half of # 6 – Run a Marathon

Well, since this technically isn’t crossing off number 6 – run a marathon, I decided to call this ½ of #6 (which technically it is!). I still thought that this was such a huge accomplishment so I’m writing about it regardless of whether or not I crossed another item off of the list.

I had heard that my friend Carolyn, from Vancouver, was running in a half marathon through the grapevine of related friends. I talked to her on June 27 and she sounded so excited after running the race that I decided that I should actually sign up for the half that I was supposed to run. I honestly didn’t have the guts nor was I ready to run that far, but I did it anyways. With a little inspiration and a good two weeks of training I thought I would be ready to race!

I decided to register with 11 days until the race and then realized that the fact that I hadn’t been training hasn’t changed since a few weeks ago. I developed an accelerated game plan so I could at least attempt to finish the race.

I had anticipated that my longest run would end up being the Wednesday prior to the race. I had just gotten new socks for my birthday so I was excited to try them out on the big run! One kilometre in, my side stitches were so bad I could barely breathe – I already felt defeated with 17 kms left. That day I made it to 14 kms and had to call it a day because running without breathing is a little complicated!

Having only run 14 kms as my maximum distance I did not feel prepared for race day at all! Again, I woke up with side stitches which were almost worse then the Wednesday  prior to the race. Not the best thing to wake up to race morning.

I showed up to the race and decided to fight the pain and just get it done! I packed up my raisins and ran the best I could given the circumstances.

I ran the entire race with Tyler until the last two kms. Luckily Justin came to support us and decided to push me through those last couple of kilometres. Although I felt like passing out while I was running with him he definitely kept me moving forward.

Although my goal was to finish the half marathon under two hours I finished in two hours and six minutes. To be honest, I don’t think that I could have completed the half marathon without the support that I had that day. Overall, it was an amazing experience but I definitely can’t remember much of it!

Cost of running a marathon: cut ankle, bruised toenail, a sore body, and the feeling that I can accomplish anything with support, determination, and a little competiveness.

Quote of the Race/Training: ‘You don’t change your goals, your goals change you’ - TM