Saturday was the day I have been anticipating for nearly five months. After hundreds of miles run in training, it was time to see how well I could do 13.1. Honestly, I was scared, especially after being on a cruise ship all week prior to the race. The race began at 5:30 AM, and we had to be at the Provo mall at 4:30 t0 take a bus to the starting line up Provo Canyon. The whole bus ride, I kept saying to my mom, "We are crazy. Why are we doing this? What were we thinking?" I was a wreck. At the starting line, I saw an old high school track rival of mine and suddenly I wasn't nervous anymore. That crazy competitive side of me kicked in and I thought, "Bring it."
The first six miles were mostly downhill as we went through the canyon, and it was pretty enjoyable. I formed a pack with three other women and we kept pace with each other. At the mouth of the canyon, I started to feel a bit of pain. Miles 6-8 were stinking hard. The urge to walk was very strong, but I kept telling myself that I hadn't trained as long and hard as I had just to walk it. After I hit mile eight, I thought, "Only five more to go," and it got easier. I was doing well until there were only a couple of miles left, and it got really tough again. Then, I saw my sister. She was volunteering at the water station at mile 12. When she saw me, she threw her arms up in the air and started jumping around. I literally sobbed out loud when I saw her. She gave me the boost I needed to finish the final mile. I saw Adam and our boys at the finish line, and I got emotional again. I crossed the finish line at almost exactly two hours (according to my watch; the official time hasn't been posted online yet). It was SO hard, way harder than I thought it would be, but I am glad that I did it. It has helped me prove to myself that I can do hard things.
The Finish Line
I did it!
My Biggest Fans :)
My mom finished only about fifteen minutes after me, and that was after stopping and going off the course to change pants. She rocks. Seriously. It was SO incredible to have this experience with her!
So, now it's over and I am sort of at a loss. This has been my motivating factor for so many months that I'm not sure exactly what to do now. All I know for sure is that I won't be doing another of these anytime soon!
4 comments:
GREAT JOB MEG! I am so proud of you....I started crying when you talked about getting emotional when you saw your sis and your family at the finish line! I have done 5K's and I always get emotional at the end! 10K is my next challenge (mostly to get this baby weight off) but it might be kinda far down the road! I am determined to do one someday!!! Good job!
Next step, Marathon! You can do it :) I started crying pretty hard at the end of the last marathon I ran. I realized that when you are crying and running it sounds more like you are dying. I got some pretty funny looks, but I just ran 26.2 miles, so I didn't care. You totally can do the marathon, it is a pretty amazing experience. I think I am doing another one in the spring if you want to train for it with me :)
That is awesome, Meggin! I have never been much of a runner and am just in awe of the discipline of those who do run. Way to go!
Awesome job, Meggin!! I am way impressed. Our training hasn't been as great lately, but now I am motivated (and scared) to do this too! Way to go! and even after a week on a cruise...I am very impressed!
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