the mini marathon is over folks... time has flown by and the race is already over!
it feels like so much time is spent training and preparing to run and then in a few short hours its all over.
i apologize in advance for the jumbled words below. sometimes when i have many thoughts racing through my mind, it is hard to get them "down on paper" in a fashion that may actually make sense to anyone other than myself. so maybe you'll be able to follow along with me...
i wish this post was going to be all rainbows and butterflies but not every run or every race has the happy ending or PR like you'd really want it to. i am not at all trying to be a debby downer and i am doing my very best to stay proud and encouraged by my results from saturday's race but sometimes it is just human nature to feel a little disappointment. and i'm just writing it down because it is real life. i'm not looking for anyone to feel sorry for me or anything, just writing these thoughts down because everyone has a bad day or a bad run or a bad race. it happens.
but at the end of the day, i still did it. now i know i cannot complain about that!
first things first... meagan is amazing and way, way too nice to me. she drove down around 7am to meet me and walk me to my corral. the moral support she gives me on a daily basis... i just cannot thank her enough. for real.
pre-race selfie? check!
she helped to get me even more excited and ready for the race. this is the first time i've done any kind of race completely on my own. in the last couple of years, each race i've either started with someone or at least ran a good portion of the race alongside someone. once meagan left me in my corral, i was on my own. a little daunting in my opinion! but i tried to keep my spirits up and just knew i'd have to dig deep to make it thought... time for some good music to get me moving up to the starting line!
once we started, i saw meagan right around the corner and gave her a high-five as i ran by. i love seeing people along the route... such motivation!
my pace was slower than my usual training runs but that's okay... there were many more miles to go... had to save that energy!
between miles 5 and 6 i got to see todd and his mom and my little munchkin. a hug and a kiss from the little guy was super encouraging... kept me happy and smiling!
then it was off to the track. not my favorite part. i kept running without stopping until mile 8. and then it hit me. my legs felt like bricks and my attitude was just not good. last year i had so much fun with meagan and this year i was just lonely.
needless to say, miles 8-13.1 were not my favorite and i tried walking/running as much as possible. (i am kind of impressed by how quickly i can walk when i try! lol)
right before mile 13... my friends and my family. i see them as i come closer and immediately start to cry. i was so happy to see them and so glad that i was almost done. and so sad that i'd not run the entire time like i'd wanted to. so many emotions. and tears. and a little pain. and relief. :) its hard to describe all that you're feeling. and i know it sounds dramatic but i was hurting, physically and mentally and was SO GLAD to see my friends, my family, especially my husband and my main little man. another hug and kiss and that was the push i needed to get this race finished. i really couldn't wait to get it over with and go back with my family. oh the relief.
once it was over, and i dried my tears of accomplishment and disappointment (just being honest here) it was all smiles. it helps that i have a pretty amazing support system. i am truly so very lucky.
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so i wasn't as fast as i had wanted to be, i didn't finish in the time i had hoped to (2:30:00) and i didn't run the entire thing...but, i still finished roughly 20 minutes faster than last year.
i also feel like i've learned a thing or two as well...
- not every race will be a PR
- let yourself be proud of your accomplishments
- your friends and family are so awesome and so proud of you. embrace it. you've earned it.
- now you know how "rough" things can feel. something to work on for the next time.
- there will be a next time!!
- i still love running and still love racing... and hopefully will continue to improve with each step!
thank you for sticking with me and i promise that i'm doing my best to embrace my accomplishment, even if it wasn't all that i'd hoped it would be. i still kicked butt and i still finished. lonely and tired and i still did it. time to be proud of that!!
and here's a little something for fun. this has made me cry.... from laughing so hard. and i literally cannot stop watching it. he's my main man and i'm so lucky to have him to cheer me up... no matter what. i love you little man.
happy monday to you all and honestly, i am really looking forward to learning from this experience and moving forward! it is only up from here! so look out! ;)
Not every day is going to be easy. Its how you deal with the hard days that shows character and strength. The fact that you are getting back out there means that you are strong. Stay positive and remember this: "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard...is what makes it great!" -Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own
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