Half Marathon

Something I have always wanted to say I've done and to accomplish is to run a long race. Well, after Kaylee was born, a friend of mine, Summer, and I decided we would do one together. We signed up for the Fort 4 Fitness Half Marathon in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We began running individually twice a week and then running together on Saturday mornings. We were just about at the same level in our pace and distance abilities, so it worked out really well. 2 summers ago the two of us ran a 5K race which was soooo difficult for us. Somehow over the last 2 years, running further distances has become easier and easier till we were able to accomplish a 13.1 mile race!! Here are some photos of our finish!!

Cooper and Jaxton knew I was working on running a race. They would always ask me if I would win! I tried to explain to them that there were so many people running, and that I am not super fast. But I will be a winner if I finish the race and run to the end. It was kind of a hard concept for them to think that I wouldn't be THE winner, but it was exciting to have Cooper come to the race to see me finish. Nate has been very supportive of my goals to run and I probably would not have done the race without his encouragement!

We came in at 2 hours and 2 minutes, which is sooner than our goal. Our goal was to come in by 2 hours and 10 minutes, at a 10 minute mile pace. So we beat our goal!!! There were about 3,300 people running the half marathon and we finished around the 1,000 person mark. So we were faster than the average runner!! Something I experienced for the first time as I started to run long distances was the "runner's high." After about mile 3 or 4, your body experiences a "high" and you feel absolutely great as if you could run forever! When we trained for the 5K 2 years ago, it was sooo difficult to get through those 3 miles. I remember it being so hard and strenuous! And still the first 3 miles are always a struggle for me. But now I know that as long as I can get through those first 3 miles, then I will feel great and can run forever without stopping. Towards the end of the 13 miles, by mile 10 or so, my body turns into a robot. At that point my legs are just moving with momentum. It doesn't feel like I am exerting any energy at all, my body just keeps moving. Its definitely a strange feeling.

We each got a medal for finishing!! Now I can mark that event off my bucket list....or maybe the next step is a full marathon....? We'll just have to see....