Let me begin this post by sharing with you what my fortune cookie said yesterday.
How appropriate. My take on that, if there is something you have thought you might want to do but haven't tried it because you've convinced yourself you could not, just go for it! The worse that can happen is that you can't complete it, which might just give you more motivation to keep trying! And determination is a wonderful thing.
So anyway, my first half-marathon....AWESOME! From the moment I arrived in Atlantic City on Saturday to attend the Expo until I left to go home, it was just an incredible time.
After checking into our hotel, we met up with my running buddy, Aimee and her husband, and headed to the Expo to pick up our race packets.
We then wandered around the Expo, checked out all the booths, got some freebies, bought a few things, and went to the "chip checker" to make sure all was working properly. From there, we headed out to the boardwalk for a little walking, sightseeing, and people watching, of course, showing off my new race bag.
After a very nice dinner at the Irish Pub, I was off to the room to get my gear ready for race day and try to settle in for the night. As only my luck would have it, we had a bachelorette party in the room next to us. Needless to say, I only got about 2.5 hours of sleep.
I got up a few hours early on race day, time enough to have a cup of coffee, a lite bite, and before I knew it, I was dressed and ready to go.
It was about a 15-minute walk from our hotel down to the start, just enough time for a warm-up walk and a quick potty stop. Met up with Aimee at the start with only a few minutes to spare.
And we were off. It was a great course! They blocked major roads in Atlantic City for this race. We ran down the boardwalk, through Atlantic City, up ramps and around curves and loops, across big intersections where all traffic was completely stopped, and through the tunnel. Was so much fun. There was people cheering along the way, and lots of water stops where there was more cheering. I loved every moment of it!
I did my intervals, 10 minute run, 1 minute recovery walk, and I did have to stop a few times to stretch out the toes, but not so bad actually.
Before we knew it, we were back up on the boardwalk and headed toward the turnaround. And yes, I started to get a little emotional. As we got close to the finish, Aimee grabbed my hand and we ran the rest of the way together! I was about to cross the finish line of my first half-marathon!
Our medals....
In the village for a little snack and beverage....
And what better way for a post-run ice bath than in the Atlantic Ocean in October...
And yes, I am very proud of myself. I am a totally different person than I was before I lost the weight, and I don't ever want to go back, only forward.
I am so thankful to have met Aimee. She keeps me motivated and positive, gives me tips and little hints along the way, and there is always something to talk about to keep from getting bored on those long runs. I can't wait to run the next event with her, and who knows what the future has in store for me with running, although I kind of already have my mind made up....
Still waiting for the pics to come back from the professional photographer who took pics along the route of the marathon. Hoping they got a better one of us crossing the finish line.
