Mile By Mile: My Half Marathon Journey

Since I started running last year, it was always a "goal" to run a half marathon, but I never truly made it a goal, if you know what I mean. I was always, "Yeah, I wanna do a half marathon!" But never sat down, picked one out and started the rigorous training that went with it. That all changed, this past October, as I celebrated my 1 year running anniversary by running the same 5k that changed it all--The Tyler Rose Marathon, Half and 5k. Except this time, instead of going at it alone, I had running buddies there with me to run their own races!

One of them, a truly inspriational person: Sonia. She's amazing woman that I am proud to call a friend that came into my life earlier this year. Just 4 years ago, she had been in a horrific car accident and was in a body cast. At such a uncertain time in her life, that had to of been crushing. PLUS, she's a cancer survivor! Now, she runs marathons. Yeah, you read me right. MARATHONS. A whopping 26.2 miles! As I watched her come across the finish line that day, it was hard to believe that just a few years ago, maybe she wouldn't of ever walked again, let alone run. So I made a decision, that next day, that I was finally going to train for a half marathon and run one.

I picked one out, The MetroPCS Dallas Marathon on December 9, 2012. I had given myself two months to train. I registered and paid so I had a financial reason to commit to my training. At this point, I was running maybe only 5 miles a week and going to my Cave workouts on MWF. But my fitness and endurance had never been better, so I was ready to push my body to see what it was capable of. I downloaded the Nike+ app onto my phone to help me track distance & my pace. It was a pretty handy little app or so I thought (I'll explain later). I downloaded a few half marathon training schedules and modified it to fit into my workout routine to where I would run two moderate runs a week, plus a long run at the end of the week. I increased mileage on a weekly basis. I probably should of run one more day, but I needed to make sure my body had ample recovery time.

The weeks went by and the miles added up. I found my happy pace (which is slow) and as I could run further without having to stop and walk, my confidence grew. Before I knew it, the week of my race was here. I was on high alert! Level red! Now it was time to make sure I got enough sleep, carbo load, keep my body on a regular schedule so there were no surprises! Tehehe.
I was a nervous wreck. They say the nights before your big race are most important to get the best quality sleep because usually the night right before it's hard to get that quality sleep because your anxiety is so high about the race. Well I must of overcompensated because while my race was on a Sunday morning, I tossed and turned Thursday, Friday AND Saturday night. PLUS, I was getting the early inclinations of an ear infection so I self medicated with some leftover antiboitics I had. (Don't scold me for not finishing a cycle of antiboitics) I HAD to run this race. I was determined to go. Thankfully I wasn't going to Dallas alone. Jamie (my husband) was going with me and my friend Sonia was going to run the marathon while her husband Mark hung out with Jamie :)

Finally it's race day. It's supposed to be a beautiful day in Dallas. High of 70 and partly sunny skies with a cold front moving through later that afternoon. I'm wide awake at 5:40am, almost 30 minutes before my alarm was even set to go off. I quietly get up, not to wake Jamie and get dressed, eat my breakfast and start to stretch. I get word that Sonia and Mark are on their way, so I wake up the hubby and from there time just starts to fly -- the race starts at 8am. Next thing you know we're all walking out of the hotel towards the Dallas Convention Center, where the big race is going down! We stopped & joined hands to say a quick prayer, led by Mark, that literally brought tears to my eyes. The enormity of what I was about to do dawned on me and I was going to need to remember that prayer later in my run. There was supposed to be over 20,000 people running and as I got closer to our corrals where we line up to start, I certainly believed it. It was just an unbelievable sea of people, all hearded up like a bunch of cattle! moo.

As Sonia and I slip into our corral, there is an undeniable undercurrent of excitement in the air. Music is blaring, everyone around us is chattering excitedly, the race MC making announcements and counting down on the giant speakers overhead. People of all shapes and sizes, athletic ability, backgrounds all gathered together to conquer the same goal AND support the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. There was this unspoken camaraderie between all participants, friendly faces abound, along with enormous support from countless spectators, friends and family members.

Both the half marathon and full marathon started together at the same time. 8am came and went, we still hadn't started. Suddenly, the people in front of us start to slowly surge ahead. We finally start to make the slow walk towards the start line. Sonia and I quickly give eachother hugs and wish eachother well. I try to calm my quick beating heart, try to focus and breathe deeply. I needed to control the surge of adrenaline that was starting to coarse through my body. Running to quickly on adrenaline at the beginning of a race can be the deteriment of many runners, burning you out at the end of a race when you need that extra push most.

The closer to the start line we get, the anticipation is building. The remants of runner's quick energy boosting gels litering the ground, confetti raining over us inbetween the skyscrapers of downtown. I turn on my music, try to get into my zone, which was hard to do because I could still hear the MC through my earphones. I turn on my Nike+ app, so I can keep track of where I am in the race...and suddenly I'm there. the start line. One foot over the other and race had officially began for me. Sonia quickly disappears ahead into the sea of people in front of me and I am now facing the next 13.1 miles alone.

