This past December, I signed up for the Lincoln Half Marathon. The thought of it nauseated me but I was up for the challenge. I trained hard for a couple months and was in LOVE with running. My long runs were the most exiting part of the week. Then, it happened. An injury. Ugggg. My Achilles caused me to take it easy for over a month. I felt pretty healed right around the time we were matched with baby girl. I was going to have a newborn so why train?! BAD CHOICE. Baby girl didn't work out and I lost nearly all endurance that I had worked so hard to build. Regardless, I decided to fully participate in all the Marathon festivities starting with the Expo on Saturday. I was super excited to listen to and meet Ben Davis. He blogs
here where he writes about losing 120 lbs and igniting a movement called "Do Life" that encourages people to get out there, get moving and do life.
Meeting Ben:
My two running partners and I hit the pasta feed that night and drove the route of the race. I am under trained and unsure if my injury is totally healed but I vowed to jump in the race and finish the last 3-4 miles with my partner (she was the only one standing since our other partner has a hurt leg). Despite storms this morning that threatened the start of the race, it turned out to be beautiful. I was "bibbed cheerleader" so I could hop in and encourage when needed.
What a rush to cheer on all my friends! This race is off the hook- 10,000 runners from all over the place. Seeing familiar faces laced through the crowd is inspiring! I joined my partner for her last several miles and helped her push through. To say I'm proud of her is an understatement.
Mile 11:
Rounding the corner to the finish line (bawling our eyes out):
I'm totally unsure if I'll ever attempt this race again. Sara said "heck no" but a moment later said that maybe it is like child birth where you forget about the pain after awhile. Um, we'll see. Running is truly maxing yourself out physically--it is emotional and moving. Hard to explain but it has been one of the coolest things I've accomplished this past year. I'm excited to knock out more 5ks and 10ks this Summer and Fall. Next up: Color Run, Omaha!
