Until the finish line photo and my pic with the 2 Elvi are posted, this is my proof that I did in fact finish today's half marathon. There were a couple of times today when I was a bit concerned that I might not. I thought I felt strong at the start -- I've been wrong before and today was no exception. The 1st 2 miles were brutal as my legs were absolutely killing me. That's the price you pay when you don't take the time to stretch properly. I pulled over and went thru my whole routine. Much better! From mile 2 to exactly 8.5 (I looked at my Garmin the minute they started) I was really in the zone. In fact, if I could carve out this stretch, I would say this was the strongest I've felt in a VERY long time -- slow but STRONG. Then at 8.5 miles my calves started twitching, spasming, tightening and eventually locking up. I tried everything I knew but it wasn't until a knight on a white horse came to my rescue. Well, actually it was a guy on a bike but the rescue part is true to form. He showed me a stretch that I've done many times but just didn't think to use and it helped a lot, well actually only a little but it got me from I'm quitting to I think I can crawl the rest of the way to I think I can walk it in. By mile 11 I was running again -- albeit very slow. But it gave me the confidence that I could run across the finish line. And isn't that what really counts? Looking good for your finish line photo and being able to make it up that LONG flight of stairs to enjoy a cold piece of pizza and a warm bottle of water?Although this race was not one of my best performances, I had such a great time! Seeing Malia at the start line and Susan at the end was a great way to b0ok-end my effort. I didn't get to see Norma but she texted me at the start as well as afterward. She DID IT!!! My congratulations go out to her and all the 1st timers, especially Lance, Susan's friend who ran his 1st MARATHON in 4 hrs and some change -- totally UNBELIEVABLE! Lance, you ROCK!!
By the way, my Garmin finishing time was 3:08 which sounds much better if you pretend I'm 105 yrs old and only 1 week recovered from a full hip replacement...come on, squint real hard and visualize it in your mind. See how much better that is!!!
Well, after a long nap I think I'm going to have a bite to eat -- the cold pizza has officially worn off.
Gotta run...
Lisa
5 comments:
Congratulations! I hope next year I will own my own medal! I have a long way to go!
You ran in and finished the HM, doing what you had to along the way to ensure that outcome, and that's the important thing. Inspirational post (I liked the part about the guy on the bike--we don't always get what we want but we do get what we need, it seems), you're a St Jude's hero! Congratulations. And nice job by your friend Lance!
I am extremely proud of you! You really stuck it out when times got hard. In my opinion, that is far more victorious that breezing through when all systems are GO. AND you looked darn good in the end!
You have been a wonderful friend (and training partner!) since I moved to Olive Branch. Bring on our Ultra Marathon!
Congrats on your half marathon! Glad that guy on the bike was able to help you out. You held thing together and finished. That's what counts. And, yes, those stairs after the race to get to the food are torture, aren't they?
Good job on finishing the half! I wish I could have seen you there. My family and I really enjoyed it, and we plan to run again next year.
Post a Comment