I finished my first half marathon today! THIRTEEN POINT FREAKING ONE BABY!!! Insane. I can't believe it. I was watching the weather all week and it kept saying it should be scattered showers here and there. Lies I tell you! It was pouring when I got up. Sane people would say, "Ha. Screw this" and go back to bed. Apparently I'm insane. I really wanted to wear some Vanderkitten gear but I knew I'd have to cover it up with my running jacket. So I took a quick vanderselfie (Ha, that should be a new hashtag!) on my front porch before heading out...
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I look thrilled.
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This is what the weather looked like when I was on my way to Seward Park!
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I got there a little early because I wanted to make sure I found parking. I have no idea why I thought it might be crowded. Who else is this crazy in this weather? The half marathon is called The Sporty Diva and I knew there was only 24 of us signed up. (And I think at least 10 of those people didn't show.) When I got out of my car, cousin yelled at me from her car asking where I was going. I was going to find a bathroom but I joked that I was escaping. I was soaked before the race even started. I might as well have just started out by jumping in Lake Washington. (Husband told me before I left to make sure I didn't step in the BIG puddle… that's the lake. Yeah, thanks for the stellar advice babe.)
The route was a flat 2 miles out, and 2 miles back. There were people there doing 4 miles, 8 miles, and then us EXTRA crazy people. We had to do that "loop" 3 times, and then head out again and back until our Garmins said 13.1. They were supposed to mark that spot with flour so we knew where to turn around… but ha… mother nature said flour would not stay on the ground. So it's a good thing we had GPS. I started out with cousin and her brother keeping a great pace. I PR'd my 5K time (35:14), and my 10K time (1:15:00)! We just chugged right along!
At about the 7.5 mile mark my hips started hurting. Cousin was complaining hers were hurting too. I think it was because the trail was un-level. It sort of slanted slightly towards the lake. When we'd run out 2 miles, it would hurt, but running back would be ok. We stopped to use the bathroom and I got down on the ground and did a little yoga. Pigeon pose. It really helped but then I was all muddy...
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Wet and muddy! But see! I completed the whole thing in these crazy shoes!
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Here's a selfie since I had my phone out. We're a lot wetter than we look.
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We took off again and I PR'd my 15K time too (2:01:00)! Then things sorta started going downhill (around mile 10). I wasn't tired, I was feeling really good actually. (I had a shot block every 2 miles.) BUT my ankle started killing me, and not the ankle that usually hurts me. My left one was all KT taped up, and I had my plantar faciitis sleeve on. I figured maybe I was overcompensating for it because it was my right ankle that started hurting. That was totally new. I also thought it could be because we were still on our way out, and I hoped it would feel better when we turned around and went the other way. Cousin and her brother are absolutely fantastic people because they stuck with me no matter what. We sorta speed-walked until the turn-around, and it started feeling better. Not 100% better, but at least 50% better. I could "run" but it was more like a slow trot. I think next run I need to KT tape both ankles, and probably get another plantar faciitis sleeve just in case too.
When we came back in to the start/finish line, I heard "GO KIM!" in the distance. And I thought, "That sorta looks like BFF!" AND IT WAS! She drove about an hour down south in the pouring rain just to surprise me and cheer me on at the finish! She knew we didn't get a babysitter so husband wasn't there and she decided it was her duty to make sure she was there (since she got me into this mess in the first place!) I was so excited to see her! It gave me the energy to turn around there and run down that extra 1/4 mile and back to make it a full 13.1! I finished my first half in 2:51:00!
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| Cousin, her brother, and me at the finish! |
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And here's a selfie with my BFF!
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So…. now what? I finished my first half 8 weeks before I was supposed to finish a half. 12 weeks of training and I did my first half marathon. What do I do with my training schedule now? I'm supposed to do 12 miles in 2 weeks. That seems silly now. Cousin wants me to do another half with her in 3 weeks but I'm only supposed to do 3 miles that day. And then the week after that is the Daffodill 5K Challenge where we do 4 5Ks in 4 cities in one day. I think I'm supposed to be coming to the end of my training schedule and tapering for my Disney Half right around then. So, what do I do? How do I just maintain where I am and do all the races I want to do? I don't start marathon training until June. AND I have to work on getting more cycling in. I guess I need to start googling what my next step is.
