It's been a busy couple of weeks preparing for my licensure exam and training for the impulsive half-marathon, but the hard work paid off. On Tuesday I spent 2 1/2 hours fidgeting at an H & R block, completing the multiple choice test that determined my (near) future. Thankfully we were able to find out our scores immediately after taking the test, and my poor little heart was pounding so hard as the lady walked to the back to get my results.
When I saw the word "PASS" I jumped around a little bit and told the lady "I want to give you a hug so bad right now". She then proceeded to make a face, sort of laugh, and walk away. Guess she isn't a hugger.
The week got even better because Friday was my RyGuy's birthday!
Happy Birthday Handsome! More to come on birthday celebrations in a later post..
To finish up the awesomeness of this week, on Sunday morning I ran the Strongsville Fall Classic half-marathon. I was concerned about my foot, that pain along the outside of my left foot was still really bothering me. Last Monday I bought new sneakers, hoping to break them in enough before the weekend and that they would provide some extra support.
So Sunday morning came and when I woke up, I finally felt some nerves for the first time. What would happen if my foot hurt as badly as it did on my last longer training run? Would I have to drop out? I took a pain reliever 30 minutes before the race started, which may be a really dumb thing to do, but I was feeling desperate.
The first mile of the race flew by. When I saw the Mile 1 sign I almost didn't believe it. Off to a good start...
2-3 still going strong. Ryan brought his bike down and biked along the course, providing so much encouragement, especially later on when I really needed it. 4-5 still feeling good.
Around mile 6 we were heading back into the starting area. Halfway into the race we passed the finish line, which was only slightly cruel :)
As we headed back for our second lap, I started to have some foot pain. The insides of my ankles were tightening up (which is pretty standard for longer runs for me), and the pad of my left foot behind my big toe felt like it was smacking the ground so hard. I ended up getting a blister on the arch of my foot right behind that pad, guess the new shoes weren't completely broken in yet!
Miles 8 and 9 were getting tougher, I was very anxious to see double digits. After mile 8 I started walking for a few seconds at the water stations, and quickly got back to running. At the Mile 10 Marker, we made the turn around to head back to the finish line and Ryan reminded me "Only a 5k to go, that's nothing!" I took another short walk at the Mile 12 Marker (40 seconds max) and set out determined to finish the last mile. Ryan picked out certain people from the bike path and encouraged me to pass them in that last mile, and I pleased myself with how much steam I had left over at the point.
My Garmin had me finishing with 13.3 miles at 2:19. Not my fastest time, but not my slowest. Considering the foot problems, the short training after taking to summer off, the blister, and the sinus infection diagnosed earlier in the week, I'll happily take that 2:19.
I really liked this race and would recommend it for someone looking for something more low-key than the bigger city races. The roads were nice and smooth, I didn't mind the two-lap out and back, the oatmeal raisin cookie afterwards really hit the spot, and you couldn't beat the price. I would have liked the have a clock at the end and a more defined starting line, but with a Garmin the clock thing doesn't really matter. Also, as I was coming in for the last .1 mile, people that were already done were walking against me trying to get to their cars. I would have liked if traffic was off the race track so I didn't have to worry about hitting anyone!
Besides that, it was a great race, finishing off a great week. I'm looking forward to the rest of this week as well, with Thanksgiving and the Turkey Trot, and hopefully sending out some resumes soon. And before I know it graduation will be right around the corner! So much to look forward to and be thankful for :) I'm a lucky girl.
No comments:
Post a Comment