Halloween Half...

I ran my very first half marathon!!! I did it in 2:09 hours and was happy my pacer Alison kept me on track to run a sub 2:10 hrs. Alison is a marathon runner and she got me hooked...to make me finally do a race she signed me up for this one...so I couldn't back out anymore.We both went skiing in Switzerland this year at my parents cabin...and during the trip she told me that I should start running with her...she runs every year at least 1-2 marathons and a few other races...i told her she was crazy and I would never be able to do that...5 months later Alison signed me up for this race and I was freaking out!!! I never thought I could run that far but Alison pushed me and kept on training with me throughout the past 3 months. Of course she usually runs much faster than my lame 10 minute mile pace but she wanted to pace me so I would reach my goal. How nice is she...i love her...she is the BEST!

The race itself was hard for me because I was sick with a cold all week long and had a foot injury from training, which meant I was not able to train very much for the past 3 weeks. The first 5 miles were steep downhill and we actually ran it in an 8:30 pace...and that made me feel really tired once we came out of the canyon. After about 10 miles my foot started hurting really bad and I had to stop and rub the pain out...I was freaking out because my long training runs always went so smooth and now I am starting to have problems...Alison tried to keep me going and told me always how well I am doing. Towards the last 2 miles I started to have breathing problems because I was so nervous/excited that I hyperventilated and could barely breathe..I thought to myself 'what is wrong with me?' this never ever happened to me before and I totally thought I would not reach my goal anymore. My nerves really got the best of me and I got angry because I had al these weird problems all of a sudden that I never had before. In the end I finished strong and Craig was waiting for  me. He was so cute because he was genuinely excited for me. I love him!

Provo Halloween Half Marathon 13.1 miles