8. The 1/2 Marathon

This is likely to be a very long post (although I will try to keep it short), so here is the short version: I finished my first half-marathon in a time of 2:26.56, hooray! I placed 926 out of 1234 finishers over all men and women.

The Start
The weather was gorgeous with only two spots that were extremely windy and that did not last too long. When we lined up, there were pace setters starting with 5 minute miles to 15 minute miles. My cousin and I were shooting for 10 minute miles, but we knew we should start out slow, so we lined up with the 11 minute milers. This turned out to be a wise choice.

The first mile was awesome. Everybody is pretty close together, but it is kind of like a party and not bad at all. Once we get to mile 3 the miles start getting longer and people start walking or using the bathrooms along the way.

Mile 5
I prefer to run cold, and we started running in a nice cool temperature. Unfortunately around mile 5 we moved out to the highway part and the sun was very warm. Around this point I started having trouble breathing because my cousin was going faster than I was ready for. I told her to go on ahead as I needed to catch my breath. She gave me a quick hug and good-luck and we separated. After a few seconds I caught my breath and began to jog again... just in time because my family was up ahead and took the photo you see from the race.

Gu-gel
I can't really say too much else about the mile markers because the were all miserable. The Gu-gel came between miles 7 and 8 which seemed pretty early, but I decided to take it, knowing your body needs to re-fuel after 90 minutes of running. Gu-gel has the consistency of honey. You pretty much choke down whatever you can and hope the water station comes up soon. Another benefit is that is does not cause cramping because your stomach does not need to digest it. Somehow the benefits outweigh the disgusting taste and consistency, so I would recommend trying it. Lucky if you like it.

Time
My iPod died around mile 11. That was really unfortunate because running to music makes a world of difference. Time is a funny thing during a race. With every mile, time seems to slow down. The absolute worst motivator of the race was the fact that they marked where 13 miles was... and .1 mile later they had a sign that said, "1 mile to go!!!". When you feel like you've done at least 1/2 mile and you see it's only been 1/10th, it feels like a trick... but it's not.

Support
I have done shorter races and ran cross-country in high school, and I never really cared much about support. I just didn't get it because I didn't think finishing a 2 or 3 mile race was that big of a deal. My mind has now been blown over just how important support is during a 13.1 mile race (or further I'm sure!). Every single person out there who is cheering you on is appreciated. Even the little girl who said, "Don't quit!" was a welcomed message of support. Running 13 miles is HARD. You truly have to feel like it is worth it to get through the race. I had more family there than I expected, and I wish I could show them just how much it meant that they came to cheer us on because it was one of the best feelings I have ever had. Seeing how proud they were after we finished the race was so awesome, almost indescribable.

The End of the Race
After the race, I took off my shoes and found 3 massive blisters and some blood on my heel where my sock fell down. I should have bought the new Asics I was thinking about, but I didn't and my ankles and feet are paying for it. My body kept bouncing back and forth between too hot and cold, but it wasn't a big deal. It just felt good to be done.

So this marathon deal...
Well... the half-marathon was... so tough. It is making me re-evaluate this whole marathon idea. I am much more uncertain that I really want to do it because once I get into the race, I am overcome by feelings of dread and 'why did I do this' and 'I want to quit'. However, the training plan starts out easy, and I am still going to start following the marathon training plan. I have not decided whether or not I will sign up for the marathon, half, or just do a bunch of 5/10k races this summer. I am leaning towards the charity races, but I will keep everyone posted.