I am so excited to report that I ran the race in 2 hours and 28 minutes - beating my goal of 2 hours and 30 minutes. I stuck to the 12 week training program right up until week 12 when I started getting hip pain. At that point I substituted biking and elliptical for running. So I hadn't run for about 8 days up until the race. But I had previously completed 11 miles and was still physically active. The race started at 6am so Shannon & I awoke around 4am. We had a snack and lots of water. Shannon found the 2:15 pace group and I put on my headphones. For the first hour of the race we ran in the dark. There were plenty of people running & along the course that the dark didn't bother me. What bothered me was the humidity. I had trained in 30/40 degrees in Chicago - no humidity. So I got in a groove and just went. I told myself just get to the next water stop. That was my mantra. Each water stop was 1 - 1.5 miles apart. And at each stop I slowed to a walk and drank a minimum of 2 cups. My hip was a bit sore but not bad throughout the race.
And it wasn't until mile 11 that I slowed down to walk a bit and looked at my watch. At this point I was just over 2 hours in and knew I could make my time goal. So I started running/jogging again. And I kept going. Slow and Steady.
Running down the chute at the end was painful and glorious. I was so excited to beat my time but I was beat. Shannon & I met up at the finish and were both happy with our time. We celebrated by finding a bar on A1A to enjoy mimosas and omelets. The race was a half and a full so we were there for about 2 hours cheering on the other runners/walkers that were coming in. It was the highlight of my day - knowing I had done it and could help others cross the finish line.
I spent the next 2 days nursing my sore legs and thirst by the pool and at the beach. I believe I will make a February warm - half a new tradition.
Below are some more pictures from the day:
 |
| At the start line |
 |
Crossing the Finish Line  |
 |
| Showing off our medals |
 |
| At the Bar afterwards, joined by Wade |
No comments:
Post a Comment