Macdonald's Playland

"I want to complete a half marathon."

I am not totally sure what first possessed me just a little over 2 months ago to have that specific thought come into my head out of nowhere...a dream? A bad piece of pizza?...but I took it and went with it.

After just 10 weeks of training, I finally completed my 1st half marathon this past Saturday at City Impact's 3rd annual Ventura Beachfront Half Marathon. I don't think I could've asked for a better half marathon to participate in for my 1st half. The location was great, the course was beautiful, weather was perfect, everything was so organized, everyone was so friendly, and it was for a great cause. City Impact helps meet the growing needs of at-risk/high-risk youth and low-income families throughout Ventura County through family support programs. It was an honor to run for this event, and I will definitely do it again!

Whatever it was that got me interested in doing this whole half marathon thing in the first place, I am SO glad I listened to it! Training for and then completing this was an amazing experience that I will never forget..and I have officially fallen in love with running and can't WAIT to do more runs in the future!

It went way better than I ever imagined it would go.

We got up at 4:45am (I tossed & turned a bit at night, but that was to be expected...I wasn't nervous about running, I was actually more nervous about making sure I got there in time and that the lines for the porta potties weren't too long...ahem), left around 5:20 to drive to Ventura, found the place & parking easily a little after 6, I had time to pick up my packet and bib, warm up, take pictures, and started the half around 7:15.

Here we are hanging out before the race started...my little boo was such a trooper waking up early to be there for mommy. She's my little good luck charm.

Starting the race was not as scary as I thought it would be. There were rolling start times, the first one starting at 7 am. I decided to start at 7:15 (with everyone else who anticipated a finish time of somewhere between 2:15-2:45). My goal was to try to complete it in 2 hours, 15 minutes...and 2:10 or less would be ideal. The race itself was out and back...so we'd run about 7 miles out, and then the rest back the way we came from. That was nice, because the "start" and "finish" lines were in the same place, and I could be familiar with where I was and how far I had to go.

had to take a picture of my trusty shoes
(they have become my BFFs) right before starting..legs don't fail me now!

I actually felt really confident in my training and felt prepared. I went in telling myself that if I wanted to do my best, I needed to keep my pace and control myself and not get caught up with the adrenaline in the beginning and risk going too fast at first. I find it can be easy for me to lose control and want to push too hard at the wrong time, so I made sure to not do that. With all that in mind, I felt good to start, gave Lilly and Scott a kiss, and I was off.

waving "see you later!" to my husband & Lilly.

I picked the neon orange top for a reason. I wanted to make sure my family could spot me when I returned. I think you could see me a mile away.

The course started near Ventura Pier and ran all along the coastline. It was so gorgeous. The weather was cold (ok..cold for us Californians)...low 60s. It was overcast, chilly, and rainy. But cooler weather like that is my favorite type of weather to run in! It was perfect, and we ran by the ocean a majority of the time. The other parts were through beautiful trails with rolling hills on the side.

Literally the first half of the whole race...we ran through rain. (ok...maybe it was heavy mist/ocean spray, and perhaps to people waiting at the finish line, it was just a light "sprinkle," but to all of us running...it was freakin rain. I guess running into drops of water makes it seem heavier than it is. Everyone was getting soaked, my hair was so wet I looked like I dunked my head in a sink of water. I did not ever imagine that would happen while running this thing...especially in June in California. Anyway, it didn't phase me. I don't know what it is about rain that makes you feel like awesome sauce when you're running , but I loved it. It only made me feel good. My hair was drenched, my arms were soaked, and I was chugging along...I thought to myself, "Man...we must all look crazy doing this." and I loved it.

Around mile 5, when I was feeling really great, I just had to take photos of what I was running through.
Still had miles ahead of me...

This was my view for a lot of the race..gorgeous & inspiring! The photo does not do it justice.
I love California!

For the sake of recording my times & thoughts for future reference, and to remind myself how I actually got through this whole thing, I'll just do a mileage breakdown here. I ran the entire 13.1 miles.

Mile 1 - I always take the first mile a lot slower. I try and "jog" a little, rather than go to my full on running. It always takes the first mile to find my groove anyway. I was able to ease into the fact that I had about 12 miles ahead of me...a scary and exciting thought! I finished the first mile in about 10:46.

Miles 2 & 3 - There were markers for every mile we'd complete, and miles 2 & 3 came up quickly. I was amazed at how quickly the miles would go...it always seemed much longer between miles when I was training. In any case, mile 2 was done in 10:06, mile 3 in 9:58. I finished 3 miles in 30:50. Around mile 3, I looked over to see the endless shoreline. I was feeling really good, and got a little choked up looking at the ocean & thinking about how I was actually doing this. It was a peaceful and cool moment.

