13.1, Not Half Bad

I'm proud to report I have my first half marathon under my belt. I was a little unsure of my decision to sign up for the race, but now I'm glad did. I've decided that one of my new mantras, along with "Today is my day!", is "Today is the perfect day to become the person I want to be". If I want to be a runner, who says I can't be. I just have to run.

Two weeks ago, my mom invited the girls and I to take a trip to Omaha. Fun!

Just out of curiosity I looked into Omaha running club events. I was going to be in town for the Omaha Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k. Fate! At first I thought, maybe I should sign up for the 10k since I know I can do that, but then crazy took over and I thought "no! do the half!". So I signed up. Hey at the very least I'd get a shirt.

At first I thought I'd be all alone, but I was excited to find out my cousin Tom and his friend James were running the race.  They had been doing some intense training and James was a runner in college. I know I didn't stand a chance keeping up with them. But, it was reassuring that I would know someone there. Just in case I fell over dead half way through, someone would be there to identify the body. Which I'm pretty sure was the scenario my Mom and Grandma were expecting.

Race day. We were supposed to be at the start line at 6:30 am to get race instructions and whatnot. I arrived at 6:00 am because, that's what I do. I like to be early. Plus I wanted to park far away from any other cars and have time to get to the start line. Thanks Dad for making me the paranoid parker and early bird person I am today! And thanks to my Mom, who stayed home with the girls. None of this would have been possible without her help.

I met up with Tom and James briefly, before I decided it would be a good idea to visit the porta-potty and check my gear bag. Yes, gear bag. I didn't know runners had gear, but I guess they do. I mean we do.

I think I'm going to start calling my diaper bag a "gear" bag. Sounds more exciting don't you think? Now if only I could check it where ever I go. That thing can get heavy. But, I have to say it is a masterpiece of organization. It's the Organizing Utility Tote that has 5 pockets and 2 additional mesh pockets on the sides. Inside, I keep a Large Zipper Pouch with diapers, changing pad and wipes. It also holds the coordinating Thermal Lunch Tote with snacks, bottles and apple juice. Cute and functional. (And that's my Thirty-One plug.)

Whoa! Way off track there. Sorry. Anyway, back to the race.

It took about 3 1/2 minutes to get up to the start line  after the gun. I used that time wisely, making a new friend who paced me through the first 8 miles.

Glen, a music teacher from Texas, is a machine. He has 3 teenage daughters. One is named Clare Elisabeth. Crazy! He also has a wife at home, sick with the flu. I think he was running so fast to get home to her. Glen is running 50 marathons in 50 states. WOW! New inspiration for me perhaps? Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but you have to dream big right?

I kept up with Glen until just past the 8 mile mark. Then I told him to go on without me. I just couldn't keep up anymore. I'm not sure what my time was at 8 miles, but my 10k time was 1:07. An improvement from my last 10k which was 1:14.

I took about a 1 minute walk and decided I better get back to it and started to jog again. I wish I wouldn't have stopped running. My pace was suffering.

By mile 11, I was beat. Had to walk. Walked about .5 mile. As I saw that I was approaching mile 12 I knew it was time to get back to it. I wasn't going to finish this race walking! My knees were hurting at this point and I was starting to get the usual pain in my neck and shoulder. Just then, I saw someone holding a sign that said "Your feet hurt because you are kicking so much butt", then she turned it around and it said "Pain is weakness leaving the body". Eureka! She's speaking to me. I must have a lot of weakness to get rid of, I thought, because this HURTS!

When I reached the home stretch I spotted Tom and James sporting their awesome medals and walking my way. "RUN JACKIE, RUN!" they said. So I did. Ran hard all the way to the finish.  VICTORY!!!

My finish time was 2:33 (chip time), 2:36 (gun time). The very next person to finish was the person who won the full marathon in 2:34. Now that is CRAZY.  But, hey, at least I didn't get lapped.

"You're in pretty good shape for the shape you are in" said Dr. Seuss. He's right, don't underestimate what you can do. You have to test yourself or you'll never know the shape you're in or where to start. That's been the case for me anyway.

Next race, the Screaming Pumpkin in Peoria. Same location as the 10k I did a couple of weeks ago. Still deciding on whether or not to do the 10k or the half.  Either way, this time I run in costume. Fun times!