First and foremost, running half's are not for the faint of heart. It has taken discipline, organization, and plain old fashioned pig-headedness to get through the training plan. I can't tell you how many times I just wanted to say screw it and flush the plan. Luckily, Ronnie was here to encourage me. Even after he left, we would chat about how my running was going. Which leads me to point two, it does take a team. I had questions, hiccups, and frustrations. It was nice to have another runner in the house and among my friends helping me along the way. My wonderful cousin, Emily, met us in Seattle to watch the girls for me while I ran the race.
Now to answer the why... At Thanksgiving, people asked me Why? when I mentioned to a few people that I was running this race. Well, besides the whole I'm a runner thing... Running is the cheapest form of therapy. I can't tell you how many runs I was on when my brain was processing things... husband deploying sorts of things... and I would choke back tears. Sometimes, I would have to stop and sob. But eventually, I would chose to start running again.
Now, isn't that a life lesson? The choice to stop, deal with the emotion, and then continue on is something we all contend with from time to time. Here it was, smacking me in the face. I found that I could finish a 10 mile long run and work through my emotions during it and be a better, if not more tired, mommy on the other side.
So, last weekend was my BIG race. It started at the crack of dawn (UGH!) but the forecast looked promising: the high was in the mid-40s and no rain (YAY!)
On Sunday, the alarm went off at o'dark thirty and, after breakfast, I met up with my friend Liz and headed for the start line.
The start line was all abuzz with excitement and energy. Before I knew it, it was time for us to start running! Liz is a faster runner than I am but we wanted to start the race together. Eventually, I called mercy and a walk break and she went on.
It was a really lovely day for a run. The fog was hanging in the air, but it kept the humidity in and warmed me a bit. We ran by the Smith Tower, down I-90, and along Lake Washington.
When we got to Madrona, the crowds had come out to start cheering. And just in time too -- it was the half-way point. And all uphill from there (YIKES)
We climbed and climbed. We went through the Washington Arboretum into Interlaken Park. The climb was brutal but boy was it a pretty view! Finally, I reached the 10 mile point.
The route wound back around Capital Hill and finally I got a view of Lake Union and the Space Needle. I kept on trucking... A little past mile 12, the first marathoner lapped me. Right before mile 13, the second marathoner lapped me. But the best was finding my cheering crew at mile 13 -- Emily brought the girls out for a "Go Mommy" and sweaty hugs and kisses.
I crossed the finish line with an official time of 3:14:13 - definitely slower than what I was wanting. But here's the great thing, it's my Personal Best :) That's winning right there!!!
Now, I'm looking forward to Half #2 - Disney is calling my name.
