I did not set my goals too high for this race because I knew I hadn't trained like I should have. Plus, it was my first one so who really knows what to expect! Not to mention, my sister and running partner, Lacey, was diagnosed with bronchitis just a week before the race! She's a trooper for still getting out there and doing as well as we did! Thanks for sticking by me, sis! :)
(I've had some people ask me about the shirts we have on. I make and sell these shirts. Here is a direct link to my shop on Etsy where you can find these tanks and some other things!)
Here we are before the race waiting in the never ending line for the bathroom, or shall I say the port-a-johns! We actually ended up starting the race about 5 minutes after the gun because of this long line. But it turns out we actually kinda preferred it that way...we didn't have to fight through the crowd of people or weave through the walkers.
It was pretty humid throughout the whole race. Luckily, the majority of the race was on a trail that, at some points, went through a wooded area, so we did at least have some shade from time to time.
Around mile 4, my knees started hurting but I definitely wasn't stopping. Other than that, I actually felt really good. At this time we started talking about how far we wanted to try to go before we had to walk. My sister, having been sick for the last week and a half and not being able to train like she wanted, was hoping to make it to mile 6. I told her I was shooting for 8 but we would just have to see!
We actually ended up running 9 miles before walking! We both think we could have actually gone longer had we been hydrating properly, which was an unintentional, unfortunate event. We got water around mile 4 and kept on trucking. We got to the next water station, around mile 6.5 or so, and decided to pass it up thinking that the turn around point was just right past this station and we would just get water on the way back.
Around mile 7, there were some of the most encouraging, spirit lifting signs put out along the side of the trail. Ones that had some bible verses about finding strength and power in God and others that said things like, "Keep running...don't give up!" Those signs could not have been placed at a better point in the race! I looked over at Lacey and said, "Ugh I can't read any more of those signs or I'm going to get choked up," only to see that she too was getting emotional. You see some of the greatest and most encouraging things while participating in a race. A man and woman out supporting the runners went and bought huge bottles of water and was offering a sip to those passing by because they knew they had run out of water at one of the most crucial spots in the race. We also passed a man a couple of times who only had one leg on a bike with hand pedals and it made me feel so grateful to have two legs and to be able to run be out there running and doing something great for myself and my body. You just never know where or when you will find inspiration or how God will show his generosity through other people or how He will show you different things to make you feel grateful, humble, and empowered.
Sorry to get sentimental on you but I just felt I had to share those things...they were such a great part of the race!
Back to the race...
So it turns out, we went another 1-1.5 miles before making it back to that water station and to top it off...THEY WERE OUT OF WATER! How in the heck do you run out of water in the dead middle of a 13 mile race, in this humid, Texas weather?! So, we decided to just keep on running. After talking it over, we decided to run until around the 9 mile point, not wanting to break our stride for at least a little longer. We decided to stop there because we knew it could get dangerous having gone so far without water. We were an hour and 45 minutes in at this point...not bad at all! So we walked for a bit, ran another .6 of a mile or so and then decided to take it easy until we found some water so we wouldn't overdo it.
Us around mile 10...still feeling pretty good!
If I had one major piece of advice to give to someone about running a half marathon, it would be to not stop running until you absolutely can not go anymore! Your legs tighten up so bad and when you start running again, it feels like you have two heavy weights strapped to the bottom of your shoes!
Around mile 10.5 we FINALLY got water! I guess another huge piece of advice would be to get water at EVERY opportunity because you never know what may happen. In previous races (although I've never done a half marathon before), I never drank water while running because I thought it would weigh me down or slosh around in my tummy and make me feel bad. But actually, I found that every time I took a sip of water, it seemed like it gave me a little more energy to keep going!
So we alternated walking and running for the rest of the race. Each time we stopped to walk, our legs tightened up even more. Around mile 12, my calves were in knots! Surprisingly, my legs always felt better when I was running...as soon as I stopped to walk, the pain set in big time!
We ran the last .5 or so of the race and crossed the finish line with a gun time of 2 hours and 53 minutes, but our actual time was around 2 hours and 48 minutes! I couldn't be more proud of our time considering ALL circumstances and obstacles! I truly feel we could have ran the whole thing had we been hydrating properly...oh well, you live and you learn! :)
Upon crossing the finish line, we got this nice little piece of jewelry placed around our necks! :) I can't tell you how great of a feeling you get when you cross that finish line! It's unlike any other feeling!
We chugged down bottle after bottle of water, got some snacks to munch on, and had our picture taken with our medals after the race.
After leaving the race, I stopped and got some coconut water. Coconut water is one of the best things you can drink to get yourself rehydrated! I immediately started to feel better after the first few sips.
Running a half marathon is challenging and leaves you feeling completely drained but I would do it all over again in a heart beat...which I fully intend on doing soon! :)
Red faced and drained...officially a half marathoner! Woo Hoo!! :)
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