Before I forget

I wanted to put down in words my experiences of today before I forget.

Today was the day my friend Shanlyn and I have been training for since June.  We’ve spent a lot of time, a lot of miles, a lot of laughs, some grumbling, yes, but not much – together.  It’s been an adventure.  We started our training program not wanting to miss a single day that was prescribed.  It was hot.  The sun shone well into the evening and we considered our long runs to be four or five miles.

My, how things have changed!

This morning we were picked up by a gracious friend and her mother at 6:30 and made our way to Nollen Plaza in Downtown Des Moines; it was 37 degrees.  I was feeling pretty relaxed at this point, surprisingly.  I didn’t have that great of a night’s sleep last night.  Mostly due to nerves/excitement.  Typical for me.  But once I woke up for the day, I had a calmness about me.  I just knew it was going to be a fun day.

So, we started the race at the pace we maintained the whole time.  Somewhere between 10:00 and 11:00 minutes per mile, with the exception of the end of the race when we kicked it up a notch.  It was great to be encouraged by so many spectators even though we didn’t know most of them.  There was loud music playing at times, bands, and of course, the scenery was new and exciting – it all helped make it fun and interesting.

My body held up surprising well during the race.  The run felt good.  I was *very* worried about that because just a week ago, we did an eight-mile run and I was STRUGGLING the last three miles or more.  Like, I didn’t think I could go on and wanted to stop.  But, later in the week, the cold I’d been bothered with had 100% gone away and I got a couple of good shorter runs in, which helped my confidence.

So yes, I’m so glad I did it.  It was such a great, positive experience.  One thing that was so inspiring/humbling about the race, was how the MARATHONERS – the athletes running 26.2 miles – passed us with ease toward the end of the race.  It’s just incredible.  These men ran 5 minute miles for an entire 26.2 miles.  The top marathon finisher had a time of 2 hours, 14 minutes.  Shanlyn and I finished the half marathon in 2 hours, 20 minutes.  We were pretty happy with that.

Part of me thinks that because I had such a great experience, I’d love to do it again, shooting to improve our time.  The other part of me knows the time commitment involved and is a little hesitant about taking it on again.  I will be taking a break from running over long(er) distances and plan to get back into strength training again. 

One thing is for sure: I could not have done it without my sweet and supportive husband who took over the childcare duties for me for hours every week while I was out running, either after he got home from work for the day or on the weekends.  Ok, two things are for sure: I could also not have done it without my awesome, fantastic, wonderful running partner, nor would have wanted to do it without her.  Shanlyn was so great to run with and all the time we spent together training for the race was precious to me.  We helped to keep each other accountable with our training, yes, but it ended up being so much more than that.  Our friendship grew and that holds immeasurable value.  Thanks, Shan, you’re the best (even though you make me sprint at the end of races)!