Never Would've Guessed

So I did the half marathon last Sunday and I'm just now getting my normal gait back. Oh did I hurt on Monday! Though moving was tough, I can honestly say it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the experience and the challenge so much that I'm looking for other distance runs in the area in which I can participate.

I didn't run with headphones since the race rules said I couldn't but there were more people with headphones than without. I was irritated less at the fact that I didn't just bring my iPod to run with than I was at the fact that so many people didn't care that it's kind of a safety issue. Not all of the race was closed to cars and not all of the parts that were open were monitored. It was a very safe course but it's easy to lose what's going on around you when you have headphones on. I appreciated knowing when people were coming up behind me (the whole race) and their relation to me. One guy pushed me out of his way and another guy almost pushed me off the pavement. I wouldn't have anticipated them coming with headphones on. Also, there were plenty of distractions so it's not like I got bored.

Among all the people who passed me in the beginning was a girl about my size and running at a pace I thought I could keep so I decided to never let her get too far away from me. She set my pace and thanks to her I shaved a minute off of each mile. I anticipated running a 13 minute mile but she kept me around 12. If I had headphones on I would've been in my own world, not noticed her and would've ended up with a 13 minute mile. We were close to each other until the last mile or so until she took off. Of course, she did a lot of run/walking starting around mile 9 whereas I didn't. I did pass her two times. That was cool.

I didn't cry too much at the end. I got emotional but there probably wasn't much moisture left in me. I did start to cry at mile 11 because I was overwhelmed with the fact that I WAS RUNNING IN A HALF-MARATHON. I couldn't believe that I had come that far- literally and figuratively. I keep pushing myself to my limits and am always surprised when I surpass them. I love this new side of me. I'm happier and healthier than ever before now that I've found it. This is so freaking cool.