I DID IT! I ran my first half marathon. I have had a wide range of emotions flowing through my mind the past few days, that it's hard to know where to begin with this post. I can't believe that something that I worked so hard for for so long is now over.
Before the Race
The few days before the race, I was a nervous wreck. My stomach was in knots constantly, I was having a hard time eating and sleeping. I did three 4-5 mile runs the week prior to the race, and they all went so badly that I was convinced that I couldn't do 13.1 miles. I had gotten into the mindset of "whatever... I'll try my best but I'm probably going to fail". Thursday evening I ran into the owner of a local running store, who gave me some words of advice: run your own race. I really listened to him, and slept better that night than I had all week. I still had a hard time "carb-loading", because honestly I'm just not used to eating that much. I was eating in two hour intervals, pretty much anything and everything, for three days straight. I felt bloated and weighed down and I was terrified that something like the Old Weth 10K was going to happen again. The night before the race I stopped eating around 9 pm, and was so anxious that I didn't fall asleep until 12:15 am.
Race Day
I set my alarm for 4:55 am, for the race start time of 8:00 am. I wanted to be certain that I was awake, well fueled, and ready to go. It was lightly sprinkling when I awoke, which then turned into a steady rainfall. Disappointing weather, but luckily all my long training runs had been in rain, so I was not worried about the rain altering my running state of mind. I downed two cups of coffee as well as an avocado and some baked potato. I headed over to Bushnell Park at 6:45 am, where the festivities were well underway. Around 7:30 I got in line for the restroom, which, by the time I was in and out, left me with EIGHT minutes to get to the starting line! I quickly warmed up, and rushed to the starting line with one minute to spare. I'm glad it ended up this way, so I didn't have time to process what was about to happen. The host was getting everyone pumped up and playing awesome music, then the gun signaled and we were on our way.
During the Race
As I had mentioned, I was a nervous wreck, with a lot of emotions coming and going. The first few minutes of the race I was very teary eyed, quietly crying while running. I seriously just couldn't believe that the day had come that I had been anticipating for 5 months.
The first mile mark came and went, and I saw that I was at a much slower pace than I had anticipated. I had been training at around a 9:15 minute mile, and I was running the race at about a 10:00 minute mile. I was surprisingly okay with this, after all, I had set NO time goals, I just wanted to cross the finish line after running the whole thing. At about mile 1.5, the full marathon group and half marathon group went separate paths. At this point it thinned out a little and I got into my groove.
I opted to not run with my running/water belt, so I made sure to grab a cup of water or gatorade at each station, which by the way- are very hard to run through! There was also Gu available at two stops, as well as live music/DJs at seven different points throughout. We also passed four fire houses, and all the firefighters were lined up outside, honoring a fallen fireman from Hartford who had passed the week prior. It was very emotional to see them, and a lot of runners ran to give them hugs/high fives.
I kind of zoned out in my headphones and didn't really focus on running during the first six miles, and before I knew it I was running under the halfway marker. I felt amazing, no pain, no stomach aches, feeling well hydrated. I took my first Gu down at that point, and continued to push through. The rain was still coming down and I was still freezing! I couldn't believe there were some people wearing shorts and tank tops... I was in long pants, long sleeve (two layers!) gloves, and a hat!
Mile 7-10 were through West Hartford and Elizabeth Park (where I participated in the Red Dress Run), so I knew there would be a few hills involved. Normally, I'd bump up my music and power through the hills, but... my iPod stopped working at this point. It had gotten so wet that it began to malfunction. So I tried to power through the hills with no music- definitely not the same! After that, it was all flat, and we were in the homestretch. Somewhere around mile 11.5 my right foot and knee started to really, really hurt. I was wincing in pain, and kept thinking "you could stop and walk..." but I seriously could not let myself do that.
Soon enough I saw the 12 mile marker and I started to cry. I was crying partially because I was in pain, freezing, and soaking wet, but I was mostly crying because I was about the cross the finish line. I was running through the city that I love most, with hundreds of people that I didn't know cheering me on. I was about to finish something that I had put my mind to three years ago, only to be interrupted by two of the most painful surgeries ever. I was ending twenty weeks of dedication to something that I never though was possible. I picked up my pace in the last half mile, and I crossed the finish line at 2:12:29, whimpering, crying, shivering, and in disbelief that I ran the ENTIRE way. It felt absolutely incredible and somewhat indescribable.
After the Race
I had intended to meet up with friends after the race and have some post-race adult beverages, but I was in pain and so cold that I just wanted to go home. I grabbed a bagel and banana from the athlete food tent, and huddled with my mom and Kevin to try and warm up and eat. I couldn't get any food down, so I took the food with me and headed home. Once home I stretched a little and hopped into an Epsom salt bath, then lounged the rest of the day. The following day I was incredibly sore, and spent the day waddling around and trying to stretch.
I have been on a high since crossing the finish line. I have broken into tears a handful of times since then, and still can't really describe how amazing it feels to have finished.
A few weeks before the race someone asked if I'd be running another half marathon or maybe a full marathon, and I said absolutely not. Now... I can't wait to sign up for my next long race. I've never had a better feeling than the one I had crossing that finish line.
A special shoutout to my running buddy, Emmylou and her mom Carolyn, who also had their first walk/strides the same day. I dedicate all of my runs to Emmylou and couldn't have finished this without her and her family's support. Also a shout out to Kerri who ran her first half marathon on Sunday! You go girl!
Stay tuned for my race recap (and infamous race photos- I don't think there will be any thumbs up photos though...) and also what I learned throughout this journey.
How did you feel after accomplishing a goal you'd been working towards for so long?
Have you run a half marathon? What did you feel as you were crossing the finish line?