Mile 4 - I had my headphones in, and would listen to my running app tell me what my time was and how fast I was going. At mile 4, it told me my pace and I realized I was going faster than I initially planned. I had initially planned to run the first 7 miles (so basically, the first half of the whole race) slower than my normal pace. I had strategized to play it safe, so I planned to do a 10+ minute per mile pace. But at mile 4, my app told me I was running around a 9 minute per mile pace, so it was faster than I had initially planned. But I really felt comfortable, did not feel like I was pushing myself to my limit, and so I just kept at it & decided not to slow down. Also, I realized that this was my first half marathon, and I was there to give it my all. I wanted to do my best. Mile 4 was done in 9:31.

Mile 5- I started feeling really great at mile 5. I started taking pictures, singing to myself & snapping my fingers to my music (something I seem to do all the time when I run), etc. I was having fun. Mile 5 was done in 9:27.

Mile 6- was done in 9:33. I did the first 6 miles in about 59:21.

Mile 7 - somewhere around mile 7 was the turnaround to head back to the finish line. I decided to slow my pace at this point so I could finish as strong as I could. I wasn't losing energy just yet, but felt like it was around the corner, so I decided to refuel. I pulled out my Shot Bloks and gobbled up 3. It is TOTALLY against the rules to take something brand new, especially at your actual race because you never know what can happen or how your body would react (don't want any upset tummies or any unnecessary stops to the porta potties), but I was fortunate to not have any reactions to the shot bloks. Also, I told myself I had "sampled" them the day before (I didn't run the day before my race, but ate some shot bloks anyway), and my stomach didn't react to them, so I felt like I'd be ok. Luckily I was. Don't follow my example, though!! I was just lucky. In any case, I think they will be my form of refueling from now on...they were easy to eat, fit in my arm sleeve, and taste like gummy bears. I finished Mile 7 in 10:05.

Miles 8, 9 & 10 - I don't remember much about these miles. I know that I started feeling my legs more though! Since I had already been through the turnaround, I was passing runners who were coming the other way. It was inspiring to see people of all sizes and ages doing the exact same thing I was doing. I just remember feeling so proud of all of them, and tried to smile or wave or clap for them as I ran past them. In any case...I just kept chugging along, and could tell my pace may have slowed down a little. But I couldn't believe I was almost to the finish. Mile 8 was done in 9:42, mile 9 was done in 9:47, mile 10 in 10 minutes. I really wanted to make sure I could still run for the last 3 miles so I took these slower. I finished the first 10 miles in 1:38:54. (When I was training, the longest I had ever run was 10 miles. The last time I did 10 miles was about 2 weeks before the race. I ran it in 1:55:10, so to finish the first 10 miles during the actual half marathon in 1:38 was a great improvement and something I was SO happy about!)

Mile 11- This was my fastest mile funnily enough, even though I was really starting to feel my hamstrings & calves more. I knew I was in my last 3 miles, so I ran faster, but still didn't push to my limit just yet. I finished it in 9:13.

Mile 12 - was rough. I think I hit "the wall" as they call it, or at least a mini one. My legs were getting tired, I couldn't really hear my music anymore because my heart was pounding and I was just thinking of crossing that finish line, and I kept thinking, "these last 3 miles are going on forever!!!" Then I saw an old man running in front of me..he was fighting his left hip, but kept on running towards that finish and showed no signs of giving up. I got a little emotional again at that point. Just seeing all these people around who were almost done and tired.. just like me. But they weren't giving up. It was an encouraging thing. Running really is about the human spirit! Despite my legs starting to burn, I still managed to keep running, didn't stop, and finished mile 12 in 9:41.
Mile 13...and .1: longest 1.1 miles ...of ..my life. I knew where the finish line was as I was familiar with the trail already. But as I mentioned when I ran my last 5k, when you know where the finish line is, or when you can even see it...it seems to get further and further away from you. At least it did for me. It's as if the mile lengthens itself! When I could see the finish line in the distance, I would push myself to my limit and my mind would fight with that and say, "just stop and rest because you're almost done anyway!". I wanted to finish off strong and doing my very best, so I had to fight that urge. Running is such a personal battle! It was a struggle to not just stop, but I forced myself to keep pushing so I could get to the finish and see my Scottie, Lilly, and family! I finished that 1.1 mile in 9:17.

