Sunday, October 3, 2010

I just ran my first HALF MARATHON!

I just officially survived my first 13.1 mile run!!!
 That's a half marathon in
2 hours 29 minutes and 52 seconds!!

Five months ago I was a smoker who didn't exercise and couldn't run more than a half mile without having a severe asthma attack and now I am a runner who finishes half marathons! 
When I lined up for the race I was nervous. Unkown situations always make me anxious and I had never run that much in my entire life. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish or that I'd give up and walk most of it or that I'd end up realizing I was SO out of shape I'd be in the first medical station they had along the race. I had been resting the past few weeks because of my injury and I was afraid that might flare up again too (luckily it didn't at all!). I was so nervous that I woke up at 3am the morning of the race and couldn't go back to sleep!

But...
I finished it and I walked maybe a total of 5 minutes the entire race.

As we lined up in our corrals and waited for the gun to go off, I began to look around at the people near me and I realized just how far I have come. I was standing next to a lot of people who were championing their health and now I was one of those people too. 
That's me in my new shirt, very excited after the race! 

One of the best parts of the race (other than the finish line) was when Katie, Sam and Martin (current and former roomies) and Sam's friend Lindsay came out to cheer me on. Sam had told me that he would be right after mile 5 on the sideline. It honestly kept me going through those first couple of miles where it already felt really tiring. As I rounded the corner on mile 5, I see Martin peering out above the crowd (the boy is tall) and then Lindsay and Sam appeared with a sign that said "Keychain this sign is for you" haha... Martin and Sam call me keychain cause I'm so small I could "fit on a keychain." I didn't see Katie sadly, but I found out later that she was hiding next to the boys.
My friends are amazing... they totally made my day :)

When I hit mile 9, my feet started going numb and my legs were getting sore, still I kept pushing through and by the time I crossed mile 12, tears began filling my eyes...

I hit the last leg of the race and as the crowd's cheering got louder and louder I felt so completely overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. I was so proud of myself. I had become that girl... you know... one who actually cares about herself... one who holds her head up high... one who believes in herself enough to sign up for a half marathon and actually finishes it 30 minutes before her estimated time!

I crossed the finish line and I cried... I cried glorious tears of joy... because I have overcome so much
and now running a half marathon was another thing I could add to that list.

 I did it!

10 comments :

  1. AN-DI! AN-DI! AN-DI!!! (That's my kids cheering for you--just told them my computer-friend ran a big race!)

    Isaiah asked, "Did she win, Mom?"

    My answer? "Yes, son. She TOTALLY won." :)

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  2. That is the best ever! I wish you could see how big my smile is right now! :D

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  3. Beaming with pride for you Andi!! That is so fantastic. The finish line crossing is the best feeling EVER. :)

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  4. you are awesome! and inspirational!

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  5. Hi Andi,

    Congrats! First time commenter but have been reading your blog for awhile (found it via Kelly @ start-up wife). As an ex-smoker and one-time marathoner myself (I’ve done one full marathon and don’t think I would ever do it again), I know how you feel. High Five to you!!!

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  6. @Tez That is amazing! It's been a life goal of mine to do a marathon at least once... but after doing the 1/2 yesterday I was thinking there is no way I'd ever do a full one. Then I found myself looking up full marathon courses today...hah we shall see.
    Thanks for commenting!

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  7. I'm proud beyond words!!!
    Congratulations to my favorite girl in the whole wide world. you inspire me to set hire goals (continue to stay a non-smoker!) and reach from within to find the strength to transcend barriers unthinkable to overcome. You did it! and you deserve to be so very proud of yourself...love you ! Amisani

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  8. Congrats! How exciting is that... I ran a half marathon with my dad a few years ago, and I loved that victory feeling, I think I might have cried too. I'm proud of you, makes me want to go back and get more motivated -- currently I can't even run a mile, not cool I know.

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  9. oh man andi... this is going to sound weird but one of the reasons i love doing half marathons is because the people watching are SO encouraging... for people they don't even know! i'm so glad you've experienced it :) you've definitely caught the bug :):):)

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