Half-Marathon

So my very first half marathon (last year) was absolutely horrible. It was in Connecticut, late in September, yet it was hot and humid. To say I was not prepared for this was an understatement. I felt as though I couldn't get hydrated and my energy level was completely depleted! My time was 2:45, I was disappointed and I told myself that I would never run another half marathon again! After I finished my race I felt nausea and I didn't know if I was going to throw up or....uh....yeah you get the point.

So this brings me to today. I ran my second half marathon on 11/11/12 here in San Diego. I do not know what gave me the courage to attempt another half marathon, maybe I had more faith in myself, or maybe I knew that I had properly trained for this one, either way, the day before the race I told myself that if I did not do well on this race I was officially DONE with this half marathon business!!!

5 am race morning!

The half marathon I chose to run was called the Silver Strand Half-Marathon. The race starts in Coronado California and ends in Imperial Beach California. It is a relatively flat course along the beautiful Pacific Ocean. I chose this course to boost my confidence in hopes that I would fall in love with this half marathon business.


Waiting for the race to start!

RACE MORNING

 It was a relatively cold morning, started in the lower 40's. Many runners chose to wear trash bags to keep warm (must remember this for the future). It was a long wait, approximately 2 hours until race start, but this time helped me get my thoughts together before being on that starting line!



The sun finally decided to make an appearance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I first got to the start line it was quiet. There were only a few hundred runners in the area. Some warming up, some chatting, some even napping! It was quiet and I was loving it because I knew that soon the chaos was going  to begin!




In all their were about 3-4,000 runners for the half marathon itself and for this area, that is small. Their were runners who were first time half marathoners (they had shirts to notify everyone of this) and of course seasoned runners. I even saw one gentleman who had done the Tokyo half marathon in 2008, talk about intimidation!! I decided to keep to myself and listen to my iPod. It was the only way to keep my cool and keep my mind from wandering into the doubt realm that I had been trying to avoid.

 

When it was time to line up I decided to stay toward the front of the pack. One reason is because I did not want to wait 5-10 minutes before I crossed the line, another reason is because their is less pushing and shoving up there!! Once the race began it only took me 45 seconds to cross the start line which is a plus. I surprisingly felt well during my race. At times I did hit the random brick wall which made me feel like the race was taking forever, but for the most part I felt great!

 

Mile 12 baby!!!

 

This is a picture of me at mile 12. I was so thankful that mile 13 was steadily approaching!!! I kept telling myself not to stop.....


So the verdict?! I ran the half marathon in 2 hours and 9 minutes!!!!! I was beyond proud of myself! I ran the whole thing and honestly I didn't ever feel the need to stop. I felt great, well other than the crazy leg cramps when I stopped running, and I finally gained the confidence to sign up for another one soon.

After the race with my girls!!!