Today, I ran my third half-marathon. I was excited because I hoped to get a new PR, and there would be red velvet cupcakes at the end. I was nervous because the course was HILLY and I hate hills. And I planned to run the ENTIRE thing, which I hadn't done before.
Pre-race: Woke up early so everything would clear out of my system in time. Ate PB and banana for breakfast, with a few Wheat Thins and half a glass of water. Got dressed. Put on a bit of makeup to calm my nerves and give me something to do while I waited for my friends to show up.
At the race: Warmed up a bit. Chatted with my friends. Got nervous! There were only 150 some people running, but it was still exciting.
Mile 1.5: Water stop. At this point, I'd been going at a good pace but maybe a little fast? I thought to myself, "Ugh I feel a little tired already..."
Mile 4: Another water stop. Took 2 Clif Shot Bloks. Told myself, "Almost 1/3 done!...wait, that means 2 more thirds to go... Can I keep this up?!"
Mile 6.5: Water stop. More Bloks.
Mile 8: Passed my friends, and jokingly flipped off the Mile 8 marker. My calves felt a bit uncomfortable.
Mile 9.5: Water stop. My calves were burning. I pondered whether I should stop and stretch or just keep going. I kept going.
Mile 11.5: Water stop. Thought to myself, "Less than 3 miles to go. I can do this. I can do this." My pace slowed dramatically but I could see that I was going to get a new PR if I could just keep RUNNING!
Mile 12: It was really hilly. The hills didn't seem so bad at the beginning, but now they were really getting to me. Thought to myself, "2.1 miles to go, but I don't know if I can do it."
Mile 13: Could see the end...
Finish line: YAY! Was so excited to see that I had a new PR: just under 2 hours and 17 minutes.
Post-race: Walked around for a few minutes, grabbed water and headed straight for the red velvet cupcakes. I figured I could cool down and eat cupcake at the same time! Chatted with my favorite Max Muscle employees, Trevor and Jason. Trevor commented that I didn't even look like I'd run a half! My makeup wasn't smudged at all, but my calf was killing me, so I definitely FELT like I'd run a half!
Continued to walk and cool down and wait for my friends to finish. Decided to listen to the awards ceremony for fun... And found out I'd placed 2nd for my age group! Got a little Max Muscle 2nd place towel. Met up with friends and then went to go eat at Ruby Tuesday's. Awesome.
Pre-race: Woke up early so everything would clear out of my system in time. Ate PB and banana for breakfast, with a few Wheat Thins and half a glass of water. Got dressed. Put on a bit of makeup to calm my nerves and give me something to do while I waited for my friends to show up.
At the race: Warmed up a bit. Chatted with my friends. Got nervous! There were only 150 some people running, but it was still exciting.
Mile 1.5: Water stop. At this point, I'd been going at a good pace but maybe a little fast? I thought to myself, "Ugh I feel a little tired already..."
Mile 4: Another water stop. Took 2 Clif Shot Bloks. Told myself, "Almost 1/3 done!...wait, that means 2 more thirds to go... Can I keep this up?!"
Mile 6.5: Water stop. More Bloks.
Mile 8: Passed my friends, and jokingly flipped off the Mile 8 marker. My calves felt a bit uncomfortable.
Mile 9.5: Water stop. My calves were burning. I pondered whether I should stop and stretch or just keep going. I kept going.
Mile 11.5: Water stop. Thought to myself, "Less than 3 miles to go. I can do this. I can do this." My pace slowed dramatically but I could see that I was going to get a new PR if I could just keep RUNNING!
Mile 12: It was really hilly. The hills didn't seem so bad at the beginning, but now they were really getting to me. Thought to myself, "2.1 miles to go, but I don't know if I can do it."
Mile 13: Could see the end...
Finish line: YAY! Was so excited to see that I had a new PR: just under 2 hours and 17 minutes.
Post-race: Walked around for a few minutes, grabbed water and headed straight for the red velvet cupcakes. I figured I could cool down and eat cupcake at the same time! Chatted with my favorite Max Muscle employees, Trevor and Jason. Trevor commented that I didn't even look like I'd run a half! My makeup wasn't smudged at all, but my calf was killing me, so I definitely FELT like I'd run a half!
Continued to walk and cool down and wait for my friends to finish. Decided to listen to the awards ceremony for fun... And found out I'd placed 2nd for my age group! Got a little Max Muscle 2nd place towel. Met up with friends and then went to go eat at Ruby Tuesday's. Awesome.
Ok, I'm out of here. I need some ibuprofin like I need air. Peace ouuuuut.