The "Pig" has flown!

The alarm went off at 4:30am and I surprised myself by waking right up.  I knew I must have been excited because I didn't even hit the snooze button.  I was up, I was ready!  Just like my first day of middle school, I had set out my outfit, shoes, socks, race fuel, and water belt.  Really, I don't know why I don't do that every day, even that early, I managed to get ready and wait by the door in record time.

{I LOVED my "Feetures" socks on race day!  Not only were they neon yellow but they had some extra cushion so I barely felt any pain in my 'toe tips', something I'd been struggling with during my training!}

{This is my SUPER DUPER excited/scared face...and maybe my scary get out of my way face?)

My running partner Heather met me at my house and we rode to the race together.  We decided to park in Newport, just across the river from the race starting line.  We got free parking, it was easy to park before and leave after, and is DEFINITELY something that I suggest.  We had plenty of time to walk over, loosen up the muscles, use the restroom, and find our corral (the fenced in area where our pace group met)

The starting line!  I was starting to get even more excited at this point.  There was a bit of a slow down getting into our corral because they were checking everyone as they entered to make sure they were in the right place.  I appreciate that they were trying to keep the different paced runners apart, but it did slow things down a LOT.  With so many anxious runners, that wasn't the best idea.  This really was the only downside to the whole morning, so really, its quite minor!

Of course, Heather and I had to get a pre-race photo!  I made matching teal sequin headbands for race day to match our outfits.  Yep, even running can be sparkle fabulous.  I had multiple people ask if I would decorate my shoes with sparkles...I might just have to do that for my next race :)

 I was a little worried about the weather the week leading up to the race.  There was rain predicted and temps in the 50s which could have been much worse than it was.  Luckily, I was done with my race by the time it started really raining and getting chilly.

Overall, I am really happy with my race.  At about mile 6, Heather and I split up and I was on my own for the rest of the miles.  I loved seeing all of the posters and on lookers, the crowds were simply fantastic!  I even had a few fans along the miles and it was SUCH a huge boost to see them.

 Uh....yeah....these pictures taken by Kyle were just too hilarious not to share.  Go ahead, get a good laugh, I've earned it.  This was right before mile 12....I think I was hitting a deliriously happy point in the race.

I had my very own sign!!!  Thanks Kayla and Kyle!!!!!

 By mile 9, right when I hit the downhill portion of the race, I realized that I wasn't going to hit my "B Goal"of finishing in under 2 hours  that I set up for myself in my pre race post.  I was really disappointed at first.  I'm a bit more competitive that I like to think sometimes and not reaching a goal that I set for myself was a bummer.

And then I (figuratively) slapped myself around and decided that I was insane.

The hardest part of this whole event was that I had spent months training in below freezing temperatures running over 200 miles on my own two legs all over Cincinnati.  I had built up endurance and speed from a 9:50 pace in my last race to a 9:24 pace in this one.  Thats a huge jump!  By the time I got to the final 1/2 mile stretch (the most grueling part of the whole. entire. race. thanks to the straightaway) I was focused on pulling on every tiny bit of reserve I had left to finish as fast as I could, goal be damned.  And I did.

After 13.1 miles, around 1000 feet of elevation, and approximately a bajillion steps, I finished in 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 23 seconds.  That put me in the top 20% of my age group (and yes I know this because I did the math myself...don't judge me!) and I'm truly thrilled with it!

I just love the little flying piggy!!

Heather finished right behind me and ran a new personal best time!!  I'm SO sad that my moving will take me away from running with her.  There is so much value in having someone to run with, to push you, and I'm so grateful for her friendship.  Its oh-so fitting that the bridge behind us made the photo.  We probably ran across it over 20 times during our training runs and though it may no look like it, it has a wicked arch to it!!

I'm so proud of my growing little collection of medals.  I'm already hoping to train for another Half Marathon sometime in the next year and I've got my eye on the Houston Marathon in January....niiiiiice and FLAT :)  

Have you thought about picking up running or a competitive sport?  If you haven't done it yet, what is holding you back? Is there anything that would push you into trying?

My Very First Half Marathon: The Flying Pig in Cincinnati

I truly cannot believe that I just finished my final training run before my very first Half Marathon this weekend!  I had several friends that trained for the Flying Pig Marathon/Half Marathon last year and I was in awe of their accomplishment.  After running a 14K (almost 9 miles) in September after only a month's training (see also: not the brightest idea ever), I knew soon after that I was mentally ready to attack a 1/2 myself.

Pre Race: Lynn and I are ready to tackle the Hudepohl 14k, my longest distance ever at that point. (September 2012)

A big part of my decision to sign up for the 1/2 was my friend Lynn.  She ran it last year and she was my inspiration for running the Hudepohl 14k.  She had nothing but glowing reviews for the Bob Ronker's Training program so it was an easy choice to begin my journey with them.  Bob Ronker's is a local running store that offers coach-led training programs for all kinds of races, especially 1/2 and full marathons.  The group meets twice a week, tuesday or wednesday and saturday or sunday, and each run is mapped out and led by coaches for the different pace groups.  I found the running group was helpful for several reasons.  First, I loved that they had all of my training mapped out.  If I attended the group each week and ran once on my own, I knew I'd be ready when race day came.  Second, I greatly appreciated the coaching.  From being able to ask questions and advice to having someone to follow to keep my pace, the coaching was invaluable for this newbie runner.  Finally, I love that I feel part of the running community.  I met a wonderful running partner (shout out to Heather!!) and I knew that each time I showed up, I'd be pounding the pavement with a huge group of fellow runners who were going through the same thing.  Its such an interesting unspoken community...maybe because for most of us, we are competing against ourselves rather than each other.  I'm just as impressed with the runner who can run a 5 minute mile as I am with the run/walker who's biggest goal is to cross the finish line.

Post Race: My first medal and a time much faster than we'd dreamed of!  I felt my first runner's high, and I was hooked.

Half Marathon Training Stats:
I used an App called RunKeeper to log (most) of my runs and its SO amazing to look back and see how far I've come!

January Miles: 37.8
February Miles: 42.6
March Miles: 52.7
April Miles: 69.5

Total Miles: 205.7

The race is this Sunday in lovely (but hilly!!) Cincinnati and I can barely contain my excitement!  I've worked my butt off (literally!!) and I. CAN'T. WAIT. TO. RUN.  The first 4 miles are relatively flat with the exception of two bridges and then we hit the big up hill climb from 5-9ish.  The last few miles are mostly down hill--thank goodness!--and I'll really be able to let my legs fly to the finish.

Half Marathon Goals:
Even though this will be my first race at this distance, I've got some pretty specific goals in mind.  I'm pretty insanely competitive with myself so these are the goals I've worked out based off of my training:

Goal A: Finish
---This is sort of a gimme goal for me, but hey, its my first race, so lets go with it!!

Goal B: Finish in 2 hours (9:09/minute pace)
---I think this goal is definitely attainable but it will require a lot of concentration, reserving my energy going up the hilly middle section, and cooperative weather.

Goal C: Finish in under 2 hours
---This is icing on the cake.  I may not hit it this race, but I've already been thinking about how I want to improve my time in races in the future!


I'll be back with an update after I fly with the Pig!!