I DID IT!

If you've been reading my blog from the beginning, you may recall this post I made about goals I wanted to one day accomplish. Number 7 on that list was to run a half marathon, and after this weekend, that one was checked off my list! :)

The half marathon was GREAT. As I crossed the finish line I realized that all of my training had really paid off! My goal was to not only finish the race, but do it without stopping a single time. Even during water breaks and such, my feet kept on moving! I didn't stop one single time.My mom was a real trooper throughout the entire weekend. I couldn't have done it without her!....and Shannon! She was there to cheer me on, too! I had the best time hanging out with her and was so glad to have her there.

Now, it's questionable if I'll run another half-marathon, but if I do, I've already compiled a list of things I want to do differently next time. Perhaps this will help you if you're hoping to run one sometime in the future!:

1. wear a sports watch! I HATED not knowing the time while I was running.

2. wear my ipod! There were bands playing throughout a good bit of the race, but there were also periods of "quiet time," when I needed a little pump up music to keep me going! I listened to my ipod all throughout my training and although I enjoyed all that went on during the race, I missed having it.

3. wear my NAME on my shirt! So many people had their names written on their shirts, so people watching could cheer them on! Somehow I think if I'd heard random people saying "GO LT!" throughout the race, it would have been a huge encouragement to me while I was running! :)

4. run with somebody! Although I generally prefer running by myself and I trained entirely by myself, there was a good bit of down time before the race when it would have been nice to have somebody to talk to. I arrived at the race around 5:45 am, rode a shuttle to the starting line, and had to wait for over an hour before the race actually started. It got a little boring being by myself.

5. have more specific plans about WHERE to meet friends/family after the race! Even though I knew there would be 30,000+ people running in the race, I had NO IDEA how many people would be there just watching it and supporting their friends! The crowd was a little intimidating. It literally took me 45 minutes to find Mom and Shannon after I was finished running!

Now I know.

Finally, I leave you with a picture of the newest addition in Shannon's family. She got this adorable little guy the day before I got there, and he's only 7 weeks old. His name is Titan and he's a boxer. I wanted to take him home with me, but Shannon wouldn't let me. Look at that face!

Thanks for keeping up with my running journey these past 4 months! I'm here to tell you that even though my training was very regimented and tough at times, it was totally worth it to say that my goal was accomplished! Today I feel a little like I've been pushed off a cliff, so I'm looking forward to NOT running for a few days!

I hope YOU have a wonderful week!