Yesterday I ran the Flying Pig Half with Mikayla. We got downtown in the pouring rain and prayed that we wouldn't have a delay because of the lightning. Our feet were soaked through in the first mile and we ran using garbage bags as ponchos until about mile 2. Luckily, the rain eased up and we ran in sprinkling rain until the end.
I loved the crowd support! I could not believe how many people were lining the streets in downtown Cincinnati. People cheered and clapped and shouted out encouragement! We ran along the edges so we could get high-fives whenever possible. I even got a high-five from the Elvis Impersonator at the Krohn Conservatory. The hills were killer! But, I only had to walk about 4-5 times during the entire race. That thrilled me because I have had some really rough long runs over the past few months where I had to walk a lot!
Shane brought other kids and Eric down to see us run and we found him at about the 8.5 mile mark which was the split-off for the half marathon. the half-marathoners go left and the marathoners go right. I didn't even start the turn. I ran right into his arms for a hug and kiss. Then I told him we wanted pictures. I knew he wouldn't be able to come down for the finish and I HAD to have pictures with my kids. The only bummer was that Hunter was down a few yards with Eric, so he wasn't in the first family photo! But as we passed Hunter and Eric, Shane took another picture for us!
Shane got everybody in the van quickly and caught up with us 2 more times on the route where he and the kids yelled out the window and he honked the horn before heading home.
Mikayla was really supportive. She is a great runner and could have left me behind many times, but she stuck right by me. We had a wonderful time looking at all the buildings, and people, and beautiful sights. I'm so glad we had this opportunity to accomplish such a huge goal together! She shares my love of running and is much better at it than I am!
After seeing the family we ran back down into Cincinnati and I was getting very fatigued. The last mile was the worst! I thought I would be so excited and full of adrenaline that it would be easier to finish. Instead, I was praying over and over in my head "Please help me....please help me... please help me..." It kept me moving. We finished in 2 hours 39 minutes!
I ended up with some chafing burns on my back from my clothing and I got one blister on the arch of my foot that I was expecting anyway. But, as wet as we were, I think we got off pretty easy. My favorite thing about the race was my pace tattoo. You decided how fast you think you can run your race and pick a temporary tattoo to match. It shows you what time the clock should read at each mile marker, so you know if you are running faster or slower than you planned. I LOVED it. During every race I'm doing mental math to see if my pace is ok and this time I just glanced down at my forearm to see how were were doing. Every mile was good. We lost a couple minutes on the hills and and then made it up on the downhills. My pace tattoo was for a 2:45 finish and we did it 2:39!
I wondered if I could finish a Half Marathon and now I know that I can. I did it 4 days before my 40th birthday! Today my thighs are sore and I'm tired, but I feel REALLY good. I could use a nap, but Jared isn't cooperating. At my house, "race-recovery" means doing all the housework that didn't get done because I was racing!
On my other goals, I finally lost the original 22 pounds I set out to lose about a year and a half ago. I swore off pop (diet or sugar-full) for the month of April and didn't cheat at all. I think that helped with the weight-loss!
I promised myself that when I finished the half-marathon I would post a picture from my first Flying Pig event. This is Jessica and me at the Flying Pig 5K on 5/6/07! When Jared saw it, he asked who that friend was with Jessica!
And this is me & Mikayla with Tanner, Savannah, and Jared yesterday at the Flying Pig Half-marathon!
Here we are with Hunter and Eric!
I still have a long way to go before I reach my ultimate fitness level, but I'm definitely on my way!
