "We must have done another mile by now!" She looked at her phone (that was tracking our mileage on mapmyrun) and said "Nope! We are now at 10.3 miles"
What!!??
Yeah. Last few miles were killer and my knees hurt and my back hurt and my feet were burning. But I'd remembered hearing that if you picture pain in your body as a color, it helps you compartmentalize it better. I kept picturing my feet as bright hot red, and kind of made a game of it...the ground was burning them so I just had to keep moving. Sounds silly, I know, but it really helped that last bit.
It also helped to have a little cheering squad. Our hubbies and our kids would drive up to a spot in the race and yell "Go Hill Mama's!!" Super cute and super motivational.
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| We did it!! |
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So much fun. Ready to start training for a marathon. :D
