Run baby run baby run

I am one who likes to get her exercise over for the day so when a couple friends in the neighborhood said that they would be going walking/running two days a week at 6:30am this summer,  I thought it would be nice to go exercise without kids and be done in the morning. So I told Camille and Emily I would join them. I even talked Jen into joining us.

 

I am not sure when but Camille and I decided to run more than 2 days a week, I believe we were doing 4-she always took Fridays off. Camille was trying to get miles in every day as part of a marathon training she was doing, I was just happy to be along for the ride. We talked alot, walked a lot and sometimes ran. I really didn't like running but liked getting to my end destination sooner and if running meant that would happen, I would run. I started running a little more and more. I was amazed that my lungs didn't burn anymore, I didn't get side aches and I was actually starting to enjoy it. I remember we would walk the "hill" which really is just a bump along the way.

 

Camille ran a half marathon in July and started pushing me a little more. haha, she was always trying to convince me to sign up for a 5k or a 10k or a 1/2 marathon ( I truly do not even know how long a 10k or 5k is), I told her I had NO desire, NO interest and was just running because I liked her company. True story.

 

As her St George marathon approached her miles also increased. She asked me if I would like to go along with her on her long runs. Sure, what the heck! When she did 20, I opted for 10 or 11. I was amazed after running that many miles,  I felt great. Another day, we ran up to Daybreak Lake, met Kami and ran around the lake with her and then home and we ran 10 or 11 straight.  I really had to convince myself mentally along the way that I could keep going and I was just fine. I really wanted to stop and walk but the girls pushed me. I don't remember how long it took us to do 11 but Camille said Kenz a half marathon is just 2 miles more, you could totally do one.  Huh, I thought, I probably could do that. Camille was ALWAYS trying to talk on or more of us girls to join her in her crazy running ideas.

 

When school started, Camille and I decided to keep up running in the morning. It started getting darker and colder and Camille's marathon started getting closer it was the first weekend in October. Another friend Jessica said she was going to sign up for the SOJO 1/2 which was in the middle of October. Kami said she found a 1/2 marathon 6 week training course and was going to do it also. Camille told me more than a dozen times I was trained to do it. I wanted to sign up but was scared, I have never, ever, ever, ever, in my whole life enjoyed running or even had a desire to run. BUT I decided to do it and prove all my hard work from the summer and signed up for the half myself.

 

I didn't mind the 6 week training program. My training week was 3 short runs (3-4 miles 3x a week), 1 long run which increased by 2 miles (starting at 4, next week 6, eventually to 12) every Saturday, 1 cross train day and 2 rest days. Camille and I tore up the pavement. I started wearing an arm band (just like her) to track the mileage and our times using an app MapMyRun. Our average mile was from 8-10 minutes per mile. Kami thought we were crazy getting up and running in the dark! We did run around Daybreak Lake with her once in the day, it is definitely funner running with a friend.

 

Camille's marathon came and went. She did great even with an injury, her story inspired me more. AND then I got a cold 10 days before my race. Sore throat, sniffles, sneezing, runny nose. I decided to cut my last Saturday run down to 4 and keep my energy for the race. My cold did not get any better and was turning into a sinus infection. Week of the race my training was 2- 3 mile runs, I ran 2 miles total last week and had a hard time breathing and was coughing up so much I didn't know how I would run 13.1 miles on Saturday. The day before the race I told myself I would still complete the 1/2 but probably would just walk it, I had 6 hours to finish. The finish line closed at 2pm. That night I had Mike give me a blessing.

 

The next day I woke up and felt better than I had the last 10 days, my nerves were high and so were the butterflies. Mike drove Kami and I to the starting line where people were in shorts and tanktops--it was 39' degrees out~manageable but still very cold!

 

Kami and I stayed in the car until 5 minutes before the race started. Kami and I snapped a picture just before we found Jessica. And the gun time began and we were off. It took about 45 seconds to cross the starting line. We started behind the tracker that said 2:30, which meant if you followed him you would finsih the race at that time. Before I got sick I was hoping to make a 2 hour 1/2 but didn't have any expectations now. The first mile was slow, the track was thick with runners and we were weaving in and out of racers. Before long we had a good pace going.

 

About mile 4 Kami decided to take a bathroom break and said she'd catch up. I looked for her all along the race, she had to stop one other time and said she could never catch me. Instead, I just ran. I secretly was trying to catch the 2 hour mile tracker. I tried to keep my pace consistent and made good times with each mile. 

 

 

 

 

Along the way they had stations with trail mix, water, Gatorade and Gu's, I had never tried the Gu before but figured I might run out of energy from being sick and should take one. Well the next station had one as well, so I took another. 

Before I knew it we were half way through. My phone kept dinging, I figured it was Mike texting me but wasn't sure what he was saying. He was asking me if I was sprinting, he and the kids were trying to catch me along the race and kept missing me. I found the 2 hour mile tracker and passed her. I kept looking for the 1:50 but never found that tracker. As I was coming up on mile 11 and heading towards the Jordan Parkway I saw a minivan in the road.  I smiled as big as I could it was Mike and the kids. I waved so they would know it was me as you can tell from the above picture I was going for warmth instead of looks at the race. Tears even started to pool in my eyes, my family came to find me along the race. I didn't expect the sudden emotion but was so excited to see them.  

 

I knew the Jordan River trail was about 2-3 miles and then the race was over, I was almost there. I kept running and running. Too bad I didn't have the song "Run baby run baby run" by Sheryl Crow on my phone. A girl came up to the side of me and said "I've been trying to catch you for half the race, I finally did" it was an awesome compliment. I told her I was just trying to catch the person in front of me.

I turned the last corner in the trail and saw my family again. Another turn of emotions hit me, i was almost there. I could hear the announcer calling peoples names as they finished the race. I didn't know I had anything in me but sprinted the last and crossed the finish line. The finish line was crowded with runners and friends and family. I got my medal and quickly found my family and gave them a hug. A sweaty stinky hug I'm sure! The kids drew me a pictures. I love them! I did it!

I am so proud of my accomplishment in running 13.1 miles well actually my phone said it was 13.72, somehow along the way the half racers took the marathon races path. We ran .3 or .4 more miles than we were supposed to. My time was 2:01, I am not sure how the extra .3 or.4 miles will be deducted from my time or if it ever will. In my mind I know I was ahead of the 2 hour mile tracker so I'm sticking to that. Either way I am very proud of my accomplishments, my goal and my first half marathon. Who knows I may even have another in me, 13.1 or less that is. I am still trying to convince Mike that running is fun, he is not convinced YET.