Hilton Head Half-Marathon 2009

We did it! On Saturday, Sarah and I ran our first half-marathon and it was a blast! I stole my pics from her blog post because we only had her camera at the race site, but I figure that packing the camera on my backside for 13.1 miles entitled me to steal her photos:)

We left Friday afternoon and arrived in Hilton Head just in time to pick up our race packets, and then headed straight for food. We are total pigs and we know it, but apparently our server felt like he needed to say something about how much we were eating that night. Like, more than once. But did that stop us from eating 2 loaves of bread, all the calamari, salads, lobster ravioli, and pizza? NO! We toughed it out like the rockstars we are.

We got back to the hotel and I tried to go to bed at 10:30, which didn't work because:

1) That's about 3 hours before my normal bedtime
2) I was in a hotel and I have MAJOR sleep issues my first night in a new place
3) I may have been a teensy bit nervous for the race

Anyway, I must have slept at some point because Sarah swears she got up twice and I didn't hear her, but that 6:00 alarm still wasn't fun. I ate a banana and drank some orange juice, got dressed, and we headed to the race site. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, but much colder than the forecast said it would be. That meant that we ended up running with our jackets on for the first 3 or 4 miles until we warmed up enough to take them off, at which point we ran with fleeces tied around our waists, which made us look even cooler, I'm sure.

We started towards the back of the pack because we had no idea where we fit in the lineup of "fast runners" and "slow runners". This meant we didn't actually cross the starting line for quite awhile, and it literally took us over a mile to make our way past the slower people and get up to a comfortable pace. If I had to guess, I'd say starting so far back (no ankle bracelets or anything to accurately track our time) and then having to elbow our way around throngs of people cost us at least 3 or 4 minutes. Live and learn!

We followed our GU recommendations religiously (15 minutes before the race and every 45 minutes afterward), and they worked wonders for our energy levels. I can honestly say I have never felt as good running as I felt during this race. It was exhilarating, and I never had to talk myself through it like I have before. I found out after the race that poor Sarah had a horrible cramp for like 4 or 5 miles, but she was such a trooper that she just kept on going. She also trashed her toenails but again, I had no clue until the end of the race. She is one tough cookie. When we were rounding the turn for the last 1/4 mile, Sarah just poured it on and caught me totally off guard! She was like this blue blur flying past me, but I took off to catch her and we finished at the same time -- in 2 hours and 3 minutes. We died laughing at what we must have looked like those last few meters, but it was awesome to just go into an all out run. Sarah paid for it though;) I'll let you read her side of the story for details. Let's just say I was laughing so hard I almost joined her!

Here we are right after the race -- clearly high on endorphins (what on EARTH is my face doing?)(besides being huge in general, I mean)


Check out Sarah's rockin' calves -- what a hottie!



The race was truly so much fun, and so rewarding for me. I say all the time that motherhood is difficult because you work so hard and the results are so subtle that you sometimes don't "see" the fruits of your labor. I think I loved this so much because I worked hard for something and it paid off relatively quickly and with measurable results. A year ago, I couldn't run 2 miles without stopping. In November, I ran my first ever race -- a 10K -- and 3 months after that I ran these 13.1 miles and felt strong the whole time. It was just such a great experience and I am so proud of myself for stepping outside my comfort zone and challenging myself to do something that scared me. I couldn't have done it without Sarah and I am so lucky to have such a great training partner and friend!


I've got the bug now, and I am seriously considering another half in the next 2 months. Okay, and maybe I am sort of dying to try the full 26.2 too, but I am trying to be smart about it. What? It happens from time to time...



I love this picture more than I should but I don't really know why. Like it almost chokes me up (maybe I am still behind on sleep). We bought the same running shoes without knowing it so we've been little twinners throughout all our training. Awww...

To anyone who thinks they can't do this -- you can! Go for it -- it is so worth all the hard work, plus, you get a free shirt and Gatorade which is always rad. AND you have a free pass to eat anything and everything you want for the rest of the day after a race (you KNOW I did). What more can a girl want?