After running the one in San Diego, I decided to do 3 more weeks of training and run the half in Phoenix since I was already trained. Brandon is such a supportive husband and never even blinked an eye when I asked to go running, and when I came home, the house was usually cleaner than I left it. Bless him!
The last three weeks, I ended up running quite a bit with Brittany in my neighborhood (who was also signed up to run the PHX half) or my stroller-running buddies, Andrea & Cynthia. Sarah was out of town, and I didn't catch up with her until the week of the race. I wasn't sure if I should push it and try to beat 2 hours or if I should just relax and enjoy myself, and I was also debating on whether I'd run the race with Brittany or Sarah. Everyone told me that the course was easy with no hills, and that many runners get a PR on this course. About two days before the race, I convinced myself to try. So I decided I'd run as fast as I could for as long as I could and hope for the best, and not worry about anyone else. (Selfish, much!? Sorry, friends!)
Sarah and I paced fast the first 5 miles (around 8:30-8:45) and felt pretty good. Her cute family was cheering her on at multiple points along the course, so it gave us something to look forward to. There were lots of family members cheering people on, and the first few miles were a little emotional for me. I kept thinking about all of these people I was running with who had worked hard for something and were accomplishing a big goal! Moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, singles, etc. Thinking of all the possible stories and obstacles they'd overcome to get to that day was overwhelming for me. As far as my story goes - I'm a mom who is making a small attempt to do something for myself and not get completely consumed by having young kids. I try to be a good mom and to keep the focus on them as much as possible, but I also have learned that I need to take time to myself (or else I might just go a little crazy in the process!). I have also learned from Brandon that moderation is the key - not to obsess or completely remove any one thing in life, but practice self discipline and be flexible enough to roll with whatever life brings. He's a good partner in crime and very supportive of all my needs! (I didn't realize this post was going to get all sappy and deep.)
Anyway, Sarah and I stayed together until mile 8 when the 2:00 pacer caught up with us. She was definitely ahead of schedule, but it was a little deflating to know that I'd have to keep up with her in order to finish in under 2 hours. I lost Sarah at this point and tried to keep with the pacer's crowd. I stayed with them until mile 10 when I tried some gu/gatorade to give me a little energy, and then got behind the pacer and wasn't able to recover the distance. But as I was listening to RunKeeper in my ear, I thought I was on pace to finish under 2 hours - and thankfully I did! My official time was 1:59:14 and it felt amazing! Although, I did throw up again at the finish line - I am not sure how to shake that weird habit - I felt so good, and the rest of the day was restful and fun! It was also especially awesome to have my family there at the finish line to support me. I hope that our kids will have good memories of training with me and supporting me in my races, and that they will also have a desire to do set goals and accomplish them no matter how hard they may seem.
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| My running buddy and college roommate, Sarah |
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| Kids ages: 6, 4 & 2 |
(Below - pictured with Brittany Schmidt)
1 comment:
Awesome! Way to go!!
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