13.1 just isn't fun!

Wow, one week ago I ran 13.1 miles! That is insane. If I told you all that has happened since then, you'd be impressed.. especially at the amount of food I have consumed. Almost 3 pizzas is only the beginning! I did decide to go running this morning after taking the week off, and boy, 3 miles felt glorious.

13 weeks of preparation for a 13 mile race. This training consisted of running 3 days a week, adding up to be 170 miles before the big day. I had a vein stripping done in my leg during my training and dealt with patella tendinitis,  but other than that my body was healthy and strong. For that I am grateful. My runs were awesome and I was super pumped until after my 9 mile run, which was when I just wanted the race to be overwith. I ran my 9 miles at an average of 9.12, so I really thought I'd be able to finish under 2 hours on race day. I ended up finishing at 2:08.24, with an average pace of 9.49/mi. I was 610/1600 running the half, and I was 43/93 in my division.

Now onto the race. It sucked. But for real. I crossed the start line with other runners who were supposed to be running between an 8 and 9 minute mile. I felt great jogging down rehoboth avenue, until I looked at my watch and saw that I was running at a 9.35 pace instead of an 8.15 that I should have been at. So I had to shuffle around many people for a while in order to find free space to run at a good pace. After that, my first few miles were great, and I maintained an 8.40 pace for a while. I hit my first wall around 4 miles and honestly didn't think I could do it. I kept thinking of my kids and the fact that I want them to set goals and reach those goals, so I kept pushing. At around mile 5 when we reached the trail that we would be on for 7ish miles,  I wanted to die. It was gravel, and dirt, and pine cones surrounded by trees, trees, and more trees. Not very enticing to me.

At that point I just focused on not stopping, all I wanted to do was finish that race without walking. I ran a few miles so slowly, my grandma could run faster, but I did not stop. At mile 10 I began imagining that I was running at home on my normal 3 mile course and pretended to picture the police department,  horse, and flashing yellow light. That got me through. With one mile left, I picked up my grandma pace and finished with a 9 minute mile.
My dad cheered my name as I ran the final stretch to the finish, and knowing my parents, Christa,  Andrew and our kids were there filled me with joy. I'm so grateful to have an awesome family and amazing friends. After the race, I just wanted to go home, but we did eat at Bob Evans on the way.

I'm proud of myself for never giving up. I wish I had been able to run as quickly as I know I am capable of,  but I am so happy I didn't give into the urge to walk. People ask if it was worth it to train and run that far... I say I'm glad I did it but I do not recommend it. I'd rather pop out a baby all natural any day. Hahaha. For all you marathon runners out there, I have a new and improved respect for how difficult that must be! I see many 5ks and a few 10ks in my future, but I will leave the halves and the marathons for all the crazies :)