I might run like a snail, but at least I can run for 13.1 miles!

When I arrived at my first half-marathon, I didn’t think I was nervous.

post 181 image 4

Maybe it was because I had been having a ball. The past few days had been pretty awesome, after all.

post 181 image 5

My family even came to Boston to see me, adding to the fun.

post 181 image 6

When I think about it, though, I bet I was pretty nervous.

post 181 image 7

But I managed to keep that nervousness down, mainly because my family was with me. At my insistence, we arrived at the start zone an hour early. We spent the time taking photos and messing around.

post 181 image 1

post 181 image 2

The race was set to begin at 7AM. The closer it got to the start time, the more crowded it became.

post 181 image 3

post 181 image 8

Finally, only a few minutes remained before the start.

post 181 image 9

That’s when it truly hit me. Today was the day. The time was now. This half-marathon that I had spent the last 5 months training for was about to happen.

The runners lined up, the national anthem was sung, and then…

post 181 image 10

There were so many runners that for the first minute, I didn’t move at all. Finally, the crowd surged to a walk. Then a jog. Then, finally…

post 181 image 11

Off I ran, joining the stampede of runners through downtown Boston.

post 181 image 12

post 181 image 13

Dozens of people strode past me, but I didn’t care. I knew from the start that I was slow. I would finish this race at my own pace, no matter how fast people were!

post 181 image 14

Each mile had a timer set up, allowing the runner to see how much time had elapsed. I guess I was letting the people around me set the pace, since I was running a lot faster than usual.

post 181 image 15

post 181 image 16

Alright, I’ll confess: when I started training back in January, my pace was around 11:30 per mile– really freakin’ slow. By the end of my training I had reduced it to 10:30 per mile. But now I was running a good 30 seconds faster than that, out of nowhere. What’s the deal?

post 181 image 17

Maybe it was all the runners around me, maybe it was the adrenaline. Whatever it was, at each mile marker, I didn’t seem to be slowing down. I pushed on without pause.

post 181 image 18

Well, ok. I did stop at the many water stations set up along the route. Volunteers handed out cups of water and Gatorade. However, there were not enough trash cans to keep up with the water consumption. Cups were simply tossed aside in massive piles.

post 181 image 19

In spite of these stops, I kept up the pace.

post 181 image 20

I kept it up even as my legs started to burn.

post 181 image 21

And as my breathing grew steadily heavier.

post 181 image 22

By the tenth mile, I had pretty much had it.

post 181 image 23

The maximum I had run before the half-marathon was 12 miles. So when I reached that 13th, final mile, I was out.

post 181 image 24

But at the end, I had a surprise waiting for me.

My family was waiting faithfully for me at the finish line, that I knew. Since they couldn’t follow me during the rest of the race, I tried to keep them updated. I kept my phone with me during the race (to listen to music, the ultimate essential for running) and also sent them periodic texts.

post 181 image 25

As a result, they were ready for me.

post 181 image 26

My sister ran along the last 200 yards or so of my half-marathon, taking photos like a madwoman. My mom and dad were lying in wait as well.

post 181 image 27

post 181 image 37

post 181 image 40

post 181 image 36

 

post 181 image 39

I was too exhausted to model for long, though. My sister got plenty of unflattering shots.

post 181 image 41

Though amused, I didn’t slow down for my family. I couldn’t. Not after running for so long. I had to finish strong!

post 181 image 28

And thus, in 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 20 seconds, I finished my first half-marathon.

post 181 image 29

At the finish line, there were bagels, chips, and bananas waiting for us.

post 181 image 30

And, of course, our medals.

post 181 image 31

It was hard to believe that this run– this darned half-marathon that I trained for months to complete– was actually over. I had actually finished, with a personal best! I met up with my family, who congratulated me.

post 181 image 32

Completely and utterly sore, I limped triumphantly to the car, where I proceeded to lay on the ground.

post 181 image 33

A week later, I’ve finally gotten over my soreness. I still carry that little medal wherever I go, though. I’m the girl who hated running, after all. I’m the one who could barely run a single mile a few years ago. I know, I know: half-marathons have been done so many times before, by people much faster than I am. But to me, that little medal– it’s kind of a big deal.

post 181 image 42

10 thoughts on “I might run like a snail, but at least I can run for 13.1 miles!

  1. Woohoo!! Congratulations! A half marathon is seriously such an awesome feat for anyone, especially for someone who used to hate running! I’ve claimed to hate running in the past too, but you’ve inspired me to keep an open mind. Maybe the Boston runners will get me going 😉

  2. Woah! Big Congratulations! 😀
    That is awsome!
    Happy running days to you. You may have inspired me to try running too or at least to start jogging again. 😉

Leave a Reply!

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Google photo

You are commenting using your Google account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s