Only Half Crazy

All pictures mine

Last weekend I ran my first half marathon. It was only only my second race ever, and the longest distance I've ever ran. I'm was physically exhausted, but it was such a rush! Here's the recap:

5:00: Alarm goes off after a very restless night's sleep.

5:07: Roll out of bed and get ready.

5:23: Fiance realizes he's forgotten his hoodie at home. Fiance goes back home to pick it up.

5:37: Parent show up and we leave to drive to Chicago.

6:02: Stand in world's longest Port-a-Potty line.

6:31: Try to find someone I know to help me get to the starting line.

6:43: Find friends at the starting line. (Winning!)

7:00: Race starts.

7:11: Cross starting line.

7:12: Lose track of time.

Mile 1,2,3,4,5,6,7: Fantastic running pace! Beautiful weather! Beautiful views! Great music!

Mile 8: Cleared gigantic hill at the turn around.

Mile 9: Stop for Gatorade and twist knee.

Mile 9.5: Both knees lock up. Stop to stretch.

Mile 10: Give up and walk.

Mile 10.5: Talk myself into running. (It's only 3 more miles! You can do this!)

Mile 11: Give up and walk.
Mile 12: Friends come up from behind and encourage me to run. I run.

Mile 12.5: Give up and walk.

Mile 12.75: Run. Because it's better to look like I ran the whole thing than have functional limbs this week.

Mile 13: Parents and fiance are cheering! I wave.

Mile 13.1: Finished! Collected water, banana, granola bar, and medal.

10:02: Figure out what time it is. Meet parents and fiance in World Vision tent. They eat pizza. I drink a Diet Coke. We say hello and thank you to friends.

11:15: Lose track of time. Attempt to waddle back to car.

12:15: Get home and realize the cat's been locked on the screened in porch for 6 hours. I guess you can't win 'em all!

(That's me waving at Mile 13!)

I'm so proud of myself for committing to something and seeing it through. I mentioned that I hung out in the World Vision tent after race. I was actually running on Team World Vision and raising money to build wells in Rwanda. I've sponsored a child there for the past 5 years so it's a cause and a ministry that is very near and dear to my heart. I'm still accepting donations on my Team World Vision page through the end of this week. 

A big thank you to my wonderful fiance who put up with my lack of sleep and utter exhaustion during training, and my parents for driving us to Chicago before the sun was up even though they thought I was crazy, and to everyone who prayed for me, encouraged me, or supported my cause financially. I couldn't do this without you!

Fiance stole my shirt, but he'll be wearing his own next year!