First half on the books

BEFORE

Honestly, I have been putting off writing about running the Capitol City Marathon mostly because its difficult to put into words what it felt like to run it. I want to be able to capture the experience so that I can share it with you but its still something that is formulating in my mind, as silly as that sounds. Waking up on the day of was a little bit of a downer. I wasn't feel well at all, my cold had gotten worse, my throat was on fire...and here I was expecting to run 13 miles all at once when I had yet to accomplish that in my training. Was I scared? A little bit. Was I excited? At that point..not really. I was really just tired and wondering if it was a good idea for me to go through with it. I woke up at 430, got some breakfast, took a shower and got back in bed til 545 to get a little more shut eye. 

We left with plenty of time to get there, and had a lot of time when we were there to walk around, see were things were, go to the bathroom..etc. Watching the Marathoner's start, listening to the countdown to their beginning was when it really hit me. I was so excited for them!! 26 miles!? Wow, at that point it was hard to fathom going 13 miles let alone double that!! 



DURING
For the first 6 miles I forced myself to go slow. A lot slower than I needed to it turns out. I'd already ran 7.5-8.5 on my own time, so I knew I could at least make it that far without completely running out of energy. Running with a bunch of people definitely makes you feel a little more accountable..and makes it much easier to push aside that little voice in your head telling you it's okay to stop for just a few minutes. :) I ran with Danielle and Alisha the first mile, then I slowly split off and kept going when they needed to slow down. After that it was just me and the road and a whole ton of spectators. It was strange to be surrounded by so many people doing the same thing that I was..just pushing through. The hills weren't as bad as a I thought they would be. But I took them slow and ran the downhills faster to keep my energy up.

In hindsight, I wish I would have pushed myself harder. I definitely could have handled a little more speed..but I'm trying really hard not to dwell on the fact that 'I could have done better' and focus instead on the fact that I DID IT!!  When I got to about mile 9, I got this surge of energy and emotion that I never expected. When I realized a few marathoners were passing me... I seriously felt some pride in them and they were complete strangers! As embarrassing as it is, the energy of the supporters on the sidelines, and seeing these people speed past me, I had no doubt that I was going to finish... and that right there...was right up there on the list of top ten best feelings ever I think.

FINISHING:

Wow this picture is hawwt isn't it? lol! The last 6 miles were the best of them all. I had reached my groove, I felt great and I could almost taste the last couple of miles. This was also the point where I was pushing myself to pass people. I got to talk to a few random strangers who helped me out with some pacing encouragement. Once the finish line was in view--  I sprinted the last 0.25 of it just because it was so awesome to see the finish line up ahead, knowing that Daniel was going to be waiting for me when I got there too. It was a good first race. I'm ready for my next training adventure. :)