Columbus 1/2 Marathon

Wow! What an experience. This was my first 1/2 marathon and it was amazing! There was so much I had invested in this but more than anything it was a personal goal. It was something I knew I would have to work hard for and stay committed to and no one but me could make me do it. When I began my training in June I could not run a mile. I worked hard, pushed through mentally, and accomplished my goal. It's almost like this was a physical symbol of an internal challenge... setting out to do something and following through no matter how tough or painful it gets. I am going to break down what this experience was like for me mile by mile... Thank you so much to ALL who supported me and encouraged me! 

The money I raised for this was donated to Nathan Thomas, a dear friend and amazing kid currently battling T-Cell lymphoma. The BEST part of yesterday was being able to give Nate this gift. He said he wants to go to a band camp in Nashville with the money. Awesome!! Thank you to everyone who donated to this fund... what an incredible cause! 

So... here is the "run" down of the 1/2 Marathon experience:

Mile 1: We started the race at 7:30 in the morning and I believe it was about 35 degrees. My boyfriend Paul dropped me off downtown near the start line, and about 2 minutes after he drove away I realized I FORGOT my knee brace! There were 11, 500 runners so there was no way I could have him go get it and come back before the race. Either way I didn't have a phone on me so I was stuck. THAT was when I started praying! Just asked God to wrap his hands around my knee and support it through the run. 

The start was slow as 11, 500 people all started at the same spot. It was SO cold! Mile one went by smoothly as it was basically a "warm up run".

Mile 2: Mile 2 was awesome simply because this is when the wheel chair racers passed us! Their course was in the opposite direction as ours and when they passed EVERYONE that was running cheered for them. What an amazing feeling! You see people in wheel chairs racing and you get the deepest sense of thankfulness that you are blessed with the ability to run.  Seeing them was the definition of determination and desire. It was awesome.

Mile 2.5 started to go uphill.

Mile 3-4: Mile three was uphill and through the MANSIONS of Bexley. I had no idea how big the houses in Bexley were. It was beautiful. Tree lined streets and fans with warm coats and Starbucks greeted us with cheers of support. This is where someone yelled out to me, "Hey... Stupid Cancer! Nice shirt! I would have used a more colorful word!" That made me laugh but was also some nice encouragement. For some reason Mile 3 and 4 were my hardest this time. 

Mile 5: I crossed Mile marker #5 at exactly 1:00:00. One hour. I knew my pace was slow but I didn't care. My goal from the beginning was just to finish the race, running the whole time. Plus, without my knee brace I didn't want to push it. Mile 5 was rough too. This was strange to me cause in my practice runs Mile 4 and  5 were my easiest. The end of mile 5 brought us through downtown old Bexley though, where there were TONS of cheering spectators. This was just the boost I needed. This is also when I started cheering back! 

Mile 6-7: Mile 6 is when I took a "Cliff Shot". This is a honey like flavored shot of electrolytes, carbs and vitamins. It is suppose to help prevent from "hitting the wall" ( when your body runs out of carbs and transitions to burning fat. Makes you feel like you literally hit a brick wall and can't go any further). This is when the running got easier but the stomach muscles started cramping. Someone told me that my stomach muscles wold start to cramp, but until race day I had not experienced it. Mile 7 was easy except for the stomach cramping. That was rough. 

Mile 8: This was a good mile. Nothing extra-ordinary just a nice easy pace. It helped cause we were heading into German Village and GV is beautiful! We had a lot of spectators in GV and lots of shading. This is also when you begin to say... "Mile 10 is just around the corner"! I got my picture taken by the arial "Marathonfoto" photographer while running through GV. I have a feeling that will be a good pic cause I was feeling good at that point. 

Mile 9-10: These miles took us out of GV and back to High street. The home stretch! By this point my feet were really starting to hurt and my thigh muscles were burning! There was an awesome runner behind me now that kept me going! He was SO funny and was talking to all the  spectators and police! He made me laugh.

Mile 11: I "hit the wall". Thank GOD this did not happen till Mile 11! I needed a boost so what did I do? Reached into the back pocket of my running pants and whipped out my "Politely Pink" MAC lipstick and reapplied (yes, while running!)!! I was NOT going to cross that finish line looking like a hot mess! Mile 11 and 12 were the HARDEST. My body HURT. I was SO close though, so I pushed my way through and did not stop running!

Mile 12-13: Rounding the corner of mile 12 and SEEING the finish line was the most amazing feeling EVER! I could not wipe the smile off my face if I tried! There were hundreds of spectators cheering us on and ballooned archways! They had the "Rocky" theme playing as well! As exhausted as I was, nothing could take away the feeling of seeing that finish line! I crossed the line at 2 hours 33 minutes and 7 seconds. It was an incredible sense of accomplishment!

Again, thank you to all who came out and supported me and who supported me through thoughts and payers! I love you guys!!