From Andrea...Half Marathon

Well, it took a couple of days, but here is the second half of my last post.

So, on Friday last week, my good friend and neighbor, Shawnie and I headed up to Moab for the half marathon we were both running in. I was a little bit nervous about the whole thing, but did a bit of positive self-talk and decided that there was no one I needed to compete against but myself. Deciding that helped me to feel less anxious about it and made me more excited for the race than anything. We had a great time, just the two of us, chatting and laughing on the way up and for the rest of the night.
The next morning was race day. We had some breakfast and headed up to the bus stop where we would climb on school buses that would take us up the canyon for the start of the race. It is so beautiful up there and I was excited for the distractions that came naturally on such a incredible course. Getting to know some of the other racers could have been one of my favorite parts of the whole day. I love learning about people and hearing what motivates them to do these types of things.
As the race began, I was feeling great. The first 6 or so miles went really smoothly and I felt like I could run forever. However, about mile 7 I started to feel sluggish and kept myself going by reminding myself how great it would feel to finish. This motivation pushed me for a few more miles. But at mile 10, I felt what others describe as "hitting a wall". I came to a steep upward hill and decided that of all times, this would be my best time to walk. So as I walked up the hill, I was able to build up some more strength and ran steadily for a mile or so. Then, at about 11.25 miles, I was feeling great! I knew the end was so close and I began to speed up and pass people along the way. Again, I felt like I could run forever. I have never been even remotely close to running this much and the idea of finishing made me so excited.
As I reached what I thought was the last leg of the race, I was convinced I only had a quarter of a mile left to run. But when I reached the corner and saw the finish line, it seemed like an eternity away! It may very well have been a quarter mile, but it looked like 3 from where I was! It took all I had to keep running and not just give up and walk the rest of the way. Old me would have, but a new confidence had been built as I came to realize that day that I was doing something I had NEVER imagined I could. Practically in tears from exhaustion, I crossed the line at 2:10:31 and nearly passed out!
Other people describe finishing their first half as exhilerating and the biggest rush they'd ever felt. NOT ME!! I seriously thought I was going to pass out or die!! Either way, I figured I would be happier that way, than the way I was feeling at the moment. I met Shawie, who finished with an impressive 2:00:10 and walked until I got my heart rate down to a less alarming rate and collapsed on the ground. I laid there for a few minutes until I felt I could walk again and headed to the car for a shower and the trip home.
When all was said and done and I was able to think clearly about what i had done that day, I was anxious for my 10K this Saturday and the Provo Half Marathon in April. I equate it to how some people describe labor. It totally sucks most of the way through, but when all is said and done, you're ready to go again. Crazy....I know.
P.S. Sorry for the novels.