a few weeks ago i ran a half marathon.  some of you knew i was training.  training and trying, is really more like it.  i was never a runner (except for that time in jr. high) or had a desire to be.  the idea of any kind of race never even raced through my mind.  never ever was i one of those people that thought it would be cool to run a a marathon or mark it off a list.  but, in may, i did some list making with friends and a half marathon made the list, just waiting to be marked off in a few short months.

the training was tough and so time consuming.  the movement in my body and my brain.  running was always on my mind.  but, when i was actually running, my mind was on the moment.  while i did a lot of huffing and puffing and worked on wishing my way out of some of those specific moments, when i finally found my groove and my breath (which for me was two short breaths in and one long breath out) the moments of the past day, week, and all the days ahead that occupied my mind at all times drifted right out and i came upon clarity.  this made me love running.  pounding the pavement was pondering.  and, pondering tends to lead me to purpose.

i made it to the milwaukee half marathon and was super nervous.

 

i did most of my running by myself and the thought of running with a mass of people, totally freaked me out.  then i was worried about things like, what if i have to go to the bathroom (which was pretty often, thank you 4 children), what if i’m last, what if . . . what if …..  but, like any other hard thing, i tried to just put one foot in front of the other, show up and let the momentum move me.

we got there bright and early and began running.  i was the slowest of my friends so i figured we wouldn’t be together the entire time.  i was ok with that.  i could keep up with them, but knew if i did, i’d tire out in the end.  we stayed together for the first 5 miles, and then i slowed my pace a bit and had to make a few more bathroom stops and that was that.  it was me and a bunch of strangers on the streets of milwaukee.  there were a lot of hills, actually, which threw me off a bit, but i kept chugging a long.  i ran 10 miles, walked 1 (wish i wouldn’t have now, but oh well) and then finished off.  around the 11th mile i felt something snap on one of my toes, thought maybe it was toe nail, but i just kept going.  at this point, the adrenaline was going strong and i was able to keep moving.

by the 12th mile, when the stadium was in sight i started crying.  such a girl, but i absolutely, could not believe that i, me, trina, non athletic girl, no way runner, just ran a half marathon.  like for real.  the race ended running through the brewers stadium and that was pretty cool.  my friends finished about 10 minutes before me, and i saw them cheering me on….and i finished!  it definitely was one of the best feelings ever.  overwhelming really.  i could see why people keep running races.

have you ever ran a long distance race?  or had a desire to?

the biggest trouble i had with running, besides my knees sometimes, was my feet.  whenever i would do my long runs, anything over 6 miles, i would get crazy blisters around my toes and my toe nails would be sore for a week.  i had to to take almost 2 weeks off training, at the end, in order to be in good shape for the race.  i have flat feet which means i over pronate and i didn’t start out in the right shoes, and probably did a lot of damage in the very beginning.  when i peeled my shoes off i was a little overwhelmed at my toe situation.  one totally black and blue, the other bright red and toe nail lifting (that was the snap, i felt).  i lost three toe nails (oh my gosh, i can’t believe i just typed that) which is gross, but they are my battle wounds.  so whatever.  they will grow back and thank God it is boot season.  but, the lesson is, if you are going to train for a long race and are new to running, then go get the right shoes for your feet, right away.  don’t wait until your current shoes don’t work.  and, study the tricks of the pros.

and, wouldn’t you know …. now that the race is over, and i don’t have to run and i literally couldn’t run for a few weeks (thank you toes) all i could think about was running. crazy how that works.

p.s. i loved having this experience with friends.  it was really the journey of it that made the race what it was for me.  i maybe would have quit early on, and early on, but because i had accountability and others cheering me on it was doable, and fun!

p.p.s.  i somehow managed to gain weight running.  has this happened to anyone else?  i thought i was going to get all skinny and the opposite happened.  now i need to drop a few pounds.  figure out a new workout routine.

p.p.s. here is what i loved to run in.