Yesterday I ran my first EVER half marathon! In high school, I never would have thought that I would be a runner. Of course, I did the required running for volleyball, but I always hated it- probably because someone was making me. Now, I have fallen in love with the sport, and it has become a way for me to challenge myself and push myself to levels that I have never been to before.
Towards the end of college, I started to realize that with my body type, I'd be 500 pounds if I didn't stay active. As a college athlete, I turned to what I knew best: running. Back then, I would run about 2 miles a day, or 3 if I was feeling pretty crazy. After college, I realized this weight control thing was not going to get easier unless I really stepped up my game. So, I started running 4, maybe 5 miles a day. Now that I am getting married, I have decided I have got to step my game up even more.
About a year ago, I ran my first 5k, and that's when I became addicted. Not long after my first 5k, a friend started putting a bug in my ear about a half marathon. I kept saying there was no way I'd ever run 13.1 miles. I toyed with idea a little, but never thought too seriously about it. Then, I noticed a lot of my other friends were doing it, and I started to look at training plans and I realized that this might be something that is do-able. I convinced a few friends to take on the challenge with me, and their involvement and companionship in the training process has been instrumental in my completing this goal. We originally started training in late November, but got off track over Christmas break, so we started all over again in January.
Overall, I'd have to say that this was one of the most rewarding yet painful experiences I have ever been through in my life. Crossing the finish line, while extremely exhilarating, was also very nauseating. I made a bee-line to the porta-jons. It also rained pretty hard during some points and was very windy. The course was extremely hilly and I have made up my mind that I will not do that race again, unless they change the course. I will run another half marathon though. I was not extremely satisfied with my performance on Saturday, so I will be striving to improve my time and endurance. For any of you out there who are considering running one- DO IT! Even if you have only run about 3 miles, that was the starting point of my training. It really is rewarding and you can do it.
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