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I did it!! My First Half Marathon

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I did it!! My First Half Marathon

I’ve had a dream for a while now. A goal that I couldn’t shake. I wanted to run a Half Marathon. You may, or you may not, know this about me, but I’ve run my whole life. Almost. I started running in Junior High to stay in shape (or get in better shape) for basketball. Through the years, I have come to love running. It’s my passion, my obsession, my sanity.
I decided if I was ever going to meet that goal and cross that off my Life’s “To Do” List that the time was now. So having said all that, I didn’t go from zero to 13.1 in a few months. I was running 25 to 30 miles a week when I started training and didn’t add any more mileage to that weekly total and just restructured how I ran those miles.
Pre-training – I would run from 4 to 6 miles six days a week.
Training -To get my mileage up for the Half, I started adding one mile to my weekend runs. (I started this in the Fall…which is also when football season is….which is also when we tailgate for 14 hours…So I would make my long runs on Sunday….do you smell what I”m stepping in?… Fall Sunday long runs are a bit um, very difficult!!) So training started looking like this:
Sunday – long
Monday – rest
Tuesday – 5 miles
Wednesday – 3 miles
Thursday –  6 miles
Friday – 5 miles
Saturday – rest or 3 miles
I always experience anxiety when I register for a race. It’s just my don’t-want-to-fail-type-A personality thingy. Not that it’s the Olympics or anything, I just have high expectations of myself. Therefore, I don’t run many races. But, I wanted the official validation of a 13.1-mile race. (Anywho, enough of that!)

Where: Germantown, TN 
When: March 17, 7:30
Temperature:  52 degrees at start time and overcast skies

In elementary school, my first coach always said, “Winners never quit and quitters never win!”
If you don’t think grown-ups, teachers, coaches, parents don’t have an impact on children, think again. I was in sixth grade and I have never forgotten her words. I have used them as my mantra* many times in different circumstances and while running throughout my life.

If you’re unfamiliar with mantras, it’s a word or phrase that you repeat over and over again to motivate or push you through something. (Click the word to see the official definition.) In athletes, it’s a motivational phrase that pumps you up and keeps you going when you want to die stop. Like:

Winners never quit…winners never quit…winners never quit

and sometimes I just say

step step step step don’t stop… dont’ stop…step step step step don’t stop…don’t stop

What it does for me is take my mind off whatever’s hurting or making me want to stop.

In addition to mantras, below are some things that got me through.

Love some Mizunos!
I’d rather have Mizunos than Manolos!

I have a narrow foot. Mizunos fit me perfectly. I wear the Wave Creation…I think I have every one of them. (They number the new ones each year like Wave Creation 11, Wave Creation 12, etc) Just a note, they run half a size small. Trust!

For more tips on shoes read this!

I started taking this a month before the event. It aids in muscle recovery and endurance.
I take the above supplements plus a multivitamin.
Luna-bars-CallMePMc.com
For a little protein, I ate a Luna bar 2 hours before race time.
I drank Gatorade’s Pregame Fuel 15 minutes before the run.
(Sorry I forgot to take a picture.)
Sports-beans-callmepmc
These are fantastic! Taste just like jelly beans except with caffeine, carbs, electrolytes & vitamins B & C.
I ate a few of these Sports Beans at mile 4 and 6.
call-me-pmc-half-marathon
Energy boosters.
I liked the flavors of these GU by Gatorade better. They’re a bit thick (think toothpaste).
They’re small and I took a couple in my ‘fanny’ pack.
(and you thought fanny packs were for older tourists!)
I drank, took, shot (whatever it is you do to it), consumed one at mile 8 and one at mile 11.
I used this waist pouch to put my GU and beans and chapstick in it
and either held or put my phone in my sports bra.
Yeah, whatever, it stayed put.
If it seems like a took and drank and ate a lot, I did. I usually run on an empty stomach.
It was fine. I was tired but not totally dying at the end.
And, I never once thought I was going to have to stop.
My sweet family rushed to 3 different locations on the route and cheered.
I needed them at the last one, I think it was 10 or 11-mile marker.
It was the last push I needed and I even sped up a little after seeing them.
I also tossed Wesley my fanny pack — ah, freedom!
Do not attempt a long run without this!
Trust.
Otherwise, you will get chafed in places you didn’t know you could get chafed in!!
Put it on your feet, your bra line, your panty line, hell, rub it all over!!
I breathe through my mouth, my lips get chapped.
I don’t like chapped lips.
It’s marketed toward tweens and teens… get some! It totally rocks!
This is the best sports bra ever!
Under Armour it’s expensive, but it’ll keep you supported.
And it doesn’t rub and chafe (even without the chafe glide).
I’m talking a lot of chafing….
My knee braces. I have this thing about protecting my knees.
I don’t know if I really need them. But, if they can protect my knees I’m all for it.
Besides, Wesley said at some point if I keep running I’ll need knee surgery.
I love to prove him wrong.
Just in case there was pain!
Bib number and race route.
Luckily a flat course (or otherwise I may not have run it.)
Fun shirt for my hours of pain and suffering.
Right after the race! I was so happy!
And just a note, you don’t wear knee braces on your calves.
I was tired of them on my knees.
My new bling!
I can’t stop looking at it!
I should have been holding up thumbs up instead of #1, because I was nowhere near the first.
But, whatever, I was tired. I was happy!
I finished at 2:11:34 (that’s 2 hours 11 minutes 34 seconds) My goal was 2:15 and I thought I’d be dying at that pace.
The best advice I got prior to the race was from a random sales clerk teenybopper chick (because I get in deep conversations with my sales clerks at times) at Lululemon. She had run several marathons and countless Half Marathons. She told me to have fun and enjoy it. I needed that, motivation and strength come from odd places at times, but when she said it, it was the first time I thought, ‘this could be fun’.
It was fun! (thanks random chick!)
Paula