As I was about to cross the finish line, I scanned the cheering crowd for my family. I couldn't spot them for awhile at first and was sad because I really thought I wouldn't see their faces before I crossed the finish line. But then, there was my husband, Lilly, my parents, and my sisters waving and cheering right near the front of the finish line! I was so happy that I started clapping..seeing them gave me that final burst of energy and that was it..I crossed the finish line & finished my first half marathon! My official time for the whole thing was 2:07:32.5! I not only beat my goal, but I accomplished a time I never thought I could!

Here I am rounding the final corner...did not see my family just yet, even though my sister's fist pump is blatantly obvious.

Shortly after the moment I saw my family and started clapping like a dork....happiness!

I DID IT!!!

Official Results:
~Total Time- 2:07:32.5
~Avg. pace: 9:44/m
~Finished 1st half of race in: 1:03:48.8
~Finished 2nd half of race in: 1:03:43.7
~26/70 in age group (20-29year olds)
~88/276 in gender
~201/460+ overall

Recovering...by touching up my makeup ;)

My girl! She loved looking at my medal...

I loved looking at my medal too! I'm so proud of it.

The first person I hugged after crossing that finish line! Thanks to my patient, supportive husband for helping me through my training and always telling me I could do it, even when I would have moments where I felt like I couldn't.

My sweet little lucky charm...giving her tired mommy's legs a good hug.

These two kept me going through all of this!

Thanks to my awesome family for coming out! They're the best!!

Thanks to creeper mcgillicutty for being a creeper...

Thanks to this little girl for being the best daughter in the world. Knowing she was at the finish line waiting with her daddy kept me going. Here she is playing on the beach while I was running....sand is way more interesting than running.

Mommyhood...the ultimate marathon! :)

I am so grateful for this wonderful experience. For anyone thinking of running a 5k or a half marathon or even just taking up running, I say: do it. (just get the a-ok from your doc so they don't get mad at me). With proper training and a positive attitude, you can accomplish amazing things!

Before this all happened and the thought came in my head that I wanted to even try attempting this..I never even liked running. I mean...I guess I always thought it was ok. Like the "I'll run if I have to" type of ok. But was it something I had an interest in doing all the time? No way.

Before I started training for those 5ks and this half marathon, I really could only think of a few times...ok...maybe like...one...time....where I felt good about "running for fun", and I would go, "YES, I can totally do this!"...hair flappin in the wind, feelin all cool. And then about a block later, I was like, "Why?!" and then I went home.

Then I decided I was going to start training for a 5k with my husband, and then do a half. I remember in the first week, my knee was so sore and I would get shin splints on my short runs. I remember I had to take a break for a few days because my knee hurt & I remember being just SO frustrated that I couldn't go out and run. I was like, "Well, that's it! My dream is over." (over-dramatic much? GEEZ Pamela.) THEN, when I was trying to decide on which half marathon to run and decided that this one in Ventura would be really great...I then would tell myself, "It's 10 weeks away! There's no way you can train in time...there's no way you can do that. 13.1 miles is really long. People get so sick trying to complete one of those. You have to eat properly. You might get injured. You have to run every week, multiple times a week? There's no way you can find time to do this. How are you going to do this??" It was excuse after excuse after excuse.

If there's anything I've learned from running, it's this: it truly has so much to do with the human mind, heart, and spirit. It is human nature, unfortunately, for something to start telling you that you can't do something you're setting out to do. Self doubt is something we all struggle with at some time or another. People may not be supportive or encouraging, or may be unresponsive, you may hit road blocks on the way, you may feel like you're just never going to get there (oh, how I've been there.) But I think it is just amazing what can be done when your heart and mind finally get into the same place and you tell yourself that you CAN do it, no matter how hard it is..and then you do. You will see little improvements, meet goals, fall down, and pick yourself back up. When I finally figured out that I was capable of doing this if I worked really hard & kept going (even when I had bad days), I was able to meet goals I never even thought I could possibly meet!

My view of running has changed completely. Running, for me, has become a stress reliever, a time to think, and a way for me to challenge myself all the time. It makes me feel stronger and I hope to get better at it. I am amazed at how much it has taught me. Through this experience, I have learned a lot of valuable lessons and a lot about myself and other people...it also has helped me to be more aware of my blessings, especially the love and support of my amazing family & friends (and I just want to say, THANK YOU to all of you who encouraged me along the way and/or gave such positive support before, during, and after I did this....you have no idea how much it helped me and how much it means to me! I am grateful for good friends and family who willingly take the time to share in my joy & adventures, and I am grateful whenever I can celebrate their joys & adventures with them too!) I am grateful for health, for legs and feet to walk & run, for a heart that pounds, and for lungs to breathe! This whole experience has done so much good for me, I am so glad I did it, I ~~would~~ will do it again, and I am grateful for it!