6 months ago I decided with a few friends of mine that I was going to run the HALLOWEEN HALF MARATHON! I figured, why not? Well, then I was saying to myself "what the crap did I get myself in to?"
I knew I was going to need the full 6 months to train! I am glad I used the full 6 months because I had a few set backs along the way.
I have to admit, this whole process was soooo hard but exhilarating at the same time! I had a few speed bumps i had to over come and every time I would over come them, I feel like I came out not only a stronger runner but a better person, because I realized I COULD do HARD things.
Every run I would go on I couldn't wait for race day to come so I could be done running forever. But now it's over I kind of find myself craving to go run!
You have to remember I HATE(D) to run! I still won't say I love it, but it has taught me so much about myself. It taught me to be a better mom, wife, friend. It taught me patience! It taught me how to love myself and how to do things for myself.
I am grateful for my friends Lisa and Tiffany for pushing me and encouraging me to do something I never thought I could do!
When I started training I couldn't even run a mile... It seriously killed me to run that far! But once I realized I could run 5 miles I really just figured I could do anything!
Each run I would constantly have the song from Hercules on my mind that says "I can go the distance, I don't care how far, if I can be strong" I would sing that to myself while running and knew that when I finished the race my family would be at the end waiting for me, and that was what got me through each run!
Well the night of the race at about 3:30 am Curran woke up throwing up. I was DEVASTED because I knew that meant they weren't going to be able to be at the finish line waiting for me. I had been picturing them at the finish line for months. Clint was able to take Callie to my Mom and Dad so they were at least able to be there to cheer me on.
The morning of the race started early, Tiffany was picking me up at 5:30 so we could be to the bus by 6. We wanted to make sure we got a warm spot in the tent considering the race was starting up at Sundance, in the snow at about 20 degrees! We sat around for a REALLY long time and enjoyed the many entertaining costumes! I made many stops in the Very Stinky Port-a-Potty's before, to make sure I got out every oz. of pee as possible considering I have a probem with peeing my pants while I run (i am not proud of that).
About 9:10 we took our belongings to the bus and got in line for the race to start. I was super nervous, but not as nervous as I thought I would be. The first 2 1/2 miles were a pretty steep down hill and I have not done very well on down hills because I get really bad cramps. 9:30 rolls around and the Gun is fired and we start the race. I honestly can't believe at this point the race has started, I was pretty sure I was dreaming. I had been training for this for 6 months and never thought the day was ever going to come. I felt pretty good for the first half mile and then I got this excruciating stabing pain in my upper stomach and it quickly spread to my ENTIRE stomach, I couldn't even breath. I became really frustrated because I had worked SOOO hard for this and i was NOT going to go down this way. I stopped for a quick second and said a quick prayer asking for him to help me over come these cramps. I took 10 deep breaths and they were gone! It seriously was a miracle. I have had cramps that bad before and they never go away. I was SOOO Grateful in that moment for an answer to my prayers!
The race itself was pretty cold. It felt like forever, but it was soooo worth it. My mom, dad and Callie were waiting at mile 12 to cheer me on and then again at the finish line. AMAZING does not even sum up the feeling I had when I turned that corner and saw my Parents and Callie and a little farther down Lisa and Tiffany waiting for me and cheering me on! It was so nice to be done. My legs were jello and I. WAS. TIRED. I ended up finishing the race in 2:47 minutes which was a little slower than I wanted but it ended up being a 12:30 minute mile which is exactly what I had trained at. I am not a fast runner but I don't care, I am just glad I finished the race...ALIVE!
During training I would have told you I would never do this again, but after it's all over I honestly am considering running another one! The hardest part of the whole thing was training, the race itself was not horrible. All in all it taught me a lot and I'm very glad I did it!
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