half marathon

i have been seriously loving this gorgeous weather that has been gracing minnesota lately. i think i forgot how nice fresh air is; and how fun it is to go outside and not need a coat; or to not need to crank the heat as soon as i get in the car? ahhh life’s simple pleasures. i’m a runner. well, at least i call myself one. i think i fit enough of the description… i run. and i love to sport sassy workout tees. so there’s that. i have done a 5K, 10K and 2 half marathons. . i have zero desire to ever do a full. a half marathon is my jam and i’m cool with that.

i’ve been cooped up running at Lifetime Fitness in MG and i just loathe running on a treadmill. it’s so boring. and you don’t go anywhere. and i’m overly aware of how long i’ve been running/ how long i have yet to go. so i was uber jazzed to kick off outdoor running season yesterday evening. i dragged starks the pup along with me. after a full weekend of playing with my family in AL, he was tuckered out by about mile 1.5. he rallied pretty well, but he was struggling that last mile. not to mention he has to pause ever 5 feet to pee on something. but it was a nice distraction to have him with and as my old babysitter would say, good for him to be outside and “blow his stink off.” after we conquered that run, we kicked it on the deck and enjoyed the nice evening, because as we Minnesotans know, this weather is in no way guaranteed to stay.

already the start of a new weekend and i’ve still yet to document the previous. for shame. dang my busy schedule and lack of internet at my apartment! anyways, i had an EPIC weekend (last weekend) as i conquered a half marathon! yayyyyyyy!

friday:

i got to work from my home office and that night i went to pick up my official race day packet. then we went to dinner and i carb loaded on some pasta, then did a short jog with my pops to keep my legs loose for race day!

saturday – RACE DAY!

months of training, preparation, everything… all comes down to one day. i was excited and nervous. i honestly was wondering what i had gotten myself into. i knew that i was ready. i knew that i was capable of rocking it. and the time had come to shine…

6:00AM: wake up, isotonix, coffee, 1/2 power bar, stretch

7:00AM: head to the starting place(get a few butterflies)

7:15AM: runner’s to the starting point

7:28AM: shotgun start and GO!

when the shotgun sounded a got a HUGE surge of adrenaline. it was unlike anything i’ve ever felt before. ‘some nights by fun.’ was the first song on my playlist and as i set off i couldn’t help but get a giant grin on my face, realizing the awesomeness of what i was about to accomplish…

5 miles in:

that smile on my face is actually real! i had my tunes rockin’ and i felt great!

6 miles in:

girl look at that booty, I WORK OUT. just shy of halfway and i was havin’ fun!

7 miles in:

and then the fatigue starts to set in… still feelin’ good tho.

10 miles in:

the smile on my faced is real,but only to trick my mind into believing we are still having fun. around mile 9-10 my legs started to kill… they were like, “emma, we’re kind of tired, and i think we would like to not be doing this anything.” and it was then when i truly understood how much of a mental game running a marathon is. i could have easily gave up, but i didn’t. i have come this far… only 3 miles to go… this is what you’ve been working towards… you got this!

miles 12-13:

this was the biggest mental battle… i was so close, but so far away from that finish line. just a little bit more. and then the wind picked up. but when i made that final turn and saw the finish line i pushed with every single thing i had left in me.

the finish line:

1 hour and 58 minutes on the nuts. when i first started training, my goal was to finish in under 2 hours. so as soon as i could see the clock i hauled ass to make sure i made that goal.

holy moly i did it!!!!!!

my whole family was there to support me <3

evolution of a marathon…

couldn’t have done it without my trainer/ daddy

thirteen point freakin’ one.

after oodles of pictures documenting the moment, we got some egg mcmuffin’s and headed back home to relax. mom and i then went to get hands down, the best pedicures EVER. the woman gave me like a 20 minute leg massage and i thought i died and went to heaven. was amazing. the rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing. still in awe that i actually ran 13.1 miles in 1:58. it was both the hardest and the most amazing thing i have ever done. and a feeling i will never forget.