Reflections on my Race

I survived my first half marathon!

I was nervous, excited, and petrified all rolled up into one. My training had only gotten up to 5 miles and in the midst of training I went on two major vacations and ate a whole lot of food that you probably shouldn't eat when getting your body ready to run 13.1 miles. We spent most of the weekend prepping for the race, Saturday afternoon we headed to SF and made our first stop at the Pre Race expo to pick up our bibs and t-shirts. The expo was so overwhelming, so many people and vendors trying to sell you race related materials (shorts, energy drinks, etc), and my nerves set in. This did the opposite for RSlo, it pumped him up! I swear he was bouncing off the walls, and I couldn’t get him to be quiet. But it was so cute I couldn’t help but be happy with his positive energy around.

Sunday was race day! I checked my phone and saw that several of my coworkers had sent text messages wishing me luck. My favorite came from my supervisor who wrote “Good luck tomorrow!! Run like a fashionista at a sample sale”, she knows me so well! When we arrived at the starting area there was a buzz and energy that felt electric. So many people were there stretching and talking to their friends and loved ones. We took off at 6:06 am pumped and ready to go. RSlo and I decided that although his running pace was a little faster than mine we were going to run the race together. We saw some interesting people along the way, a man dressed up in costume like the Hulk including the green paint on his face, and a woman dressed like Superwoman to name a few. The route was amazing, we ran along the water by Fishermans wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge and on the rolling hills of the streets of San Francisco. I really could have done without the rolling hills because they came at miles 11 and 12, but I made it through. We met an amazing 70+ year old man who was running his 20th half marathon. He was the sweetest guy and smoked past us every time we saw him. I was inspired by the strangers running all around me and ecstatic that I was finally getting to do this!


I have to say this experience would not have been the same without RSlo. I love this man so much, and it grew as we ran beside each other during this race. He was so excited, positive, and supportive every step of the way. Every so often he would look at me and ask how I was doing, and would tell me how proud he was of me and what a great job I was doing. He was there at mile 12 when I hit the wall and didn't think I could do it anymore, and he held my hand as we crossed the finish line and gave me a big hug. Although we were not able to train together for the race, we were together when it counted and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. The feeling of accomplishment once I completed was paramount and I knew that it was something that no one could ever take away from me. My official time was 2:29:31, and I do intend on running again with the hope of getting a better time that that!

Running

So I am running my first half marathon on Sunday. Prior to training for this race, the most running I had ever done was for a bus or any sort of public transportation. My friends would make fun of me because when I would run, it would be on my toes and hardly looked like a run at all. However running a race has always been something on my bucket list, so there happened to be one taking place at the end of July in San Francisco. The best part of it is that I'll get to run across the Golden Gate Bridge which if you've ever seen it in person is a sight and amazingly long. While I have had to work on my motivation throughout my training period, the one thing I have loved about running has been how I can clear my mind and my thoughts while I run. I leave all of my stress, drama, and worry behind and focus on the task at hand: getting from point a to point b. I smile at the people I pass by, I cross the street so dogs won't chase me, I appreciate the wind when a cool breeze comes along, running has been cathartic and a great workout. While I am absolutely nervous to be running 13.2 miles on Sunday, I am relived to have an amazing running partner. My bf who I lovingly refer to as RSlo will be running alongside me and will serve as my motivator. Our motto for the race is the following:

"when we get tired we'll walk and when we get thirsty we'll drink. We're not going to run each other into the ground. And if we're in bad shape we'll say f*** it, and find a breakfast place along the route so we can watch all of the other poor schmucks slog through it."

I think I can handle that...