Half Marathon-- Check!

Well, I did it.

I ran my 13.1 miles this past Saturday. And I survived.

I don't recommend it unless you can train of course. I, who most of you know, struggled through training thanks to my awesome IT band causing me a lot of pain. I ran at most 3 miles at a time in the past 6 weeks. I never ran more than 6 miles either.

I wasn't expecting much, just hoping to finish. I did even better than that. After the butterflies left my stomach and I crossed the start line, the next 7 miles weren't too bad. Although my IT band was apparent in the beginning of the run, it was tolerable.

Mile 6.55 excited me to think I already was halfway and could definitely finish. My mind wandered all over the place throughout the race. Watching others around me, thinking about how I was strong enough to do this, but never to the music playing.

Mile 8 and 9 it hit me. The pain was almost unbearable. My hip was killing me. I ran through it. The rest of the run became a mental game. How could I reduce my pain through my stride and keep moving? I began to alternate walking and running. The walking became more and more frequent as I neared miles 10 and 11. Extreme pain shooting down my right leg from my hip to my knee.

By mile 12, when I knew I only had a mile left, my feet felt as if they hit straight asphalt with each step, my calves tightened, my hip screamed, and my neck strained. I saw the white banner in the distance marking the finish. I began to take off. Breathing steadily, moving my feet, stretching my legs out, telling myself I was almost there. I thought I was flying. Later, did Brandon tell me that I really wasn't moving that quickly. But, I'd done it. Two hours, 27 minutes later.

And finally, three days later, still recovering, I realized I want to complete another race. Possibly a half marathon, if my leg allows it.