My 1/2 Marathon, a story told...

(in the white tank)




I just returned from a very fun family weekend...actually only about 1.5 days out of Ashland. We got to see the Cougs NOT hit the ball and lose 2 games against the Ducks...boo hoo. But on a happy note, I finished an interesting experience this morning. Here's the tale...
At 6 am Josh took me into Eugene to Hayward Field...home of Prefontaine and Track Town, USA. I arrived in the midst of 8000 runners of all ages...I was most impressed with the huge number runners over 40...super inspiring.

7 am I scrunched into the huge mob to begin my first 13.1 mile run.
Miles 1-3 I was one of the hundreds of cattle chugging along, well over my pace time because I could barely move.
Miles 3-5 The herd started opening up, I picked up my pace, shed a couple of layers and the race was on.
Miles 5-9 I'm feeling gooooood...I think I could run FOREVER. The cheerful observers had awesome signs and encouraging smiles and the gatorade/water stations were a lifesaver.
Miles 9-11 Still enjoying the run, warmer weather but eagerly looking for the big blue banners waving in the wind with my next mile marked on them.
Mile 11 My feet are starting to talk to me, for the third time since I began running I pushed the tears of "oh my gosh, I'm really doing this" back down.
Miles 12-13 Wow, that went fast and I hope my toenails are still intact and oh man, keep chuggin' because the spectators are getting thick and I don't want to look like I have no gas left.
Mile 13.1 Wow again, I entered Hayward Field with a track full of runners bolting to the finish line and a stadium full of cheering friends and family. About 20 yards to the finish line I see Josh, then Chase and Sailor waving and smiling. I gave them a big happy wave and crossed the finish line with an abrupt thought, "I'm done, really, already."

So, aside from the stinky runners, weird goo squishing out of a runners armpit, hurdling over a super flat squirrel on the road, the 70 year old beating me, gatorade up my nose at mile 8 and periodically getting elbowed by eager runners...I had a blast!

The course was beautiful and easy, the weather was perfectly refreshing and digging deep within to keep my legs moving for 2 hours was so amazing. I prayed for runners I passed or saw across the meadow on the return loop who were working so hard but were going to probably struggle down the road because of their age, weight or inexperience...It inspired me to see them committed to the race, to their health and the experience...I prayed they would have peaceful endurance, encouragement and enjoy their day.

I was so happy to hug my family after the race and see how excited they were...and probably relieved knowing my 10 weeks of training and being crazy about finding time to run is OVER...for now...Cascade Lakes Relay: 216 miles with my 11 teammates in July is next...way fun! However, note to self, don't eat curry the night before, it can sneak up and cause some worry along the way.

Stats: Finish time 2 hrs 5 minutes, 9:34 miles pace time, top 26% of all half-marathon runners, top 25% female runners. This is my personal best, my training pace time was 10:00 miles but its funny how people watching you run on the sidelines makes you run faster...gotta look like the race is easy, right??!! :)

Thank you God for a healthy body to run, a supportive family and the desire to try new things!