Sunday, March 6, 2011

13.1... Check!



Lookie here my dear friends- You are staring at the picture of health and fitness. Ha! Well, I won't go that far, but you ARE staring at two half marathoners!!!

We did it! And I'm living to write about it! What started out as a far fetched declaration on facebook... Lucy and Ethel (as we are often referred to- that or Thelma and Louise) decided that after people doubted our athleticism and determination that we would run 13.1 miles! After months of training, blisters, chafing, pep talks, and everything in between, we- along with our families traveled to Orlando, Florida to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon... and run it we did!

After starting in the second to last corral... because our hubbies signed us up and had high hopes that we would finish in less that 3 and a half hours, I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 22 minutes... Placing #3205 out of more than 16,000 runners. Ummm... and if you can't tell- I would fo' sure say this is a "first timers" marathon because there were many women that looked like me- just trying to accomplish the goal of finishing.

I will say that I had hoped to run a little faster- and not to pat myself on the back too much, but I'm sure I could have shaved a good 10+ minutes off of my time... We were stuck in a pack for most of the race and at times it was impossible to pass people- My last three miles were almost two minutes per mile faster than my first three! Account for that... and the fact that I had to stray off course to pop a squat in the woods for a potty break (because I'm classy like that)- only to find that there were other crazies and I had to wait for a clear spot behind the brush resulting in another 5 minute pit stop, and I guarantee we would have been around 2:10...

Ashley and I ran the entire race together... right up until the 10 mile water stop- where we lost each other in the sea of people. After genuinely looking for her for about two minutes, I decided that she must have gone ahead of me... and I took off thinking- that bitch is NOT going to beat me... When in all reality, she must have been looking for me a little longer and not having those thoughts... and came in just behind me.:) Oops.

Crossing the finish line was one of the most amazing moments ever- It has been so long since I accomplished something that I had to work at that was for me and about me.

Many people warned me that after running the half that I would have an itch to complete a full... Not one ounce of me felt that way! I'm good with a half... and admire those that run full’s even more. But I do want to run more halves, and I've set a personal goal to finish one in under 2 hours in this lifetime. And now I know... Anything is possible- if only you believe in yourself.:) I'll be back to pounding the pavement tomorrow morning- because after a week in Disney World, I believe.:)

What's on your bucket list? Anyone want to join me in training for a mini-triathlon?

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