It’s finally here.
I did it. Like a boss!
I ran the Sunriver 1/2 Marathon on Sunday, September 6th.
The Backstory:
My family has been vacationing in Sunriver, Oregon in the summer since I was about 9. So, naturally, this summer wouldn’t be any different. Max discovered that this was going to be the second year Sunriver would hold a Breast Cancer race series including a 5k, 10k 1/2 and Full marathon the weekend we planned on arriving for our annual week of summer vacation. It was too good to be true and Max (easily) convinced me to train for the half marathon. We would do it together and it would be all fine and dandy.
Well, Max couldn’t run with me because of an IT Band injury… lame. So I had to dig deep (after eating a huge Costco size bag of starbursts and an equally large bag of skittles) and do the darn thing myself.
Booyeah!
I woke up on Sunday at 6:30 to get to the start line by 7. The marathon started at 7 and the road to the lodge would be closed after the start of the full 26.2. Max was a good boyfriend and took me to the race even though he wasn’t running.
It was butt cold!
Holy gosh! My fingers hurt so badly for the first 3 miles of the race.
Max ditched me… it was colder than the arctic circle and penguins outside… no one wants to do this.
I was surprised that I wasn’t very nervous. I’ve sort of wanted to run a 1/2 marathon for years and I’ve tried 3 times to do one and never made it to the actual race. This one just felt right. Plus the Sunriver race is so new that it’s still pretty small, which is awesome. I didn’t feel like I was getting trampled the entire time.
I turned on my One Direction station on Pandora and hit the road!
Mile 10 was my fastest split at 10:38… it’s because Nikki’s song Starships came on… it’s sort of my jam!
So it was so cold my fingers were painfully numb for the first 3 miles. But the course was gorgeous! We ran the first 10 miles almost completely on/around/through the golf course on little bike paths. The paths were about 5ft wide so it was a little cramped at the beginning and it was hard to keep my 11 minute mile pace because there were so many people around. But after the first 3ish miles I found a break in the crowds and hit my groove.
I took the Garmin 305 and it was an awesome choice! I loved knowing my pace time the entire race.
Right after I ran out of the golf course I saw Max, my parents and my brother. They scoped out a place to see me before the finish line.
I was so excited I did a quick little fist pump!
So, up until this point I felt great. I didn’t feel like stopping and the course was pretty flat with some rolling little-tiny hills on the golf course. After I ran by my parents and turned the corner I was faced with Everest…
miles 11-12.5 were pretty horrific and almost completely up hill.
That’s my Dad’s hat in front of my face…
Anyways, the course was great. I drank water at all the water stations except 2. I ate a packet of Peach Tea Gu Chomps throughout the course and everything was clearly marked. There were even people at almost every turn so there was no confusion on where to go… which is great because I can get lost in a tunnel.
My finishing time was faster than my training times by a few minutes which is super duper cool!
I didn’t walk a single step on the course.
I felt pretty darn good after… which basically means I didn’t feel like dying.
After the race:
my legs felt really stiff. I went with the family to a diner for some breakfast and my knees started to get a little painful. Throughout the day my legs/knees only got more stiff and inflamed. It’s safe to say that I was legit waddling around. Max and I think I had some IT Band pain in my knees, more in my left than my right… but I’d had that pain during most of my long runs and it was not overly painful or lingering after I’d finish my runs.
Today I feel great and my legs have loosened up as the day’s gone on. Also my knees have become less and less inflamed. I walked around the Sunriver Village with Mom and Max this afternoon going into all the little shops. I think this really helped loosen me up and get the lactic acid moving away from my muscles.
I’m so proud of myself and I can’t believe I finally did it.
At the beginning of this year I never would have thought I could do a distance race. With my intestine condition and my ankle surgery. It blows my mind that I accomplished something so awesome. I can’t wait to do more.
