I'm a Half Marathon Survivor!!!

OMG...we did it!!! Half Marathon.......CHECK!! Crossing it OFF the bucket list.

We actually completed a full 13.1 miles in the San Diego Rock n Roll Half Marathon... still cannot believe it.

And lookie what I have to show for it!! teehee:

it makes me smile :-)

So like I said before - we arrived bright 'n early...slight mishap with one of Amanda's water bottles mysteriously falling OUT of her hydration belt...must've happened while transferring from the coaster to the buses - no beuno! But seriously so many people run without belts at all! So, it could've been worse. We got off the bus and somehow found our running group just in time for a quick photo...then headed to the porta potties to stand in line for a solid 35 minutes!

After that we found our corral and got prepped along the sidelines. We had a packet of GU gel, stretched, adjusted our armbands/headphones, got our apps ready, and texted the boys that we were only moments from the start lines...ahhh, such excitement & adrenaline pumping at that moment. When our corral was next up (there was a minute in between each)...the music had us jumping up & down, singing, then finally counting down....

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...BAM!

That's what 30K+ runners looks like...amazing huh?!

Miles 1-3 were a blur....I got a bit emotional just realizing the fact that we were ACTUALLY doing this...finally. And then....I had to pee. HOW?! I just went!! ugh... so we stopped and all had the fastest potty break EVER while in Balboa Park! Just after that, we headed down the on-ramp to the 163 freeway. Let me tell you - it is WEIRD to run on the freeway, no cars in site - super erie...just us, and the sound of shoes pounding pavement, steady breathing, spectator cheering at some points, and a few bands playing tunes along the way. I just had to take a quick video:



After we exited the freeway, we hit mile 8 and started our long trek along Friars Road - which was just in time to see the boys along the side of the road cheering us on - taking pics/video...and I even stole a kiss from the hubs ;-)



Mile 9 & 10 blurred together...then Chelsea was hit with a ton of knee pain. Pain that intensified and put her in complete agony for the last 3 miles - no fun. But we stayed by her side, walking when she needed and keeping her motivated to go on. Through the tears I told her that "we started this together 4 months ago, and we're finishing together today...I will DRAG you across the finish line if I have to!!" Luckily, with the finish line literally around a corner, I heard my name calling out from my left...I looked over to find the boys all there again, cheering us on along with hundreds of other spectators - that smile never left my face.

As soon as we crossed that finish line (which felt amazingly great!), we got Chelsea over to the Medic stand and quickly got her knees saran-wrapped in hugs bags of ice. After that - we got the gratification of hanging some heavy medals around our necks... go US!! {there are a good handful of pics taken by "MarathonFoto" crews along the course/finish...but they're pretty expensive - I'll update this post if/when I get any!}

Then as we walked along to find the boys...we were greeted with tons of food, drinks, energy bars, bagels... you name it - our hands were packed....thank goodness, because I was STARVING by mile 7 - oye.

"BRAVE the RUN"

We also got gorgeous leis by our men... such a treat - not only to have them cheer us on, but to see how proud they were of us...I couldn't stop thanking them for coming! After that we started our mile trek back to the trolley station - our legs, knees & feet were aching and incredibly sore - but it was worth it... to me at least! haha

After we got back to the car, we changed into sandals...ahhhhmazing...and freshened up on our way to brunch. We went to a place called Offshore, where unexpectedly...was the mile-18 area for the full-marathoners!! With great atmosphere and with even better company, we ate a yummy breakfast & clinked champagne glasses, in celebration of our huge accomplishment together.

Here are our stats:

Left screen shot = official RnR split times/pace
Right screen shot = my recorded run time on MapMyRun iPhone app

Now the big question is... Would I ever do it again?? I'm not going to rule it out....it really is addicting.

And for those who know the PAIN of childbirth... that shiz is crazy tough...yet women typically give birth more than once. Why do you think that is? Well, the 'pain' of what you went through (ie: both birth &/or running a 1/2 marathon) - is worth it in the end. The reward after, and how proud you feel...makes us seemingly forget how hard the actual task was...and we do it all over again.

;-)