Mile 1: The stimuli of the morning had completely overwhelmed me. This was the biggest race that I have EVER attended. The people, the sights, the sounds, and the pressure that I put onto myself to perform. My mind was going a mile a minute, which was what I wished my feet were doing. I was jittery and anxious. I tried not to think about running so much as to trying to settle into the moment and enjoy this experience. Spectators and fans lined the street. It seemed like every 100 yards there were different groups of cheerleaders and bands playing music, everybody smiling, yelling words of encouragement, holding up signs. I can't help but smile and relax my shoulders a bit. My Nike+ app tells me in my ear that I've completed my first mile. 1 down, only 12.1 to go.

Mile 2: Now, at this point I'm fully entertained as I run. The people watching is priceless! There is so much going on around me that running is now almost a second thought. This mile was pretty easy to do. I hear my Nike+ app in my ear again and 2 miles completed. I think, maybe this won't be so bad afterall and continue to enjoy the sights of downtown. It's not until I see the mile marker for Mile 2 that I realize, my Nike+ app isn't calculating distance correctly. It had been almost 5 minutes since it told me I had completed Mile 2, but I was just now reaching it on the course. No wonder! It seemed way too easy! I'm a little frustrated, but realize it may of just been a little glitch. Maybe it would work itself out.

Mile 3: I'm just now feeling thirsty enough to start taking some small sips from my handheld water bottle. I've been avoiding the water stations thus far because they are a mess! On approach to each one, hoards of people flock to the tables, discarded paper cups littering the moist ground. I gladly detour around at the moment, not wanting to loose the time and especially not wanting to be the girl that slipped on a cup and had to be carted away because I wasn't careful. I had worked too hard to go out that way. haha!

Mile 4: Took us across the new Margaret Hunt Bridge, which was absolutely beautiful. I thought it was awesome that they shut the whole thing down just so we could run across. By now my Nike+ app had told me I had run a little over 5 miles and I was just done believing anything it had to say to me. My legs still felt good. The course designers did a good job of setting up the course into gently rolling hills so I had some nice downhill moments that weren't too rough on me.

Mile 5: I was starting to get hungry at this point. My pre-race breakfast of a banana and peanut butter pretty much was gone. I get out a package of my Stinger gel chews and gladly put a few into my mouth. Thank goodness I got my braces off just 6 days earlier, I didn't have to worry about all that getting stuck in my teeth! There are no trash cans nearby, so I just hold onto the package for a while -- but as I keep running I continue to pass discarded packages of gu gels and other energy boosters littered along the route. I feel guilty, but I let my empty package slip out of my fingers. There will be people to clean it up, but at least I felt bad about it, right??

Mile 6: I pass by the children's hospital that the marathon was supporting. It was nice to be able to see it and make the connect -- to know that it's real and that there are children that will be benefitting from all our hard work and sweat....mostly sweat! haha! 

I also pass by probably one of my favorite cheering groups, from the Lululemon Galleria store! I admit, I'm kind of bias....because I LOVE LULULEMON!!! Even though it's crazyyyyy expensive!!! Loved those ladies! They had some of the best signs EVER...and were all in their cute Lulu gear! In fact, I wore my Lulu speed shorts to run the race. They need to make me an Ambassador for their store, like, ASAP!

Now at this point, I'm feeling pretty optimistic. I'm pretty close to  halfway through and still feeling pretty good. The legs are holding up well and energy level is hanging in there. I've been running with some short walking intervals for a little over an hour now. I'm making decent time. I know I'm already not on point for my goal time but I wasn't too far off.

 

Mile 7: By this point, I've still yet to see Jamie or Mark anywhere on the course to cheer me on. I figure they probably went ahead to catch Sonia somewhere along her course since her route took her farther away from downtown and with the mileage she puts in, she needs (in my opinion) the support more than I do. It can be a little, hmmm...trying to find the right word for it, disheartening, to not see a familiar face. Although there were plenty of strangers along the course there just for the sake of cheering EVERYBODY and ANYBODY on, there were also lots of groups of friends and families, holding up pictures and signs of their loved ones--looking down the course anxiously, ready to cheer them on. There were also alot of people that were running the half in groups or teams, or simply with a friend. To have that constant encouragement, the sense of someone else's struggle with the exact same thing you are struggling with must of been comforting to most.

Although I was in a huge group of people all striving towards the same goal -- they were still people that I didn't know. I started to get that sad kind of feeling in the pit of my stomach, of feeling alone. I tried not to think about it too much and focus on the beautiful surroundings around me. I was on Turtle Creek, passing huge mansions that had to of cost millions of dollars, Lambourginis parked in the driveways. But it was hard to ignore the nagging feeling that I was alone in this race as I watched friends supportively pat one another on the back, or see someone grab a hand and say "let's go just 1 more minute!"

