2:21:01



Today, I ran my first half-marathon. It was...a long run. 13.1 miles, to be exact. And I don't particularly like running. But I like to have a goal, so I'm "forced" to exercise.



It went pretty well. I figured I'd be running at least 11-minute miles, and with the wind today and the additional distance (the farthest I'd run in my training was 11 miles), I expected to be done somewhere around 2 hours, 25 minutes and 2 hours, 35 minutes. I finished in 2 hours, 21 minutes, so I'm pretty happy! Oh, and I'm happy to be done.



A week ago, I ran the course (minus the leg down to the State Park and back) as a training run (the previously mentioned 11-mile run) and I'm glad I did. It was nice to be familiar with the course without being bored by it. However, it was pretty windy today. Winds 10-15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.



Guess when the wind gusted to 25 mph? Yup. When we were running through the State Park parking lot. So not only was I ducking my head against the strong wind after running 8 miles and still had to run another 5 miles, but I was also being whipped by stinging sand. Not fun. The worst part of the run, for sure.



Around 9 miles, I started to really get tired. Kent saw me at about the 9.5-mile mark (as well as the 3-mile mark and the 6.5-mile mark--what a sweetie) and that was the first time I gave him a thumbs-down sign. He encouraged me to try to lengthen my stride instead of shuffling along, but it was hard to get my legs to do what I wanted them to do at that point.



When I finished, I was exhausted. A little light-headed, and very, very proud of myself. I had so many people cheering for me, at the race (thanks mom, Travis, Allison, Lina, Adam, and Rachel) and at home (everyone else I know) and I appreciate the support so much.



Kent was a rock star today. He drove me to the start, told me not to be nervous, saw me 4 times throughout the course, and put up with my stinkiness on the ride home. When we got home, he rubbed lotion on my feet and massaged my calves for me. Then he went to work for the rest of the day! I couldn't have done it without his continuous support and patience, as I continually said "I don't want to run today" during my training.

Will I do it again? Maybe not. I didn't feel so hot after; I was slightly light-headed, had a headache, slightly sick to my stomach, and of course sore pretty much all over. But now I know I can do it and I'm so proud that I did.