The RACE!!!!

So, I totally won.
Like, the whole thing.
Yep.  Me.
:-)
Kidding.

BUT I DID FINISH and I DID RUN THE WHOLE DANG THING!!!!!

2 hr 38 min.
12 min mile pace
#363 out of #502 in the 30-34 yr old category
50 degrees outside (I'm still cold)
lots and lots of pain
so glad we did it!!!










It was not a pretty or smooth course, the event itself was nothing to write about except I don't know that I'll be seeking this race out again next year.
The 'girly' was fun but not what I was imagining and the quality was just a little odd.
Kind of a bummer since it was my first one....

BUT I RAN 13.1 miles so ....WHATEVER!

It was hard.
I was hurting in two places that I've never hurt in before, my shoulders and my knees.
My hips, which only bother me sometimes, were both hurting me - I was pretty much done by mile 6.
Done.
But I wasn't going to give up.
I had trained, I had paid money, I had traveled, I had committed, I was finishing.
I stopped three times to stretch and that did help.
I don't like it that I stopped but without that, I would not have finished.  Each stretching stop rejuvenated my joints big time.

Mile 11/12 was my hardest.
Thankfully Becky had an energy spurt and ran ahead for a few minutes because I needed some time to cry and have no one notice me.
I was crying thinking about my kids and all the cute encouraging things they'd said about my race...cute, little girl things like, "Mommy, you're faster than a bumble bee" and "I think Mommy's going to win!"
and my dad's text before I started "kick butt sweetie!" and this picture Jake texted me RIGHT when I was in tears:

with the caption: Your Cheering Squad!
and he had no idea I was melting.

I had my 'moment', Becky waited for me, we got our tiaras and boas at mile 12 and then we literally raced as fast as we could towards that finish line, hand in hand, boas and all!!!

When we finished I was pretty sure I'd never run again and I wasn't sure if I'd ever walk again, let alone make it to the car.
And I do not exaggerate here.
It was ba.ru.tal for both of us.
Actually we looked around and everyone had a huge kink in their step!

We made it to the car, really really slow, got back to our hotel room, cranked the heater up to 80 degrees, crawled in bed to stretch in the warmth and chowed down on some super greasy hamburgers and fries ;-).

We thawed off, took showers and then drove home.
OUCH.

Phew!
A Half-Marathon.
DONE.

I love it.
I love that I trained for it, I love that I got to see New York on this trip, I love that I ran it, I love it.

Can't wait for the next one!!!
(I don't know that I would have said that last night, but this morning I don't hurt at all, just sore in my thighs, so I can say it now)

my camera battery died the night before the race, so these are all from our phones. bummer!!!

the start line:

the crowd (in one direction, multiply by four sides!)

the boa and tiara station:

and odd picture of me right after I was crowned:

a random sign that was not for me but that I claimed for me anyway:

done!!!!!!! some 'refreshment'!

OH yes!