After 12 weeks of training for a half marathon, we can now say we successfully finished and completed 13.1 miles.
The week leading up to the half marathon was crazy...most of us were affected by the storms and continuous rain and flooding. If we weren't trapped at work, we were trying to entertain children who missed 2 days of school due to the weather. I know the only thing keeping me sane was the forecast of a beautiful, cool weekend especially for race day.
I was shocked to wake up Sunday morning to rain, wind and cold...I was prepared to run in the cool, sunny weather as predicted. Anyways, once I saw the weather my ONLY motivation to run 13.1 miles was the fact the training team was meeting me there. It would of been so easy to crawl back into bed and say "not a weather day to run 13.1 miles" and trust me, anyone who would of said and done that, I wouldn't think less of. However, everyone signed up for the race did it. It was so inspiring to see everyone at the start line, many people's first half marathon. The weather did not hinder the drive to succeed in this race.
Once again, I got so much more out of seeing everyone finish versus finishing myself. Not one person didn't cross that finish line and, trust me, many had reasons not to. Whether or not we hobbled, walked or ran across that finish line, we all did it. Training takes time away from family, work and friends and staying committed is the hardest thing to do. However, seeing it all come together on race day makes me realize that we can do anything we put our mind to.
I think we all learned a lot during this training and I want to share what some of you learned or experienced over these past 12 weeks...
-I can do anything I want if I want it bad enough
-Cheeseburgers and french fries are good recovery foods
-Be prepared for any weather on race day (very true!)
-Nobody ever drowned in sweat
-If you think it hurts now, wait for later...
-Whoever invented Ibuprofen is a genius
_Experiencing a first ice bath
-Truly knowing what "hitting a wall" means
-Realizing blisters come in pairs
-Learning how to wrap knees and legs
-Making new friends with a common goal
I hope to see everyone at many more start and finish lines.
