Well I did it! I completed my first and I might venture to guess my last 1/2 marathon! I'm not going to say it was even close to easy, in fact, quite the opposite.
My training for this race couldn't have been better. I did 15 weeks of training, training my body to go from 3 miles to 13 miles, on flat and major hills. I worked on speed and cross training. I was so ready and couldn't have been doing it with a better group of women. I even enjoyed the 13 miles that we did do before the race! I struggled a bit with my achillies, in which I got a band for that seemed to help, although hills were becoming a problem. I survived it though and with little pain.
It was all wonderful until about 1.5 weeks before the race...my shin splint in one leg came back! It had been a year since I had dealt with this and the reason I didn't do this Rock & Roll last year! Last year I had been told to step back from running or do physical therapy, which just didn't pan out, so I took a long break and it got better. Unfortunately, so close to race time, it came back with a vengence. I went to a Sports Medicine Dr who indeed confirmed it was a shin splint perhaps on the verge of a stress fracture if I wanted to push it. He told me he wasn't going to take this race away from me being it was so close, but to go slow and walk the hills. My response in my head was whatever...I worked too hard to go too slow and walk hills! He found that I was severely pronated on my right foot which will continue to bring on the shin splint (which can turn into other more serious issues) as long as I keep running...that maybe long distances would come to a halt and I would have to find my comfortable distance. There are other options like intense physical therapy and wrapping my foot each time I run. Since I was so close to the race, I decided to really ice well and rest the week before.
So it's race day...I was so nervous, but so excited to actually be doing a half marathon! Truly something I never thought I would do. I was running with my team (although we really couldn't find most of them) and my running partner, Sara. We started out great, in fact I beat my 5K and 10K times...but then it went down hill. I was in pain from the 5K onward. Sara was so awesome at motivating me and keeping me going, but I had to let her go ahead because my pain was getting unbearable. So now, not only was I completely alone for the first time ever, but I was dying from pain. I would say from mile 7 on, my right leg (shin splint leg) went numb from like my knee to my toes. I felt like I was running on a block in such slow motion. My other leg with my achillies issue was hurting, but I was managing. At mile 9, I saw some of my best friends rooting me on and giving me jello, it was what got me to the finish line. I wanted to quit so bad, but my one & only goal was to never stop running, and that I accomplished. Even though I didn't have a time goal, I really had it in my brain that I could do this under 2 hours. Not even close, I finished at 2 hours 10 minutes. Disappointed to say the least. Sometimes I feel like too much of a complainer telling my story, but this is how I feel...like I let myself and all my hard work at training down. I don't get that "runner's adrenaline rush" on race day that everyone talks about...it would have been nice actually, but for me that has never existed and it was no where to be found on this race day.
When I got to the finish line, I was beyond happy to be done and indeed happy that I completed it. Finally my leg came back to me, but I felt the weirdest sensation on my pronated foot and it was the nastiest blister I've ever had (in which I've never had while running before). I'm pretty sure I over compensated the entire time which led to that blister and to my other knee locking up that night. I thought I was going to the ER because I couldn't bend my knee at all when I went to bed. It's fine now...thank goodness!!!
So for now I'm nursing my shin back to health and my achillies as well. I'm taking a 4 week break from any running (which is killing me mentally) and then I'll start over and find my "comfortable" distance.
That's my story...I did it and for that I'm proud. You never know what will happen to your body when it's pushed that far. All I can say is a half marathon is "checked" off my life list!
My training for this race couldn't have been better. I did 15 weeks of training, training my body to go from 3 miles to 13 miles, on flat and major hills. I worked on speed and cross training. I was so ready and couldn't have been doing it with a better group of women. I even enjoyed the 13 miles that we did do before the race! I struggled a bit with my achillies, in which I got a band for that seemed to help, although hills were becoming a problem. I survived it though and with little pain.
It was all wonderful until about 1.5 weeks before the race...my shin splint in one leg came back! It had been a year since I had dealt with this and the reason I didn't do this Rock & Roll last year! Last year I had been told to step back from running or do physical therapy, which just didn't pan out, so I took a long break and it got better. Unfortunately, so close to race time, it came back with a vengence. I went to a Sports Medicine Dr who indeed confirmed it was a shin splint perhaps on the verge of a stress fracture if I wanted to push it. He told me he wasn't going to take this race away from me being it was so close, but to go slow and walk the hills. My response in my head was whatever...I worked too hard to go too slow and walk hills! He found that I was severely pronated on my right foot which will continue to bring on the shin splint (which can turn into other more serious issues) as long as I keep running...that maybe long distances would come to a halt and I would have to find my comfortable distance. There are other options like intense physical therapy and wrapping my foot each time I run. Since I was so close to the race, I decided to really ice well and rest the week before.
So it's race day...I was so nervous, but so excited to actually be doing a half marathon! Truly something I never thought I would do. I was running with my team (although we really couldn't find most of them) and my running partner, Sara. We started out great, in fact I beat my 5K and 10K times...but then it went down hill. I was in pain from the 5K onward. Sara was so awesome at motivating me and keeping me going, but I had to let her go ahead because my pain was getting unbearable. So now, not only was I completely alone for the first time ever, but I was dying from pain. I would say from mile 7 on, my right leg (shin splint leg) went numb from like my knee to my toes. I felt like I was running on a block in such slow motion. My other leg with my achillies issue was hurting, but I was managing. At mile 9, I saw some of my best friends rooting me on and giving me jello, it was what got me to the finish line. I wanted to quit so bad, but my one & only goal was to never stop running, and that I accomplished. Even though I didn't have a time goal, I really had it in my brain that I could do this under 2 hours. Not even close, I finished at 2 hours 10 minutes. Disappointed to say the least. Sometimes I feel like too much of a complainer telling my story, but this is how I feel...like I let myself and all my hard work at training down. I don't get that "runner's adrenaline rush" on race day that everyone talks about...it would have been nice actually, but for me that has never existed and it was no where to be found on this race day.
When I got to the finish line, I was beyond happy to be done and indeed happy that I completed it. Finally my leg came back to me, but I felt the weirdest sensation on my pronated foot and it was the nastiest blister I've ever had (in which I've never had while running before). I'm pretty sure I over compensated the entire time which led to that blister and to my other knee locking up that night. I thought I was going to the ER because I couldn't bend my knee at all when I went to bed. It's fine now...thank goodness!!!
So for now I'm nursing my shin back to health and my achillies as well. I'm taking a 4 week break from any running (which is killing me mentally) and then I'll start over and find my "comfortable" distance.
That's my story...I did it and for that I'm proud. You never know what will happen to your body when it's pushed that far. All I can say is a half marathon is "checked" off my life list!
Posters in support of me!! Too sweet!!
My medal
Racing to the finish (I'm in the aqua in the middle).
The completely awesome women that completed this race! 
