You Runners out there know what 13.1 means. Half Marathon. Well not only did we run a half marathon, but .7 of a mile past a half marathon! The difference to me is huge.
On May 26th, my good friend/ brothers girlfriend/amazing runner&anything-else-she-does, humored me by running her first, my second, Half Marathon! We 'trained together' for 2 months (8 weeks). When I say trained together, I mean running alone (most of the time) and texting/calling updates on how each run went! We were about 270 miles away from each other. It makes 'training together' a bit tough! However, we somehow made it through training. We would try to train together whenever I came home to Wyoming to visit family!
On Mother's Day, Andrew (my amazing brother) got to call on Skype to our home! I came home for that, Daesha came as well, and after our wonderful chat with our favorite missionary, we headed out on our big 9 mile run. It was amazing! We had both been used to somewhat training on our own, so running alongside my partner was heaven. The next week I was up again, we ran our 10 mile around Bear Lake, it was breathtaking! A week later brought us to the day before our race. We headed with my wonderful Mom and beautiful Sister&baby Avery to Logan for a girls day. We then went to Olive Garden to get some Carbs to load on before the big race the following morning. We.were.stuffed.
After a night of tossing and turning, waking up to a swollen throat, and worrying if we were late(at 4am)... it was FINALLY time to get up and get ready. On our hour drive to the starting line we [tried] to eat some organic peanut butter, and metabolism boosting fruit snacks. (when I say tried, I mean gaged down until we about lost it, then gave up...seriously the stuff was beyond awful!) We pulled up in our flashy outfits (just wait, they are amazing) and were oh so nervous! It was chilly, but a great morning for running.
The race started, and a few hundred strides down the road Daesha was in pain. We called her Mom and she drove by with some meds! (don't worry, we kept on running!) The pain for Daesh, was really hurting her, so we stopped real quickly and said a small prayer. A few strides later, she looks at me and says "It's gone!" Simply A.may.zing! (: Soon, not even a mile down the road we find that not only did we sign up for a Half Marathon, but they switched the trails on us, and turned it into a HILLS Half Marathon. WORST NIGHTMARE. Yes, I will say it, and complain a tiny bit! (to their defense, the original path was washed away due to higher tide.) Lets just say the Bear Lake Monster Staff were a little limited on trails. So guess what? We ran our trail FOUR TIMES. Up and back, Up and Back....also, with not one Mile marker to push you along the way. Joyful right? By the time we were heading back up the mountain I was done. Sick and tired with a bad attitude! Happy Daesha at my side, and she just kept on pushing me like you wouldn't believe. Poor girl. (; On our way down, pushing the last 2 miles, we were HAULING. Downhill is where we caught up time. As we were kicking butt downhill, the downhill decided to kick my butt. My right foot hit a rock... full on, and before I knew it was "Sparky Rolling" down the hill. (for those of you who played volleyball with me; Talisha, or Sparky, had the best volleyball roles ever. and that's what I did, shoulder first.) Daesha thought I had fainted. (not too hard to imagine at this point) I just popped up and kept on running! I.was.dirty. (see pictures) We are making a final decent to flat ground that will lead up about 1 mile to the finish line. I take a peek at my GPS tracker, and it shows we are at 12.8 miles. WHAT?! We still have a mile to go till the finish line, yet not near that far till our goal of 13.1 miles...!! I was not too happy. Then we see our families all at the bottom of the hill. I got confused(my mind can be foggy when I run) and it made sense in my mind that they were our finish line! (But in the back of my mind I knew we had to end at the starting place...) But my GPS was not wrong, and we should be almost done! I start pushing. Sprinting really, down this hill toward our family. Giving everything I possibly can give! We get there and they hug us and say: You are almost done!! I almost cried....yup the kind where you lay down in a heap and cry. I was done! So we are once again...on our way. I take a look at my GPS, and guess what? We are now hitting 13.1 miles, and I still have a little less than a mile left. I was exhausted and had never felt so drained! (Yes, little miss drama, I only ran a Half, not even a full, and I am a basket case...live with it. (: ) After what seems and eternity we round the corner and see the light house (finish line) and we start pushing again. As shown in the pictures, IT.WAS.HARD. We crossed the finish line holding hands. 2 hours and 36 minutes. Not bad! Especially for a hills half, and running almost a mile past what we were supposed to. So, I will take it.
Here are some pictures, as you can tell I look pretty miserable, while young, beautiful Daesha looks like she only just went for a jog! (;
Looking back, the whole experience is hilarious to me. Why do I do this? Ha! Looking forward to my next Half! Will I ever run a Full? No.
The above pictures: Top, left-right then Bottom, left-right
#1: Deasha and I before the big race! Note the flashy outfits. (:
#2: Almost Half-Way, so coming back from the first up&back
#3: Our last stretch to the finish line. The finish line is where the camera is
#4: Sprinting up the last hill-Daesha looking determined, Me looking horrified...(;
#5: Crossing the finish line...finally!
#6: What a run! She pushed me more than I can say! #inspiration.
Pics above:
#1: With our medals! I wish you could see an up-close on them they have the "bear lake monster"...and are hideous! (;
#2: Me after our run...dirty from my fall, and miserable.
#3: Daesha after our run....blissfully happy and beautiful! (; didn't phase her a bit!
#4: Me and Aves, my favorite(and only) niece! (:
#5: Daesh and I! Recovered a little more. But need a shower...
#6: Our time, kinda hard to read! 2 H 36 M
#7: My Mommy and I
#8: Another one of Aves and I...She thinks I stink...(;
Just to clarify! MacKay was already in Alaska at this point, or he would have been there cheering us on with everyone else! (:
All in all, this makes for a great story, and looking back, I don't know why this one was so hard for me, but I can't possibly end on a horrible one right? So I guess I will just keep on runnin'!
Shanna
(editors note: After I ran this half marathon, I found out I was pregnant with my baby boy. So, now we can blame my horrible attitude on being 5 weeks pregnant and running a half marathon, up hills, rolling down mountains and sprinting to light houses. It makes me feel a bit better.)
