I got up at 5:15 to give my body enough time to wake up so I could eat a small breakfast before the race. After Thanksgiving's disasterous energy crash from NOT eating before the race I knew I needed to eat this morning or else I would never have survived nine miles. I decided on two slices of peanut butter toast on wheat bread and a glass of water. I wanted juice but figured the acidity of it might upset my stomach so I opted to stay with a bland breakfast I knew would settle well.
I headed out the door about 6:10 to meet Denise and we left her house at 6:20. We got about half way downtown and it started raining. Really?!? It wasn't supposed to rain until this afternoon so I kept hoping it was just a passing shower. Nope, no such luck. We met up with Shana in the hotel near the start line and she told us it was pouring as she came in. Great. Another race in the rain. I'm starting to get used to this in Cincinnati.
We stood in line, went to the bathroom, and then headed to the start line where we huddled under a bus stop to keep warm and dry before the race started. The gun went off and we were off! I started off too quick so I had to quickly pull myself back so I didn't waste all of my energy. I knew I would need that later when it came time to run Torrence Parkway, the biggest hill in the race. Denise and Shana paced with each other since they're about the same speed so it was just me and my ipod for 9.3 miles.
I did pretty well at maintaining anywhere between a 15 and 16 minute mile, which for me is awesome. I hit the four mile marker at 1:02 and knew I was on track to cut some of my long run time down. This is also about where I started to get emotional. I was four miles into a nine mile race and coming up to turn around to head towards the hill. I was thinking about my grandpa, who died when I was 10 because the race is put on by the American Heart Association and he died of a heart attack. I kept thinking how proud he would be of the woman I've become and how much I missed him. Then I started questioning my ability to actually finish the race running because I was walking and I quickly became a mess. I started giving myself a pep talk and told myself it wasn't time to cry, that the tears could wait until I hit the finish line. At that moment, I needed to focus on the fact that I still had five miles to go so I picked my feet up and started running again. At that moment I saw Denise and Shana who had made the turn around and were headed back the opposite direction and they started cheering for me. That pick me up was just what my body needed and my confidence turned right back around and I was off again.
At mile 6 I hit Torrence Parkway and people weren't kidding when they said it was killer! I took it at a slow walk and once I got to the top, enjoyed jogging back down the opposite side of it. I was starting to feel sore at that point so I slowed myself down to a walk and from mile 6 to mile 7 was my slowest time at 18 minutes. Still not too bad, all things considering.
Around 8.5 miles, it started pouring down rain. I was like, "You have got to be kidding me!" and the girl next to me started laughing. I was already walking at this point because I was cramping something fierce so I picked up my walk and tried power walking, but the cramps were so bad that I actually had to stop and stretch my leg out. I was cramping from my toes all the way up to the middle of my calf in my left leg. It was awful. By the time I got the muscles stretched out, I had water dripping down my face, into my eyes, and down my nose. I kept swiping at my face with my sleeves but I quickly gave up because nothing was keeping me dry.
At this point, I was at mile 9 and only had .3 left to go. I was still walking because I was sore and had to quickly give myself a pep talk that I had not come this far to walk across the finish line so I picked my pace back up into a jog. At that moment, I looked up and looked right into Megan's eyes. She and James had come down to meet me at the finish line and with their encouragement, I picked up my speed and ran it in.
I was presented with my mylar, which I quickly wrapped around me because I was freezing. It's one thing to run in the rain, it's another to run in cold rain. I let the race officials cut the timing chip off of my shoe and then headed down the stretch to get my finisher's medal.
I finished my first ever 15k in 2:26:39 and have never been more proud of my time. I maintained a 15:47 mile, which is incredible! I was so proud of how well I had done, especially because this winter has been awful with illnesses, pains, and set backs. I overcame all of them and met my goal of the 15k. Next up is the Flying Pig Half Marathon six weeks from today!!
I met up with Megan and James and we headed back down to the finish line to wait for Denise since she had run the half. She came in 14 minutes after I did and finished her half marathon in 2:40!! I am so very proud of her and I think it's incredible that she ran 13 miles in just over two and a half hours!
We headed down the home stretch to have our pictures taken together in front of the American flag. We proudly showed our medals and I know the smiles on both of our faces were huge. I could never have done this without her. She has seen me through months of training and I owe so much of where I am now to her.
I am sore, tired, and cold but I am accomplished. I have met my third goal in my training plan and I can't wait to cross off that final goal of the half marathon in six weeks. This has been an incredible journey and through all of the illnesses, injuries, and set backs, I have learned so much about myself and my confidence level has just soared through the roof. I love where I am right now and can't wait to see how the half marathon goes in six weeks.
I. Am. Ready. Bring it on Flying Pig!
At home after finishing the race! Cold, tired, wet, and sore but I made it!
My race number, medal, and results!
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