My First Half

What was my first real half marathon was really my second time running a half marathon. Back in college, a bunch of girls decided it would be fun to run the Rock n Roll Half in Virginia Beach. I was a smoker and had never run before in my life. I'm guessing out of 13.1 miles, I ran about .1 miles. I was more interested in the beer and party at the end than anything else. I look back and seriously wonder what we were thinking!

This past November, I ran my first official 13.1 at the Outer Banks Half in Nags Head. I was fully prepared having trained and even run my own personal 13.1. The half marathon goal came after talking with several running friends who said if I could run 7 miles, then I could run 10, and then do a half. So early on, that became my goal. I posted '13.1' on my bathroom cabinet and in my classroom at school as a constant reminder of the goal. I must say that the half marathon is my favorite distance to run. I find a steady pace around mile 6 and the rest is pretty easy.

The weekend of the half was absolutely beautiful. Chris and I enjoyed a nice weekend away without our little boy which is something we don't do very often. We had the best time eating, drinking, and visiting with friends. The morning of the run was pretty warm but midway through became windy. Gotta love running on the coast!

All was well until about mile 9. Never, ever, has my stomach crapped up so badly as it did then. I don't know what caused it, but I had to stop and walk. I thought I was going to fall out right there on the course. It was the strangest thing. It hasn't happened since so I'm wondering if it was nerves? I just hope it doesn't happen in April! After walking for about 10 minutes, it let up, and I was able to finish the race in around 2:15 which was slower than I wanted. I knew the little stomach thing added to my time, but turns out that Runkeeper is faster than official race time or my Garmin. (That's a whole other post!)

At mile 10, we had to run over a bridge that connects Nags Head to Manteo. It was absolutely gorgeous. The race ended in Manteo overlooking the water. Enter loads of food and beer that this time, I actually earned! The feeling of crossing a finish line that you've trained for and fought for is incredibly emotional. For me, it was knowing that just 11 months prior, I had never run a mile in my life. I felt on top of the world.

In a few more weeks, I'll be running another half marathon at Oak Island. I'm running with the same girls who, like me, run because we're half crazy and love the challenge. It could also turn into a girls weekend which always refreshing!

Outer Banks Half Marathon