Run Forrest Run

One of my motivators to lose the weight and get in shape was I signed up for a 1/2 marathon back in January.  I found one that took place on my birthday which I thought was perfect.  That is until it got closer to my birthday and realized I was not nearly as prepared as I wanted to be and the weather forecast looked like this:

 

As each day passed leading up to the race the forecast got worse and worse.  Severe thunder storms warning, possibility for hail, 80% rain.  It wasn't looking good.  I canceled my hotel room in Clearwater that I booked for the night before the race and decided maybe it just wasn't meant to be.  A few of my runner friends heard that I might not participate because of the fear of weather and they talked me out of it.  They all said I should go anyways and make the decision that morning rather than assuming the worst.  

I didn't make my decision until the night before the race.  I was refreshing the weather report every 10 minutes to see if there was any news about the next day that was different than what I just saw.  Logan and I ordered a pizza and as I ate the first slice I had to make a decision.  Do I say forget the race and just indulge in half a pizza and some ice cold beer or do I just eat one slice, a salad and get my butt to bed early?  I chose to Run!  I got a good stretching session in thanks to my P90X video and was in bed by 9 to get a good night sleep.  Rain or Shine - I'm running tomorrow morning!

We got up at 5 a.m. to feed the dog, get ready and get out the door down to Clearwater beach.  Surprisingly there isn't a lot of traffic that early on a Sunday morning.  We found parking and got over to Coachmen park.  Their was a nice breeze keeping it a little cool and clear skies.  I can't believe I almost didn't come.  I would be kicking myself for weeks if I missed this.  Just before the race began they called out all the runners celebrating a birthday.  I got to hear hundreds of women sing happy birthday to me just before taking off which was a very cool experience.

And we're off.  I found a pace group that I ran with in the beginning to help keep my speed down.  I  have a tendency to run too fast in the beginning and I am dead half way through the run.  I was keeping a great pace and felt amazing.  I felt like I was ready for this race.  Already my time was better than the other half marathon I ran.  My confidence level was high.  That quickly changed after 6 miles in.  I was almost at the half way point when the moister that had been collecting in my shoes through out the run from the misty rain I had been experiencing had rubbed a blister on the bottom of my foot which was now open.  Man was that painful!  I had to slow down and try walking a little in an effort to not make it worse.  

I kept going and was able to keep my pace where I wanted it.  I still felt good about my time and how I felt, despite my foot.  Then I got to mile 11.  By the time I got to mile 11 I was feeling pretty worn out.  This was more than I have ran during my training and the brief rain showers I experienced up to now was getting to me a little bit.  This is when the course took me to a bridge.  Really?  At mile 11, now you want me to run over a bridge?  You have to be kidding me.  I make my way up and the skies opened and it just started down pouring.  This was a heavy rain and I couldn't see ahead of me.  The winds brought it in sideways on my face.  This was miserable.

The rain cleared up by the time I got to mile 12 and I was able to finish the race.  I felt fantastic.  It was the perfect way to end the 3 months of dedication I've had to working out and eating healthy.  I have decided though, that I am going to hang up my long distance sneakers and stick to shorter runs.  I will continue to run 5 k distances throughout the week all year to keep me in shape and I will make a 10 k the longest race I will participate in.  

Now for a quick shout out - Logan was a trooper.  He volunteered to run beside me during most of the race.  He did not know when he volunteered that this was an all woman's race.  Regardless, because he loves me and it was my birthday, I had my number 1 fan keeping me company during the majority of the run.  He pushed me and encouraged me the whole way and I wouldn't have enjoyed the experience without him.  This race has motivated him to train for a full marathon, and while I will not commit to running beside him the way he did for me, I will be there the whole way cheering him on at the sidelines!