The kids did a kid race. Everyone walked away with a medal.
I self appointed one to the hubby for his constant willingness to let me train and that he not only got the kids to their race on time, but was there to see me cross the finish line. Bonus points for running the Kids 1k with the Bug so that I could stretch. We finished the half just about 15 minutes before the kids race and I was pooped.
The race itself was pretty uneventful- thankfully! The forecast was for rain/shower/thunder showers. We weren't super excited. Truthfully, if it wasn't for my running partner I just *may* have bailed on this race. We ended up racing with our rain coats (mine in the pic above) because we decided we'd rather be dry and bulky than wet and light.
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| Pre Race waiting- Got to the hanger at 6 and had to wait 2 hours before the race. Next year someone is going to take us later. Forget the shuttle! Too long to sit and wait. |
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| Here's the Fleet Feet shoe. Julie insisted that we had to have a picture with a giant shoe. :) |
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| Bridge Selfie! We were about 1.5 miles in at this point. |
As far as the race goes.... We ran, and ran and then we decided to run a little more. The course was very comfortable and support was in all the right places. Around mile 10 my hips started getting cranky. Julia kept reminding me that they didn't hurt and that we were having fun. I was able to push through.
We finished in 3:08.
For those keeping track, that is a full 20 minutes slower than my first half 2 years ago. The race was hard. I pushed. I fought. I burned over 2100 calories in 3 hours. I worked. It was hard. It was MY hard.
I personally know 2 people that finished the full in under 4 hours. One finished in 3:18 (or some crazy low number like that....). For her the race was hard. It was her HARD.
Could I have gone faster? Possibly, but not without damage to my body. After my last half marathon I threw up, had the shakes, and slept the rest of the day. I was SICK. After this half marathon I was able to watch my kids run their own race, took a 30 minute afternoon nap, and then went out to dinner with my family. The next day I felt amazing and was ready to get back on the road.
It's so easy to compare ourselves to those around us. I didn't check my stats for this race because I KNOW that I was towards the bottom. It doesn't matter. I ran my race and I ran HARD.
Right now my real HARD is my eating. Someone once said to me, "What's the big deal. It's not hard. Just eat healthy food". It is hard. It's my HARD.
In my head I understand nutrition. When I'm standing at the counter with donuts it gets foggy. I've started to record a few times over the past month and just can't get back into recording. I know it works. It's not working for me right now. I have a big recording block. My plan for this week is to journal WHAT I eat (not the calories or ounces, just the food).
I don't know what I weigh. I can no longer allow what I weigh to define success in my life. Want to know what is success? My kids ran a 1k race and Sissy wants me to find a kid triathlon for her to do. THAT is success. :)
What's your HARD?
~Kari
