My First Half Marathon

On Sunday, September 22 I ran in my very first half marathon, the Fox Valley Marathon in St. Charles, Illinois. It was an experience of a lifetime and by far one of my greatest accomplishments. Here are some before and after thoughts…

Before
Nervous and excited. Those are the best words to describe how I’m feeling. This is going to be a big accomplishment and I have no doubt that I can do it but I wish I would have trained more. Yes, I did run consistently these past few months but only a few times did I push myself past my comfort zone. And I should have done that more.

My best friend Sarah, who is also running the half tomorrow, and I went out for a pasta dinner tonight to load up on carbs. We’re making sure we get plenty of sleep (which means going to bed at 10:30 p.m.) and drinking lots of water. Basically we are doing any final preparations for the big day.

My boyfriend Miguel asked if I was ready. My response was yes and no. Since this is my first half marathon, I don’t think it’s possible to be fully prepared. I know it’s going to be hard but I know I have the mental and physical grit to do it. It’s going to be great. I can’t wait for that feeling when I cross the finish line. It’s going to be pure ecstasy.

After
I’m still in shock that I actually ran and successfully completed a half marathon. I won’t deny that it was hard and extremely exhausting but I finished. Seriously, it was such an amazing feeling crossing that finish line. Although, right after I felt like I was going to fall over… it’s hard to slow down after you have been running nonstop for over two hours.

I finished in 2 hours and 41 minutes… which was under my goal time of 2:45. I felt great for most of the race. I ran straight through the first three miles then every mile after that I walked for one minute per mile. That was something my sister recommended doing and it was a beneficial technique.

Not sure if I’ll do another half marathon again… or even a full marathon but I’m extremely glad I ran this one. I now proudly drive my car with a 13.1 magnet on the back!

About to cross the finish line…!

We did it!