I ran my first Half Marathon!
This is something I thought I would NEVER do.
A year ago, I hated running. But last spring, finishing a 5K changed that for me.
Last summer, I started training for a 10K. And while I didn't actually sign up for an official race, I was able to run the distance by the end of the summer.
Training for a Half Marathon seemed the like next step, and one that I was excited about.
So last August/September, I started training for the St. George Half Marathon!
I found a Hal Higdon training schedule that I liked. It was a 12 week schedule, and the race was around 20 weeks away, so I just doubled up on many of the weeks to give me lots of time to prepare.
I found a Hal Higdon training schedule that I liked. It was a 12 week schedule, and the race was around 20 weeks away, so I just doubled up on many of the weeks to give me lots of time to prepare.
I was nervous!
The training schedule I used (which I diligently followed) had me only run up to 10 miles before the race. Ummm, the race is 13.1 miles, and to me there is a big difference between 10 and 13 miles! But according to Hal Higdon, if you can run 10 miles, you can finish a Half Marathon. The adrenaline, the people, the finish line . . . all that inspiration will help you run the last 3.
So . . . I was hoping that would be true!
The St. George Half Marathon turned out to be perfect for me! First of all, the weather was GREAT! Not too hot, not too cold. It was great to run in. The race started at 9am which I like . . . it meant I didn't have to get up too early, I would have time to eat before, etc.
The course was nice. There were some hills, but not worse than what I run on in my own neighborhood. Ben and the kids would hang out at different points along the race to cheer me on.
I loved that!
Here I am at the very end of the race. I can see the finish line, and I am trying to will my legs to run faster. I don't think they were responding though :)
Once I finished, I couldn't believe that I had done it!
My only goal with this race was to run the whole way. NO walking. Even if that "running" was at a walking pace, I did not want to lose that "running" groove.
I guess secretly I had another goal of at least finishing with a certain time. It was just a time that fit into what pace I was already doing in training.
I reached my goals!
Not only did I run the ENTIRE time, but my pace was a little faster than I anticipated!
Not a lot faster, but still . . .
Overall, it was an awesome experience. I have never set a physical goal like that . . . and so to work towards something that I wasn't sure I would be able to do . . . and then do it, felt awesome!
My legs hurt so much the rest of the weekend . . . and even a few days after that. But it was worth it.
I spent the rest of the day hanging out at the condo. I spent a good amount of time in the hot tub :)
The kids thought it was so great I was running a race, because it meant a mini-vacation for them. They love to go to St. George. They swam, they played basketball, and just did all the activities available at the condo.
We spent Sunday attending a Sacrament Meeting, and then visiting with Ben's cousin and her family. They were nice enough to invite us over for dinner. It was fun!
From there we headed over to the St. George Temple Visitor's Center. We roamed around and watched the "Meet the Mormons" movie they were showing.
We might do it again another year!
