Half Sarathon (I can't help it...)

Nearly 6 months of waiting and running came to an end this morning when I ran the minimarathon in Louisville.

Friends Meredith and Amberly kindly took care of the details (like booking a hotel room, picking a place to eat, driving) so I was pampered through the experience to say the least. We ate Italian, carbo loaded with lots of pasta and gnocchi, and turned in early. I could hardly sleep because I was so nervous.

Early this morning we made our way down town to take a shuttle bus to the starting line. So many people were there! I believe 12,000 people showed. Despite trying hard to keep a steady pace, I was swept up in the crowd and ran 11- 12 minute miles the first 6 miles-- after that I was so beat I slowed considerably. There were a ton of hills in the beginning and it was high in the 80's which didn't help the situation. But I drank lots of water, tried to stay upbeat, and persevered to the end.

The last few miles were difficult-- I felt like the bones in my feet were going to bust through my shoes. But how you can you slow down when the finish line is so close? Our friends were there to cheer Meredith and me on which was very encouraging.

At the very end I rounded the corner for the last stretch and went crazy! I was hootin and hollerin as I tore it up towards that finish line, I was so glad to see the end and knew I'd finished. My end time was 3hrs 13mins; not a great time, but only a little over my goal of 3 hours.

Will I do it again, people have asked? Maybe. I'd prefer to spend the summer working on my speed, maybe do some 5 and 10Ks instead as I do enjoy the experience of a race. It is simply wonderful to be able to say that I, the person who once couldn't run a half mile without collapsing, have run 13.1 miles and run them well.