A journey of 13.1 miles begins with many, many steps

All right... it's been ages since I've posted, which means my blog has not quite accomplished my initial goal of tracking my training progress. The half-marathon is 1 day and 14 hours away from starting (!), but hopefully it's not too late for me to provide an uber-quick recap of my last month of training by focusing on my long runs. And, if nothing else, at least I'll be able to capture my sentiments pre-race!

Let's go back to April 5... my first ever 8-mile run. I met up with Kelly (my race buddy!) at Bond Park in Cary. I mapped out a route that was supposed to be 4 miles. "Supposed to" being the operative phrase. We started off at a good pace and about 25 minutes later had finished the route. We set off at a good pace... but not that good. Clearly the route was closer to 2 miles. (Note, too, that the route itself was not ideal as it involved running through a wooded path filled with tree roots, quick inclines and declines, and lots of mud.) Lost for a plan, we decided to just keep running around other paths at the park.

My stamina that day was awful, and I soon had to resort to walking breaks as I began to experience cramping. I felt awful for Kelly, because she clearly was at a faster running pace than me, so I felt like I was holding her back. Bless her for sticking it out with me! We ended up jogging for about 1 hour and 40 minutes total, which I later figured was about 7.5 miles or so. All in all, it was a very discouraging experience for me.

The following weekend was Easter, and I was heading out of town to Charlotte, so I opted to complete an 8-mile run Friday morning. This time, the run went great. I had to walk a little, but my overall pace was better, and I actually felt good by the time I'd finished. This was definitely a key confidence builder for me... and a much-needed one. I'm still unsure what the key to my success was, but it just worked out.

April 19 was my 9-mile run... again, not a great experience. Like my first attempt at 8 miles, I experienced more cramping than normal (there's always some, but I can normally run through it), and I walked more than I would've liked. It took me more than two hours to complete the nine miles--more than a 13 minute/mile pace.

This all led up to last weekend, my last long run before the half-marathon, a 10-mile challenge. This time, I decided to do a "trial run" of the half-marathon by trying to replicate everything as closely as possible. Instead of my normal Sunday run, I planned to run at 7am on Saturday (the half will take place at 7am this Saturday) before my SPCA volunteering at 11am.

I got up at 5am to eat a bagel with cream cheese, drink a small cup of coffee, and hydrate with some water. You may remember/know that I gave up coffee in the fall, but aftering reading that it's a great performance enhancer, I decided to give it a go. I also opted to carry a water bottle with me, which I viewed as close to race conditions because there will be water stations along the way, and I took along a packet of some crazy carbohydrate energizing fluid (chocolate flavor... hmm). I wore the exact outfit I plan to wear for the race to make sure I wouldn't have any wardrobe malfunctions. (I look kind of ridiculous in this outfit... a grey running skort, white tank and white baseball cap... preppy, but it works.)

My run went really well. I finished at a 12 minute/mile pace (a great improvement!), and I walked significantly less than prior runs. I had stretches of feeling amazing and strong--I actually felt like this whole race thing could be a fun experience. It was a great boost. I still had some pretty rough cramping but worked through it. Overall, my body held out just fine. (And I got through the race in part by spending a great deal of time planning my wedding, something I've really never considered in detail at all... hey, it worked to keep my mind off running. Never mind that I'm not even dating anyone now. My dress is going to be beautiful and very classic.) ;-)

So, how do I feel? Right now, I'm honestly trying to not think about it too much or too closely. I could think about my pattern of good run followed by bad run in recent weeks... but I'm choosing to believe that the water/gel pack/food combo boosted my performance last week and will do the same this week, plus I'll have race-day adrenaline pumping to carry me through those last 3.1 miles.

My stomach is already in knots, and even as I type this, my foot is fidgeting wildly, and I can feel my heart pumping a little faster. But all I can do it breathe deeply, focus on how far I've come (I mean, really people, I could hardly run three miles 12 weeks ago), and hold on for the ride.

I'm very fortunate to have great supporters here. My friends Marty and Jeanine from work wrote me the sweetest card for encouragement and gave me a gift card to Starbucks along with a commemorative mug that I'll be able to decorate with things from my race (my number, finishing time, etc.)--a special way to commemorate this occasion. They're the greatest.

Tomorrow, I'll start the day with a very gentle, 1.5 mile jog just to get loosened up, then spend the morning pulling together my race supplies to take to High Point, NC. (Incidentally, here is the race site: http://www.ncmarathon.org/.) Kelly and I will head out tomorrow afternoon and spend the night in a hotel so we can be well-rested before our 7am race start. By 10am, it should be (God willing) all over. We'll grab some food, shower, and head home... with a very significant 13.1 miles under our belts.

I don't want to wax too melodramatic before the race has even happened, but I do want to record that this truly is one of the best gifts I've given myself. Committing to and completing the training program has changed me. In some way, I feel like if I can do this, I can do anything I put my mind to. Yoda's expression "Do or do not... there is no try" has become my mantra. And I just can't wait to see what that will look like for me in the coming months. But, I can worry about that later. First, I have 13.1 miles to go.