I am still stunned to think that I just finished a half marathon...
This is coming from the girl who back in middle school utterly dreaded Wednesdays because that was the run day in PE. Looking back, I think we only had to run 1 mile, maybe 1.5; yet that was so difficult for me. I ALWAYS got terrible side stitch that would force me to walk. Well...look where I am today and am very happy with myself.
I truly must give a shout out to my friend Anni. She has been my go to gal for training through this process. It is always easier when you have a "coach/trainer" helping you reach for your goals.
The day of the run was absolutely beautiful. Start temp was about 40 degrees. The course actually was adjusted about a 2 - 3 weeks ago since St. George had flooding and many of the trails that were part of the original course had damage or were swept away. I was a little bummed, because I mentally was getting set for the original course. However after finishing it, I am very happy that we ran the course we did. It was perfect.
I ended up running with Anni and one of her clients Allen. I never run with people because I always feel like I am so much slower than they are. However this time I just told myself to try it. It ended up being a blast! Anni paced us at 5 minutes running, then 2 minutes walking. I was a little worried that this would make us so slow however it really was a great plan. My body never got that exhaustion feeling and mentally it helped to know that you get to walk in one minuet, etc.
We talked about everything and anything and even had energy to jump and be silly in some of our poses.
My time ended up being 2:31. I was so happy with this. I estimated I would be between 2:20 and 2:40 depending on how I felt.
Overall I am very happy that I made the decision to sign up and stuck to my training plan. It truly is amazing what our bodies are capable of.
