"Mommy, you won the marathon!!!"

Yesterday was the day of The Safari Park's Inaugural Half Marathon. This was only my second official race I have ever participated in. We got a cool t-shirt, and a lame "virtual" goody bag. I wish we had the option of whether we wanted to "go green" and get a virtual goody bag or get a REAL goody bag...I think we all would have gone with "real goody bag!" :0)

The organizers had been sending us emails all week about the time change, and to remind us to get there ASAP due to road closures. We could check-in at 5am, and since I live an hour away, I set my alarm for 3:45. I set out my clothes and gear the night before, so all I had to do was get dressed in the morning! I went to bed fairly early (9pm), but I woke-up at 2:45am, and watched the clock for the next hour until it was time to get out of bed. And since, we had set our clocks 1 hour forward, it really meant I had been awake since since 1:45am. :0(

But when 3:45 came, I was AMPED! I got dressed, and I was out the door a little after 4am. My girlfried Katie was running the race with me, and we pretty much pulled up to the race at the same time. It was FREEZING cold, and dark, but we were having a great time. It took us like 30 seconds to check-in and so then we had 2 hours to kill until GO-time! Here are some pre-race photos...

In the dark at 5am-ish....



30 minutes before the start...



Less than 10 minutes to go...



I had eaten a bagel when I was driving to the race, and then I had eaten a 2nd bagel at some point when we were waiting and talking and laughing in the car. I had also been sipping some water and Gatorade to hydrate my body. As you can see in the picture above, 10 minutes before the race, I did my first "GU" gel pack...that's that thing I had told you about that is a glucose pack that gives you energy and replenishes the glucose that gets spent from your body during a long run. I tried "GU" for the first time earlier in the week...the training books I have read say not to try anything (clothing, food, gear, ANYTHING) for the first time on race day...and just as I was told, it was pretty nasty...it's like eating a mildly flavored tube of KY or Vaseline! I have a very sensitive gag reflex, and oh my word, the "GU" was hard to get down. There are other options (special chews, or special jelly beans, etc.) but I wanted what the races provide...both this race, and the Rock and Rock Marathon will be providing "GU" and since I don't have a ton of storage on my gear, I want to grow accustom to just using the supplies they have at each of the pit-stops.

Before the start, I was also able to meet-up with my Auntie Mary and her friend Robin, that were also there to run the Half Marathon. That was a special time during this race too. :0)

The National Anthem was sung, we checked our laces...



And then the sound of an elephant's trumpet prompted our GO! We were off! I selected Chris Daughtry's album as my soundtrack for the race, but it turned out to be too much. It was too loud. But I kept it going for a while. The first mile is always the worst for me...getting warmed up. Also, the first mile is the worst when it comes to a race...everyone is jockeying for position and getting into their groove. But it is so thrilling too...you get passed...you pass some people...you pass a few runners that are dressed like a cheetah, or a tiger, or an ostrich!? The race started in the parking lot of The Safari Park, and quickly exited out on to the main streets nearby. You could see cars stopped for miles...poor people just wanting to leave the area!...and yet in some cases...poor runners who slept too late and were trying to still get to the race (I saw a quite a few of those)!



In a race, they have runners that hold a sign with a time on it...if you are aiming to finish the race in the time they have listed on their sign, then you want to stay as close to them as possible. My goal for this race was to finish in 2 hours and 30 minutes. After I had been running for a while, I noticed a man with a sign that read "1:45" (meaning 1 hour, 45 minutes) pass me by. He wasn't traveling much faster than me, and so I thought, "hmmm, maybe I can stay with him."...in a matter of time, I could no longer see him, LOL! A while later, another man passed by me with a sign that read, "2:00"...again, we seemed to be going at the same pace...but again, eventually I no longer saw him. But by this point I was totally cool (or warm, I should say), and in my groove. It was so neat seeing the cheering sections along the route, I kept hoping to see someone I knew, but I never did. :0( None-the-less, it was still motivating to read the signs that said "Keep it Up!", and to hear the "WOOHOOO'S"!

But even more motivating than the smiling faces of cheerleaders, were the mile markers! And in a half marathon (13.1 miles) this meant that I had just 10 more miles to go...



