Nearing the finish line!
As with all things, there are parts of the race that went really really well, other parts that weren’t so hot – and parts I can do better next time. Here’s the inside scoop:
What I loved about the race:
There is an amazing sense of determination that comes with doing something as insane as a half marathon. I had a few really rough moments, but somehow came up with the strength to carry on. It is truly incredible that humans are capable of finding ways to accomplish their goals.
Something else I love about these events: the people. There are always moments that test us, when we all think, “oh no, I just cannot do this.” And amazingly, every time I feel that way during a half marathon, there is always somebody who reaches out and pulls me up. Last year I followed a woman who had survived cancer and a double lung transplant – I thought, “if she can do it, so can I!”
I wrote to friends and family about my experience this time around with a stranger in a peach shirt who noticed the American Cancer Society tag on the back of my shirt that said “In memory of Ellen White.” She twice was able to help me change my attitude and keep on running. Something she said gave me so much hope and such a rush of love – “it’s not about time today. It’s about Ellen! It’s about Ellen.” This woman didn’t even know me, and she gave me a really wonderful gift.
I know that my mom would have been so proud of me. And you know what? I’m proud of me! I was so busy freaking out that the sweeper van was going to kick me out of the race for being too slow that I wouldn’t finish. And that is just ridiculous! I finished! I even beat my first ever half marathon time. Not as good as my second time, but man, I finished and made reasonable time!
What I didn’t like all that much:
This has nothing to do with the organizers of the race (who were awesome, by the way) or with the course or with anything that could be prevented: it rained. It rained really hard the entire time – not just drizzle, but rather the-sky-has-opened-and-it-is-raining kind of rain. It was hard to see, and the constant squish of wet socks in wet shoes is far from pleasant. At first, it felt kind of nice – it wasn’t hot and I didn’t feel anywhere close to dehydrated. But I wore a cotton shirt (rookie mistake, honestly, what was I thinking??) and it just soaked up the water. My shirt rubbed against my arm, my sports bra rubbed against my ribs, and I am so horribly chafed. Yeah. Ouch and a half.
Things I can do better next time:
I suppose that this very heading begs the question, “so, Hannah, does this mean you’re going to do another half marathon??” Honestly – yeah. Probably I will. There is something so amazing about knowing that my body can accomplish this really challenging and amazing thing. I was talking with a co-worker today who, reflecting on her own life, said, “it’s not just about what your body looks like, it’s that we have these bodies that can really do amazing things.” And she’s right – while I may have my own body-image insecurities, it is deeply satisfying to know that my body made it through 13.1 miles. How cool is that??
All confidence boosts aside, the truth is that I could have done some things better. I had a really really hard time getting myself to train. I think I only realized that I was going to be doing this race like, a month and a half ago. That is definitely not enough time to properly train. I got myself up to 8 miles and just hoped that adrenaline and sheer determination would get me across the finish line. It did – but I think that I would have been much better prepared if I had stuck to my training for a bit longer (duh…).
Related to this is my interval timing. I did intervals for this race – I started out doing 4:1 (4 minutes running and then 1 minute walking), which lasted for about 6 or 7 miles. My dear friend joined in for miles 6-10 (amazing motivation), and she encouraged me to reduce my intervals to 2:2 because I as so worn down. Basically, while I made it through the entire course, I was really inconsistent. In fact, the last few miles I stopped looking at my watch all together and kind of just ran when I felt I had some energy and walked when I felt I needed a break.
And in conclusion:
I did it! How awesome is that. I raised money for the American Cancer Society, worked really really hard, and accomplished my goal!
So… what’s next?
