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Standing at the corner of my corral, my body was already covered in a thin layer of sweat. Starting by sealing my pores with a thick layer of sunblock (yucky), I had dashed from the porta-potty line to a hotel restaurant bathroom across the street, and back to my corral all within 5 minutes of the start of the race. Tommy and Sunday were directly to my left on the other side of the corral gate. I think I kissed him “bye” maybe 5 times? They counted down to the start time for each corral in front of me… and then they shoved us out into the pack like a herd of cattle. “Off ya go!”
Humbling.
That is my word for this experience.
- Sweet messages of encouragement from friends and family.
- Completely losing it at mile 9.
- Realizing how incredibly inexperienced I am.
- Not being able to “get in the zone.”
- Starting too fast. No matter how hard I tried not to.
- My body aching from head to toe by mile 8.
- Realizing I was in the very last corral. (And not even getting our own starting line countdown.)
- Hearing the cheerleaders cheering “Let’s-go-walkers!!”
All of it.
Completely, undeniably humbling.
Here’s the boldface truth: I was absolutely not prepared for this half marathon. I knew I started training too late in the game. But I figured… if I can pull off 10 miles in a training run, then I can finish a half marathon.
I did finish.
In fact, I totally reached all of my written goals. They were:
- Learn to love running.
- Get to a place where 3-5 miles is a comfortable regular run.
- Finish the race.
- Stay hydrated.
- Have fun.
- Don’t get sunburnt.
- Continue on my journey of getting healthy.
All of those things happened. But, still, I left my pride on the boardwalk in Virginia Beach.
The half marathon was. so. hard.
Something new is brewing in me. In years past I would have left my pride and not thought about it again. I am a quitter. In fact – I did that in 2008 when I participated in my first sprint triathlon. I finished 4th from last and laughed about it. I mean… what was I really going to do about it? Get better? Stronger? Work harder? Pfft. Nope.
Well, that was Liz pre-baby.
The Liz now? I’m more pumped than ever. I will get better… I will grow stronger. I will do it again and improve my time. I will learn how to “get in the zone” no matter where I am or who is around me. I will learn what I need to eat during a run and how often to eat it. I will learn how to run with or without music, with or without company, with or without a baby jogging stroller.
Yes, I feel defeated. I feel humbled. I feel worn out. But I am going to pick myself back up and work harder and longer this time.
I’ve already set my next goal: another half marathon on November 17th. Coming right up.
This isn’t my race report… that’ll come. This is mostly my race emotional check. Stay tuned for a less emotional report of how it really went down.
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(A mini report for those who really want to know: With the humidity the air temp “felt like” 104 degrees, the sun was behind clouds for most of the race (I might have had a heat stroke had it not been) and I finished with a time of 3:28. Also, I walked a lot more than I ever planned or expected I would.)
Aaron - Proud of you, no matter what! If you can finish at VA Beach, you’ll do much better in November!
Patty McGuire - Liz!! Don’t be so hard on yourself!!! Finishing is better than 99.9% of the rest of the world can say they have done. That in and of itself is an enormous accomplishment!! I have several friends, all experienced runners, who said this race was absolutely brutal. You said it. The humidity was horrible. Just walking it in those conditions is a big deal. I heard the EMT’s were working on all kinds of people who were passing out and getting sick due to the difficult conditions.
Plus, they finish that race out on the boardwalk. It’s pretty and if the breeze is in your favor, it’s helpful. But….the concrete is difficult if you aren’t accustomed to it. And it’s 3 whole miles of running on concrete at the end. Very tough. I’m so proud of you for doing this. I think it’s a huge deal.
Congratulations!!!!!!!!!! Pat yourself on the back. You did a huge, huge thing.
Patty Mac
Karen Thornton - Great job Liz. It was very humid that day out here and I couldn’t imagine what running in that was like. I hope your training goes well for November and wish you a great race. All the best to you.
Katharine - I totally agree with Patty! I, too, am a quitter, and I’m proud of you for meeting all your goals (while I was sitting on my couch contemplating doing a Pinterest project … which I put off until Sunday).
Cassandra King - Hey Liz! Try not to get too down on yourself. It was a rough one for us all. I hadn’t trained or even ran a mile in the last month but that didn’t stop me. In the first 3 miles I wanted to quit and just walk away but something kept me going. I’m always competitive and this run was definitely humbling for me too. Not only did I not train but the weather was a huge debilitating factor which caused my time to drop by 34 minutes from last year. It was by far my worst run ever but I have since brushed it off and has only made me want to work harder next time. Just stick with it and if you need any motivation or inspiration or have questions about anything regarding running let me know. What’s the next race you have lined up in November 17th? Is it the MCM Turkey Trot 10K? That’s a great race which I did last year and have signed up for again this year. Congratulations on your first 1/2 marathon and just know it only goes up from here! I’m going to send you some training plans that may be helpful and give you some new ideas for training. The hardest part about training is doing it alone and finding the motivation to keep going.
Katy - I think you did awesome. No matter what – YOU FINISHED. And that is a huge accomplishment! I’ve been saying for years I want to do a half marathon and still haven’t. One day I will. And I commend you for doing it!!
Anita - I have Always been proud of u!! And a quitter u r not — u r a STARTER, Liz!! U r creative, have ideas, plans, initiative, and unending enthusiasms. U make me sooo proud, sweetheart! ilu
Lisa Thorpe - Liz, you expressed my feeling during my first half to the T! I felt all those emotions. The let down. Beating myself up. Starting too fast. Beating myself up during. Hitting a wall and finally finishing! At the time I had anticipated but feeling like I let everyone around me down. But like you, I didnt allow it to keep me down. I am training for my 2nd half in October with my 3rd in December. All I want is to better my last time. I am training better. I have completely changed my eating habits and have no pubix heath bar cookies in my house this time!!! We are all in this race together. Keep up the faith and never give up! Thanks for putting in words your honesty and humbling yourself in front of all of us! You are brave, full of heart and YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND AND HEART TO.