After 4 miles, I gagged down my 2nd "GU" for the day, and I was feeling strong. I had been nursing the water and Gatorade from my fuel belt all morning, and I was good to go. After running on some main stretches of road, we eventually ran through a housing community, and then we were running on a dirt road for a while that eventually brought us through a portion of Safari Park. At some point, a man with a sign that read "2:15" ran with me. I was able to keep up with him for a while, but he eventually went too far ahead of me as well. I knew the next sign would be "2:30" and that was discouraging. I wanted to finish at 2:30, and if I saw the sign that said "2:30" I would feel pressure to stay with that wave. I ended up telling myself to "SHUT UP! Who cares if you don't finish in 2:30! Run at the pace you feel comfortable with! You have a WAAAAYS to go! Don't burn yourself out!"

Before I even reached the halfway point, some of the elite runners, were already on their way back! It was INCREDIBLE to see them running past us...man after man...and after several men, there were a few women that were right behind them. It really was exciting and inspiring to see them fly by us as we cheered them on!

After we reached the halfway point, we turned around, and pretty much went back the way we came. Every hill we had just ran up, we got to run doooooown...and every hill we had previously ran down, we had to run uuuuuup. Every time we had to run up a hill (and there were SEVERAL!) I saw people stop running, and start walking. I never stopped to walk. I just told myself, "One foot in front of the other. It's no different than flat land. Just keep one foot in front of the other." That worked for me. Also, at the half-way point, I had to switch up my music. Last week Taylor Swift worked for me, and she was absolutely perfect for my tempo on this day as well. At mile 8, I gagged down my 3rd and final "GU" for the day.



Mile 10 was an exciting marker! This meant that I just had 3 miles to go! I can do 3 miles like nobody's business! Also, 10 miles was the farthest I had ever run in the past, and it was neat to take a mental check-up and realize I still had plenty of strength to keep going. I was texting my family and keeping them updated on where I was at. It was great to get their replies and encouragement. Jenni wasn't able to sign-up for the race before it had sold out, so she said she would be there to see me cross the finish line. I had been so excited to see her, but I was getting discouraged as I could see the rows and rows of cars just stopped on the streets. No one in a car was going ANYWHERE! As I was texting her, and she was jokingly telling me to SLOW DOWN!



Seeing the 12 mile marker was AMAZING! I got an immediate boost of energy...just 1 more mile to go!!! I felt like I was sprinting, and becuase I was "sprinting" I felt like I should have blinked, and then been at the finish line! But the route just kept going and going and going, LOL!



The only thing more exciting than seeing the 12 mile marker, was seeing the 13 mile marker!!! I just had a tenth of a mile to go! We were back in the park by this time, and the route was winding around all of these trails, I couldn't see the finish line, let alone 20 feet in front of me! It was FRUSTRATING! I was so crazy in my head, I eventually yelled out (apparently) "Where is the finish line!?" becuase then I was shocked when a spectator in the crowd looked me in the eyes and said, "You are SO close, I promise!" I can still remember her beautiful face, and her reassuring eyes. And fiiiiiiiinally...



I paused to take this picture, and then I really sprinted towards the finish line, crying and cheering and waving my arms. It was dramatic, and emotional, and exhilarating!!!

Jenni missed me cross the finish line, but we hooked up within minutes! My official finishing time was 2:21:42...I never saw a man run by me with a sign that said "2:30"!!! :0)



My Aunt crossed the finish line about 15 minutes after me, but I never did get to see her after the race. :0( Katie did a GREAT job (ran the whole thing too!) and finished about 35 minutes after me. Here are some of our post-race pictures...







This was a fantastic experience! Based on this performance I have total confidence that my training will bring me right to the finish line of the Rock and Roll Marathon. I have zero fears about participating in and completing the full marathon.

After we exited the nightmare of the post-race-parking-situation, I went to go pick up my kiddos from my Dad and Stepmom's house. I kept my finisher's medal on, and walked through the door. Before I could even say the words "Hey Guys!", Wyatt glanced at the medal around my neck, raaaaan up to me, and shouted, "MOMMY, YOU WON THE MARATHON!"

In that moment, I really felt like I did. :0)