Rock n' Roll Marathon | Pasadena

Yay! :) I completed my first half marathon last Sunday and am still alive! I do blame the marathon for knocking me out for the entire week, but besides that I'm still feeling ecstatic from the run and overcoming a challenge that I never thought I could!

We got up at 5am to arrive at the Rose Bowl at 6:30am, and realized immediately that the cold morning was about to kick our booties. After robotically stretching and making vows to never do this again, we made it to our corrals and before we knew it, we were sprinting past the start line.

I seriously have never run as fast and of course as far as I did that morning. Adrenaline was truly my friend… until about the 5th mile when I realized that there was more than half of the marathon to go. A couple thoughts went through my mind throughout the run:

1. Wow, this first hill isn't bad!
2. Weave, baby, weave!
3. Hmm.. When is the next water break?
4. That gatorade tasted like rotten oranges.
5. Is that a man in a gumby costume who just ran past me?
6. Another…hill? D:
7. I think my toes are sword fighting.
8. Maybe should have passed on that last water break, where's the next porter potty?
9. I want my bed, I want my bed!
10. I wonder if that man in an Elvis costume running with a beer has another one that I could have?

Despite the pain harvesting in my toes and a couple mental challenges, Kimmy and I finished at 2 hours and 25 minutes (staying under our goal to finish under 2 hours and 30 minutes) :) We were SO HAPPY that it was over and were able to relax in the warm sun with lots of bananas, mini Jamba Juice smoothies, pretzels, gatorades and salt packs (to prevent cramping).

The best surprise was when we found out that we'd barely be able walk for about another 72 hours :)

 

Before & After | Finish line high-fives with Kimmy | Super smiles | Far East Movement performing

I know I made this experience sound fairly painful, but I highly recommend at least trying it once. Training for a marathon is one of the simplest examples of human satisfaction - you may not believe that you can run a 5K, 13.1 miles or 26 miles, but with preparation and even doing something like adding a mile or two to your runs each week, you'll be surprised where your body and mind can take you! Take it from me - the LEAST athletic person you'll ever meet :)

The guys and Kimmy were such a great group to run with and I couldn't have done it without them :) 

Also, special thanks to Vicki of Victory Carmichael and Friends, for your advice, support and kind words!

When's our next run? :)

1/2 Marathon Training

Running is absolutely not natural to me. I never ran track in high school, or saw the road as an opportunity for some footwork. Up until recently, I even believed that I enjoyed running on a treadmill more than I did outside. (Gasp!)

Well it became clear to me why - simply because when you run outside you actually have to carry the weight of your own body (I know, so dramatic).

Late last year, some friends and I decided to sign up for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon taking place in Pasadena on February 17th. I knew it would be a great opportunity to get exercise and more importantly set a goal for myself that I never thought I'd attempt to achieve. (Let's be real here, I was the girl at the end of the track finishing a 15 minute mile in junior high.)

I started running outside and after a couple runs of wondering what the hell I was thinking, I actually started to see the beauty of running and the world slowly becoming my own track. There's something about feeling the wind against you as you run, and seeing the world from the street's view.

While running, I realized that I was catching so many personal moments of others; like an elderly woman running towards a bus leaving a stop, clips of conversations between diners sitting outside, drivers rocking it out in their cars, and of course other runners and bikers whizzing by (which, I'm contemplating to start giving high fives to - is that okay, or creepy?).

Overall the experience is ironically peaceful. Almost like watching my very own movie with moments I'm only getting glimpses of and set to the soundtrack of whatever is playing through my pandora. All these experiences and more make me so happy that I signed up for this marathon.

We are about 5 weeks away from the marathon and I am working to hit 10 miles over the next week. I'm excited and scared at the same time - I'm not running as frequently as I should, but all I can do now, is work hard over the next couple weeks to reach 13 miles by February 17th!

I'm following this plan:

I'd love to hear any tips or training plans that anyone has used for their first marathon! :)

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