Mile 8: I was still running well at this point, even though an emotional struggle was starting to brew inside of me. Logically, I knew that I was past the halfway mark now and each step that I took, I was closer to the finish line. I don't know why I hadn't turned off my Nike+ app yet. By now it had told me I had run almost 10 miles. I just didn't feel like fumbling around with my iPhone holder that was strapped onto my arm. I was stopping at almost every water stop now, to refill my bottle with some cold water and grab a sip of gatorade. It was almost too warm of a day to be running this kind of race, but I was thankful I had prepared and packed a tank top to run in. So many others were running in long sleeves and jackets that were now drenched in sweat, it couldn't of been comfortable.

This part of the course was pretty shaded too, so it kept me pretty cool. I concentrate on my breathing and focus on my stride. One. Two. One Two. Then I see a familiar face peek around the corner up ahead! Jamie! My heart soared! He came to see me!!! In that one moment, it was like somebody literally filled my gas tank back up. As I got closer, he smiled and shook a package of jelly beans at me. I merely shake my head in return. I'm especially in better spirits now and plus I had a gu gel in my pocket for later if I wanted it. I didn't wanna sprain my ankle hopping up onto the sidewalk to say hello, so I blow him a kiss and keep moving, my newfound energy carrying me. Mark is standing about 30 feet away, clapping and I give him a high five as I go by. I've got 5.1 miles left to tackle.

Mile 9: Still riding high from seeing Jamie and Mark, this mile wasn't too bad on me. My body was starting to tire at this point, I should of consumed my gu gel, but I just wasn't feeling the thought of all that sugar at the moment. The only thing that tasted good was the lemon-lime gatorade from each water stop. Now, in hindsight, this mile would of been perfect to have something to eat, in the form of a gel chew or gu. I'll definitely know better next time.

 

Mile 10: By now, all the spectators along the course have completely cleared out. All the cheering stations and entertainment along the way were gone. There was nothing left but a few miles of road and the runners. After all the overwhelming support of the morning, the disappearance of everyone kind of took me by surprise. My Nike+ app now announced that I had run 12.5 miles and I had been running for a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes. My goal to finish was 2:45. It infuriated me. So many thoughts started to flood my mind. Have I been really training as much as I thought I have? Has my Nike+ app been miscalulating my distance this whole time during training? Was I really even ready for this run? Why am I even here? I'm supposed nearly be done by now! And now I still have 3.1 miles to go! This is ridiculous!

 

 

This was my mental breakdown moment. What many runners call, "Hitting the wall." Tears spring into my eyes in my frustration and in that moment, I was defeated. I was done. I slowed and began to walk. My legs were now heavy, I was starting to get stiff in my hip flexors and I was just tired of being out on the course. I begin to doubt myself. Those around me also start to slow, signs of exhaustion and fatigue starting to show in all of us. I have a few runners slowly but surely pass me and as my tears silently roll down my face, which I didn't even have the energy to wipe away -- I wish that I had it in me to keep going like they were.  

 

Mile 11: Sucks even worse than mile 10 because it's on an incline. I'm alternating again between walking and a slow. slow. sloooowwww. jog, trying to hype myself up again. I had come way to far to give up now. A girl next to me has her phone ring and she answers the call mid run and says, "hey, can I call you back? I'm running a half marathon right now." and I cannot help but start to laugh hysterically. I just found that greeting to be SOOOO FUNNY! She turns and looks at me with this rude why is this girl laughing so hard kind of crazy look. I don't know who called her, but I am thankful that they did. In that moment, that simple phone call and the release of my laughter seemed to release something within me that gave me a small spark that I desperately needed. As we make our way back into downtown, I begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This race is almost over.

 

Mile 12: This mile went by in a blur. The streets were again lined with people, with different faces all smiling in encouragement. That electricity that I described at the beginning of the race again began to crackle in the air. As I start this last mile, running toward me are the other half runners completing the loop towards the finish line. Seeing them to close to completion gives me some fire in my soul. If they're almost done with this race, I'm almost done with this race too! My feet start to move faster. At this point, I wouldn't even call it a run anymore. It was more of a shuffle, my feet barely coming off the ground. I start counting each step. One. Two. Three. Four....each step a step closer to the finish line that was so close. I could hear the race MC in the distance and the roar of the crowd. Just. A. Few. More. Strides.

 

Mile 13.1 - The finish :  I come around the corner to finish that last .10 of a mile, I see the finish line and the giant clock. I'm so close! The whole emotional roller coaster of my journey slams into me in this moment. Tears again spring into my eyes. I never knew that a the sight of a finish line could bring on so many different emotions. I'm feeling so many different things. I'm tired. I'm exhausted. But yet I am also elated and joyous to have made it. Although I have tears in my eyes, my face is beaming as I cross that finish line after 3 hours and 10 minutes. The magnitude of what I just did, what I just struggled through and what I just completed all wrapped around me in a jubliant, wonderful ending -- that felt more like a beautiful beginning.