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Comments

  1. Tracey Kite says

    WOO HOO!!!!! Great job! A 1/2 is a great distance and accomplishment! You did amazing and have to say I need to try that bra out! I personally LOVE long runs but my legs have been fighting me after 2 stress fractures I am keeping my runs short for now. Working on speed for the fist time ever and I have to say running faster is not fun! So proud of you for running your first half and for sticking with your goal! Great Job!

    Reply

  2. Susie Buetow says

    Congrats! I'm proud of you! I would love to give you my interview questions and feature you in my 52 Weeks of Inspiration on my blog. LMK if you would like to do this. Email me at cafescrapper at gmail dot com

    Reply

  3. Nicole @ Pencil Skirts and Noodle Necklaces says

    Congrats!!! A half is a great accomplishment!! That feeling after finishing is amazing. I think that is my target distance. Every time I have trained for a full…I get hurt. I'll stick with the halfs! Thanks for stopping by today!!

    Reply

  5. Joi @ Rx Fitness Lady says

    This is such an awesome post! I was happy reading your tweet the other day but man I didn't know you would break it down like this. You put a lot of preparation into this and you shared so much detail about how you were able to successfully complete the race. The only thing I have to say….generics please, lol, that is the soapbox I stay on on my blog. CONGRATS! Very happy for you!!!

    Reply

  6. Melanie says

    Stopping by from SITS! SOooooo excited for you! I have done one marathon and two halfs. I always find people like you amusing because you guys who have been runners for years start off wondering if you can do it and for a round girl like me who has never been a runner, I always look at you guys and am like: of COURSE you can! If my non-running tail can pull it off, naturally you gifted runners can work it out easy peasy!!! 🙂 I say, if you can run 3, you can train to run 13. I love it when people challenge themselves and meet or beat their expectations. This is great, keep it up and I'm so glad you had fun. I love the pics, you got me starting to get twitchy to do another.

    Oh, and on the recovery drink, did you find it really helpful? I'm doing INSANITY now and don't have a recovery drink, but am thinking I need to get one. OK, this has gotta be the world's longest comment. Glad to have “met” you! CONGRATS AGAIN!!!!!!

    Reply

  7. Julie says

    I already told you congrats in chat or email, can't remember which one, but here I go again…CONGRATS! You are an inspiration to me. I need to keep pushing myself to go further and further!

    Reply

  8. Oklahomaredhead says

    Congratulations on your first 1/2 marathon. What an accomplishment! I'm always excited to see people accomplish something they've always wanted to do. High five girl! Proud you got 'er done!!

    Reply

  9. Michelle Nahom says

    Congratulations! What a great goal to accomplish!! I haven't run a half marathon in probably 10 years, but I've been thinking about doing another one for a while. I've been running for almost 30 years (since high school) but nowadays I don't race that often. But I think I'd like to do one this summer. It'll give me something to focus on.

    Reply

  10. Nellie @ Brooklyn Active Mama says

    yay! Fanny packs are for older people, tourists and ATHLETES! Congrats, sounds like it was a terrific race!

    Reply

  16. Domestically Seasoned says

    Great job, and I love all the “must” have photos. I am going to conquer my first half marathon this year (after baby is born). I can't wait to start training. Your time is highly impressive for a 1/2. I also agree that you need mantra's to keep you going and focused, when your mind tells you NO MORE. So proud of you!

    Reply

  17. Pamela says

    GO GIRL!!! That is awesome, I am so proud of you! That is on my list also, I was going to try this year but I am going to wait until next year

    Reply

  18. Sara Onnebo says

    Well done! Congratulations! I have just started training for one:)

    Sara @ My Finnish Delights

    Reply

  19. Danni Baird @ Silo Hill Farm says

    You are absolutely awesome! I'm so happy for you to accomplish such a great goal!! (and now I know how you can eat all that wonderful stuff you make and still look so great!!) Congratulations my friend!

    Reply

  20. Danielle @ 2 Little Superheroes says

    Way to go! I did my first half last year. It was a goal for me after gaining way too much weight after having kids. It was the only way I could manage to get the weight off.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  2. […] In March, I accomplished something outside blogging that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I ran a Half Marathon. It was SO. MUCH. FUN!!! I finished in a time faster than I estimated. You can read all about it: I did it! My First Half Marathon! […]

    Reply

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