FINALLY!!!
The 16 week training is over, and I completed my first half marathon! Thats 13.1 Miles for those who are not racing litterate. We spent the day in Leavenworth, which was pretty awesome since it was Octoberfest and there was plenty of festivities going on.
There was alot of worry about the smoke since there are many forest fires burning nearby, but the smoke didnt bother me for more than a day or so after my race. In the below picture you can see the haze in the back ground.
This is me pre race, trying to decide if I should leave my sweatshirt or take it. It was 41 degrees when we lined up at the start, very cold. Clothing is a big deal, you dont want to over heat and you dont want to carry clothing with you for 13 miles. I opted to leave it, which turned out ok because it got up to about 58 degrees when I finished.
There were a ton of flying Irish members at this race, this is one of them. He ran in that outfit at a 7 min per mile pace!
A couple of hours later and I have finished! The medals this year were awesome. Rectangle shaped. It will be a great start to my medal collection. I hope to aquire half as many medals and trophys as my hero.. my grandma!!
Me in Leavenworth the day before the race. Not too busy yet but still a pretty nice day!
Tyson doing what he does best... drinking a beer. He was very happy to accompany me.
One of the bake shops in Leavenworth... yes I ate one!
My new tattoo... yes it hurt. Alot. But I earned my wing. Its a common thing among some of my running friends, after completing a big race or marathon you tattoo a wing on your ankle (Refering to the greek God Hermes or Mercury who flies around with wings on his feet). It is actually pretty small.
The race in Leavenworth was the prettiest I have ever had to pleasure of running. At least half of it was trails in the woods along the prettiest river and terrain in the area. I cant wait to go back and run it again. It was nice to get a few miles outside of the tourist area and see what the beautiful geography in that area had to offer. If I could I would seriously consider living there.
If I learned anything on this journey, it was that I am really capable of more than I thought. I worked hard and trained all summer, gave up time with friends to run, and found out that I really love it. I may not be the fastest but I get it done. I also found out that you are really on your own. There are many running buddies who will always be buddies but usually end up down another path. As I say to my friends who ask for advice on running or losing weight... you have to do this for yourself. You are alone when you get out there. You start alone and you end alone. We may be lucky to find someone to come along for a while, but the fight is with yourself. I think thats really the way life is as well. We are blessed to find someone to be by our side while they are there, but you have to be strong enough to go on alone when they are gone.
"The race is long, but in the end it's only with yourself"
-Baz Luhrman
Thanks for the support from everyone, and I am planning on training this winter for another half marathon in the spring. If you didnt know, big races like that cost at least $75 to register... so if anyone wants to sponser me let me know.. hahaha.
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