New PR, Hanson, & A Cool Medal...Oh MY!

 

The Route 66 Half Marathon was a great experience for so many reasons. I hardly know where to start. I got to roadtrip with my geektwin, which made me happy. Met tons of new people which is always an adventure in itself. The expo was cool and I bought some great stuff, including a new runhers tee. But the race...I'll be honest now.  I was kinda dreading it. It was supposed to be super cold that morning...and you know how I feel about morning runs. I seriously considered staying in the bed for half a millisecond. But I didn't! I got up, got dressed, and headed out to face the race. 

I got to meet up with my runhers ladies and my favorite neighbors before the race. We walked around warming up, using HotHands, and taking pictures. You know before we are a sweaty hot mess. (Sidebar: yes I did put HotHands in my bra. And yes, a friend commented, "You really do put everything in there". Yes, yes, I do. Safest place on earth. No ones getting in unless I say so. ) It was cold, but it could've been so much colder. I was so thankful that the racing gods smiled on us and gave us such a gorgeous day.  Since I wasn't completely miserable, I started to get excited. I'm kinda like a kid at Christmas waking her parents up every few hours, asking if it's time to open presents. "Can we go yet? Are we running soon? Is it time to start?"

The race started and I was shocked at how easy it was for me to start. Normally, it takes about 3 to 5 miles to shake the rust off. I was going from beat one. I did my run-walk method with a ratio of 10:1 but it wasn't feeling right, so I just trusted my body and my instincts and ran what felt comfortable. There was even a couple miles in the middle that I didn't stop at all. I know, I know. I had a training plan, I should've stuck with it. But it felt really good, so I did it. My playlist was a dead on for the race. It hit all the points right when I needed it to. And my powersong fittingly enough was Give A Little by Hanson. I know, right?! Local boys to the rescue.

I honestly don't remember  a whole lot of details of this race. I was in the moment a lot more than I usually am. I do know that I ran with my phone to use as an iPod and a GPS. This was my first time doing this. I know that when my music softens it means that someone is calling or texting me. I got several texts at the beginning of the race and I knew that I didn't want to look at them. 1. It would throw off my stride and 2. there was a good chance someone was going to make me cry. I continued getting texts all throughout the race (which made me feel very loved, but I was running a race here people). Finally about Mile 9 I snuck a peak at my phone and it was my husband. He made me cry. : /
I did not look my phone again until I was well past finished.

There were a lot of hills. Not ginormous hills, but there were enough of them to make them feel ginormous. My bum is paying the price for those hills today. Though wind was the biggest issue I had. Fortunately, it was only an issue for part of the race. I have to say I felt really good about this race. I even had enough oomph left to sprint across the finish line. A far cry from barely walking across the finish at my first half-marathon. I didn't shatter any records by any means. My time isn't even impressive on it's own. But it's my new PR and I love it. I had set a goal of 3:30. I finished in 3:17:26. I know that I couldn't have done it without the love an support of those around me. My family, my friends, my runhers group. You all helped me in ways you may never know. I thank you. Today I am sore, but I'm already thinking that maybe I can get my time down to 3:00 by next year. I'm gonna need you all to get there. I hope that everyone had an amazing time at the race. Now take this upcoming holiday to rest, relax, spend time with your loved ones, and remember to be thankful for the many blessings in your life, especially if it includes a new PR and a cool new medal like this one.

Peace, love, and joy this holiday season for everyone!