About ten years ago I started playing around with the idea of running a half marathon but never gave it any serious thought because my knees wouldn't let me run more than about six miles. Then last year, I decided I was serious about it and wanted to compete in the Provo Halloween Half Marathon. However, a couple weeks into my training program I got pregnant and had to put it on hold. After giving birth to Emmalyn, I waited for my doctor to give me the okay to start running and then began my training program once again. I knew the run wasn't until October but needed to make sure my knees could actually handle a 13.1 mile run before I payed the money to compete in the race. After working up to running 22 to 24 miles a week and actually running 13.1 miles once on my treadmill and again in my neighborhood, I signed up for the race. The training was grueling at times. If my knee wasn't bugging me, my ankle or feet were, or I was sick or not getting enough sleep. But I kept with it and finally fulfilled my goal.
Nothing went as planned on the day of the race. Emma wouldn't nurse before I left. The race didn't start at 7:00am like I thought it was supposed to. It started at 9:00am. They also started the runners in waves and unless you were planning on running under a 9 minute mile, you had to wait for the second wave which started at 9:20am. We were bused up the canyon between 5:00 and 6:30 in the morning and were dropped off at a place where we had to hike 1/2 mile just to arrive at the tents that were supposedly heated, but I swear they weren't. I could only feel body heat. My feet were so cold by the time I started the race that they were numb and felt like they were slapping the ground. So basically it stung until they warmed up, which took quite a while. Despite all that, my adrenalin was pumping and I let it guide me through the race. I was using the MapMyRun app on my phone to track my pace and the majority of the time I was running between an 8.5 and 9 minute mile. Unfortunately, my knee began hurting around mile 10. I did my best to push through the pain but with just under 1/2 mile to go, I could no longer run. My knee had given out. I could barely walk. I was so frustrated and even tried to run again on three different occasions but physically couldn't. All that went through my mind was how much effort I had put into training and how I had been able to do it at home, yet I couldn't finish my race running. I was so mad. I was mad that the people I had worked hard to stay in front of and even pass, were now passing me. I was mad that people were trying to encourage me by saying, "You can do it. You're almost there." I knew I could do it cardiovascularly, but my knee just wouldn't let me do it. And most of all, I was mad that I had to walk across the finish line. I was so mad that I didn't even look at the clock to see what my finishing time was. I simply got my stuff, got on the bus and drove back to my family. While I was driving, I called Josh on the phone and he asked me how it went. I broke down in tears. I had been anticipating this moment for so long. I had expected to feel satisfied and instead felt very different. It wasn't until the following day when the times were posted online that I finally felt a little better. I had run the race in 2 hours 5 minutes. That is just barely over a 9 1/2 minute mile and that included the time I was walking. That means I would have run the race in less than two hours and closer to an 8.5 or 9 minute mile had my knee cooperated the entire time. I've never run that fast. During my training, I usually ran a 10 minute mile. Now that I can say I've completed a half marathon in 2 hours 5 minutes, I have nothing to be unhappy about. However, I will need to run another half marathon just so I can say that I ran the entire way.
