31AUG14

The half marathon.  It's not my favorite distance (my favorite is a 10k 6.2 miles.) but I do actually love it.  I love training for it and I love that I can now say I have done a COUPLE half marathons.  I will definitely be doing more. 

 

 My training went well.  REALLY well.  My average pace on my long runs was a 10:40 which is almost a minute faster per mile than my first half.  I felt good.  I felt strong.  Unfortuntately, when the race day came it didn't go as well as my training.  I know this is normal but it's my first race that went bad.  At about mile 6 my hip started hurting.  This has happened off and on since I first started running but this was bad.  By mile 8 I had to slow down.  I was worried I wasn't even going to finish.  I had blisters which I hadn't gotten at all during training runs and I can only assume it was because I was running differently to try to make my hip feel better... 

 

 Around mile 8 I had to tell my wonderful running partner, Ashley, to keep going.  I knew I was going to slow her down.  I knew she wasn't going to leave me unless I made her.  (FYI she finished her first half with an incredible time I was super proud/excited for her!)  So the next 5 miles were rough.  I ended up walking a bit, which was one of my biggest things I didn't want to do...  I was happy to run into a couple of friends from Georgia, Violet and Jordan (wish we thought to take a picture together guys!) so I actually ran a little of it with them and that was helpful when I was feeling pretty bad! I will say I my finishing time was 2:31:16 which is only 13 seconds slower than my first so I KNOW I will do better next time.  I am such a stronger runner it was just not a good race for me. 

 

Having said that, I am proud.  Super proud I finished when I was hurting physically and mentally.  Proud I kept training even though Travis was gone (THANK YOU to those who helped babysit and thowe who encouraged me to do it even when I said I wasn't going to!)  And proud that I can now say I have run 2 half marathons with more in my future!

 

 

 

Ashley, me, Brooke and Lindsay (great job to all 3 of these ladies who ran their first half marathons and rocked it out!!) This was before the race and it was still dark so not a great pic...

We are so cute with our medals!

FINISHERS!!! 2014 Hibiscus Half Marathon!