Very First 1/2 Marathon EVER!

Well… I did it! I completed my very first half marathon ever. And boy did it feel GREAT! My training really paid off even if I didn’t train properly. I felt great through out the entire race!

Here’s how it all went down:
We headed up to Shepherdstown Friday night and stopped on our way for dinner. I knew that I needed carbs, but everything on the menu that included pasta was way too heavy. So I decided to go with Salmon and rice, and a big salad from the salad bar.

The food was great, and I was just hoping that it would be what I needed to keep me going for the race. We got to the hotel around 10:15pm, and I immediately went to bed knowing very well I would have to wake up early.

We woke up around 6am and were out of the hotel at 7am. I wasn’t hungry, but I still ate 1 bite of oatmeal, 3 bites of yogurt, and brought a banana to eat before the race. (sorry no pics, it was way too early for me to take pictures)

We arrived at the starting line where I picked up my packet, my awesome t-shirt, and a water bottle.

Here I am putting on my chip in my layers of clothing!

Check out my high socks. I have to wear them to keep me from getting blisters. So far so good!

We were very early so we decided to take a walk around as the sun was rising. I was able to capture a few great pics over the Potomac River. (Or actually Chris was able to capture the pics)

As the race was getting closer to starting I was getting more and more nervous. But I just kept telling myself that this was only practice for next week, and I needed to just pretend that I was running for fun. Just running like I do at home. We had some time to take some pics before the race started.

Can you believe it? I am about to run 13 miles!!!

Chris being silly of course! But I still love him for it.

With the rents

And we even had some history involved

We get to the starting line, and I was right up front. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the fast runners up front, but I hate starting all the way in the back because it takes so long to get moving.

So we were off and I felt so good.

The air was crisp and cool and the sun was out to give us some warmth. I stayed at a steady pace that felt good to me the entire time. HOLY HILLS! This race was incredibly hilly. I really like hills, but this was crazy amounts of hills. Literally rolling hills almost the entire race.

Despite all the hills, my body felt so good during this race. My foot didn’t hurt at all, I didn’t get any cramps, and I didn’t have any major or even minor issues. Instead of looking at my Garmin every 2 seconds I decided to tell myself constantly that this was just practice, and I was running for fun. I wanted to enjoy myself on this run. The race was through Antietam Battlefield, which was very cool to see as you were running, and it was so inspiring to see all the marathoners running past you. I popped some Luna Sport Moons towards mile 8 and 10 and 11. I didn’t feel like I really NEEDED them, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to lose my energy at the last mile.

The last 2 miles were on a trail right by the Potomac River, which was beautiful. As we were nearing the end I couldn’t believe how good I felt. I pushed a little harder because I realized I might be able to break 2 hours. I had a goal in my head of wanting to make it under 2 hrs and 10 min, but never did I ever think I could break 2 hours. As we were coming up on the finish line I saw my parents and Chris cheering me on and waved them hello. I also was acting a little silly.

I couldn’t believe how much energy I had. I gave the last 1/2 mile all I had and just ran my heart out. I came across the finish line right at 1:51:30. I was so stunned, and I think my family was too. I mean did I really just break 2 hours by 9 min??? I wasn’t even out of breath or sweaty. I felt so proud of myself. This was my first time running 13 miles let alone 13.1 in a race!

Chris surprised me at the finish line with the most beautiful flowers for completing my very first 1/2 marathon!!! How sweet is he?!?! They were yellow roses with purple and red, just perfect for fall and they matched my apartment exactly!

Running in this race made me so inspired and motivated to run more often and participate in more races. Just to be out there on such a beautiful day and running with all these people who share the same passion as you was such an incredible feeling. It made me so happy to be a runner.

I had bought a visor about a week before the race because sometimes the sun gets in my eyes, and I have to tell you this was the BEST investment I have ever made. It kept my face shaded so the sun was not in my eyes and really helped my body stay cool believe it or not because my face was cool.

This was such a wonderful first 1/2 marathon experience. I was on Cloud 9. After the race we all went back to the hotel, and I showered and changed. We headed to the Bavarian Inn for Oktoberfest and lunch. The Beer Garden and outdoor festival was packed so we decided to have a nice lunch inside. But of course I picked up my free souvenir pint glass first!

What a perfect ending to a great race. Isn’t the Inn gorgeous?

I had a Reuben, and we got a traditional Bavarian Sausage appetizer, but I decided to enjoy my experience with my family instead of taking pictures so I took the rest of the day off.

Thank you to my family and Chris for supporting me this entire time, and for making the trip to see me run. (Doug and Ashley -I know you were there in spirit! Thanks for all the encouragement) Thank you Chris for the beautiful flowers. I can’t wait to do it again next weekend in BALTIMORE!

I love my flowers!

Here are the stats from the race according to the chip and gun time.

• Distance: 13.1 miles
• Gun Time: 01:51:32
• Chip Time: 01:51:30
• Average Pace: 8:30/mile
• Place: 115 out of 486

I can’t wait to do this again next week.

Tagged as: 1/2 marathon, bavarian inn, flowers, freedoms run, oktoberfest, shepherdstown