A penny for your thoughts: Half Marathon: DONE!

Yesterday I officially became a half marathon finisher! 13.1 miles in 2 hours, 28 minutes, and 4 seconds. It was absolutely incredible.

Two years ago, in January of 2009, I challenged myself to do something that I thought was an impossibility for me. So I trained for, and ran my very first 5K on May 8, 2009 - didn't walk a step - first big goal completed. Since then I have run 13 5Ks. Two years later I'm still challenging myself to do the impossible - and the next step (and a very optimistic one at that) was the Half Marathon. Here is my run-down of the whole experience, start to finish...

First of all, I started training for this race 5 months ago. My first training run for this race was actually January 7th of this year, so its been a long journey. There were definitely times during training that I seriously doubted my body's ability to run this far. More times than not I felt incapable. The cool thing is, with every milestone I passed (5 miles, 8 miles, 10 miles...) I ran farther than I ever had, and my body was able to do more than I ever thought possible. That is, quite possibly, my favorite thing about this experience and running in general.

The hardest thing about the half marathon, for me, was the training - not the actual race! There were definitey days that I felt like giving up - for sure. Getting out there 4 days a week was a challenge. I went into the training knowing it would be difficult and tried not to be a baby about soreness, long mileage, early mornings and injuries. These things are all inevitable for the distance runner. Coming to grips with that made all the difference. One of the things that I kept telling myself on particularly hard days was, "No one ever told me this would be easy. If it were, everyone would do it." That took away my reason to complain about pretty much everything. The great things in life usually take lots of work and sweat and preparation - but they also bring the most gratification, reward, and accomplishment.

One of the things I noticed about training for distance is that what I wore to run was very important. Comfort, for me, is key while I'm running. My outfit of choice for most training days and for the actual race, was a baggy cotton t-shirt, and fitted spandex running shorts (they come to just below my knee), socks made from synthetic fabric, and my Brooks running shoes. I tried several ensembles, but I ran into some of the following problems: Most tank tops rubbed under my arms and left painful chaffing. Also, loose fitting running shorts ride up and cause rubbing between my legs - they're alright for short runs, but not for long distance. Cotton socks don't allow your feet to breathe on long runs and almost always cause blisters. I did purchase a running skirt which is AWESOME, but I got it late in the process and felt like I hadn't trained enough in it to wear it for the race.

For the first time since I started running in January of 2009, I started running without music. I tried it for a few days and found that I run more efficiently and with more concentration without it. I got through the first couple of runs by praying, thinking about the big race and concentrating on my form. I also don't like to carry anything with me on my runs, so not bringing music allowed me to be completely free when I'm running. May not be for everyone, but it has made a huge diference for me.

As far as supplements go, I used GU (for glucose replenishment on runs longer than 5 miles). Its also important to drink LOTS of water - not just during runs - but during your every day life. I did not do as well as I should have with drinking water. This probably contributed to unnecessary soreness and fatigue during runs.

Over the course of training I sustained few injuries and only 1 major period of illness. During the Snow Storm of 2011 I came down with a terrible case of the flu as well as severe sinus infection - at the same time. This took me away from training for about 10 days. If it hadn't been so far away from the actual race date, this sickness could have prevented me from racing. It was absolutely horrible. The only injury I sustained that affected my running was the loss of my index toenail on my left foot. This was a result of cotton socks and the blisters they gave me. This blister just happened to be under my entire toenail - and the toenail had no chance. This was kind of traumatic, but I think I only miss one training due to this, and that was because of the pain in the beginning of the toe-falling-off process.

One thing that I was so very blessed to have for the journey was some AMAZING running buddies - Liz Reed, and Lindsay Bippus. There girls started with me in January and we trained together the whole time - all the way up to last Thursday when we ran out last training run together. I was usually able to run one race with them during the week (the others I ran by myself) and a lot of the times we ran our long runs together on the weekends. We ran the actual race together as well - from start to finish. I am so glad to have these amazing friends to share this experience and the memories with!

The actual race day was like a dream for me. Just a culmination of all that hard work. In the days leading up to the race (the taper time - where you drastically decrease mileage to give your body a chance to rebuild and get into optimal running shape) I still doubted whether or not I could TRULY finish the race without walking a large portion of it. Well, I am thrilled to report to you that we only walked through water stations and limited that time to about 30 seconds each time. Our walking distance for the whole thing was probably less than a 10th of a mile. We ran that whole thing. I'm not sure I can really express the feeling I got when I crossed that finish line - knowing that I had finished, VERY strong, and under our estimated time (which was 2:30:00).

The thing that we most concentrated on during the race was keeping a steady pace that we knew we would be able to sustain for the whole 13.1 miles - which means going much slower than you feel you need to at the beginning. At the end of the race - especially in the last 2 miles - I had to constantly keep telling myself to put one foot in front of the other, and just keep running. Thats all you have to do. (But trust me, its much harder than it sounds)

Every new goal I set for running ends up being one of the most rewarding and character building experiences of my life - and this one was no exception. Throughout this training season, I set 2 new personal records for my 5K. Before this season my 5K PR was 32:04. My current personal best for the 5K is now 29:24. Never ever thought I'd get under 30 minutes! My beautiful family is always there at the finish line to give me a huge hug and take my picture, no matter how sweaty I am, no matter how long the race. I treasure that.

What's next? Still thinking and planning, but right now it looks like the Full Marathon this November. Right now this seems impossible, but thats kind of what I love about it. I will definitely keep you posted on what I decide when I have a more definite plan.

Thanks for sticking in here for this long read. I hope it inspires you to do things you think are impossibilities for you. I have proven myself wrong so very many times through this process.

Commit to doing something you think you can't. It'll change your entire life.

Grace K. Hearn - Half Marathon Finisher!!!!!!! WOW!