Mommy Marathon: Every Mile Is A Victory

Well, I did it!  I completed my first half-marathon yesterday!!  I finished the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathon in Indianapolis, the nation's largest half-marathon, with a time of 2:33:42 according to the official results.  And my title, which I borrowed from a shirt I saw at the Expo, is absolutely true.  Every single mile of the 13.1 was a victory for me.  Actually, towards the end, every single step was a small victory! 

In case you missed my recap of the weeks leading up to the race, feel free to read this first: Mommy Marathon: In Training. 

Race Day was finally here!  Traffic was a mess and some of the roads closed much earlier than originally posted, so getting to my starting corral was a challenge but I made it with plenty of time to spare.  Standing around for 20 minutes is not how I usually start my runs, so I was getting a little antsy.  I had my phone with me since it had all my music on it, but while I waited I was checking Facebook to keep me entertained.  I was surprised to see so many friends had already left me "good luck" messages and words of encouragement! Just what I needed to calm my nerves.  Finally, my group made it to the starting line about 18 minutes after the official gun-shot start.  I'll admit that I got a little emotional as I crossed the starting line in a "wow, I'm really doing this!" kind of way, but I also place some of the blame on mother nature for her not-so-impeccable timing.


At the Starting Line - with 35,000 other people!


The first two miles were much harder than I expected.  My body always has to push through the first mile before it settles into a rhythm, but yesterday it took a little longer.  I can only assume that 20 minutes of standing around before I got to get started coupled with the initial spacing out of all the runners in my corral contributed to taking a bit longer for me to settle in.  I purposely tried to slow my pace from the beginning to give my self a better chance of actually running the whole thing (or at least most of it) so I was pleased to see that after the first 3 miles I had settled in at about 10 minutes/mile.  Miles 3-6 were great!  I slowed only at the two water stations I stopped at during that time and kept my pace consistent.  I also discovered that I can not drink Gatorade while running - it's way to sweet and after the first sip I spit it back out!  Luckily the next table was full of water cups, so I helped myself and continued on my way. 

Since most of my runs had been about 6 miles or less, I had never encountered the need to use the restroom during a run.  Though I had not had a lot to drink since the start of the race, I apparently had quite a bit of water in the morning and wasn't going to make it another 6 or 7 miles to the finish.  At every mile marker there were drink stations and porto-lets and usually long lines to use the restroom.  Luckily, I heard a couple of runners behind me talking before the race about the restrooms at the track.  Actual bathrooms with several stalls that are clean and with a sink to wash your hands were located just before the 10K marker.  Excellent! 


Running on the Speedway!


Miles 7, 8 and part of 9 went around the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway - which I imagined would be awesome.  And it was certainly a great experience, but running around that track was brutal because I felt a little bit like a hamster on his wheel wondering when on earth the wheel would stop.  To this point the scenery was constantly changing as we ran through the streets of downtown.  But the track felt never-ending.  Just before I completed mile 8 I hit a wall, both mentally and physically.  My brain and my body knew the furthest I had ever run was 8 miles and it was going to take everything I had I push through at that point.  I took a few short 10-20 second breaks, walking to regain my momentum, but I was still looking for a bigger push.  A few minutes later I would receive my motivation from the most unexpected source!  All around the track were cheerleading squads from several of the local high schools in addition to a few IU cheerleaders scattered throughout the course.  Actually, the entire course was filled with onlookers and fans cheering for their friends and family members participating, as well as for strangers as we passed by. 

The first few squads I saw on the track were a fun little reminder of how far I had come since my own cheerleading days some 15 years ago.  Then suddenly, somewhere around mile 9 the most unexpected motivators were standing right in front of me.  The cheerleaders from MY ALMA MATER were cheering us on!  Seriously, what are the chances?  I grew up 2 hours from Indy - this was the most unexpected and wonderful surprise of my day (okay, Dallas Clark and Peyton Manning on the track cheering me on would have been more wonderful and unexpected, but this was pretty awesome!!)  So in case anyone reading this knows an ECHS cheerleader, you can tell them the crazy lady high-fiving them in the pink shirt was me :)

Just before I was reunited with my past, I had crossed a pace point at the Yard of Bricks, approximately the 8.5 mile marker.  As I watched some of the coverage last night, I learned that many people stopped on the track to "kiss the bricks" as the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 winners do every year.  I must have been concentrating really hard on pushing through because I never even saw the bricks!  At this check point I was averaging 10:11/mile (with a bathroom break!) and feeling pretty good, but I knew the hardest part was still to come.  Mile 9 was a little rough but mile10 was great as I settled back into a rhythm.  I made it about halfway through mile 11 when I realized my body was having trouble keeping up with my brain.  My head was telling me I was on the home stretch, just 2.5 more miles!  My right knee, however, was throwing the white flag.  I had to walk the second half of mile 11 before I felt comfortable trying to run on it again.  My leg muscles, on the other hand, starting cramping up after a couple minutes of walking so I started with a slow jog and sped up a little from there.  My legs were happy to be running again and my knee was happy to be going a little slower.  I was able to jog miles 12 and 13.  Adrenaline even gave me an extra push at the end to finish strong! 

And much to my surprise, I was not exhausted at the end - I was exhilarated!  It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced in my life, the sense of accomplishment was overwhelming!  I had never considered myself a runner, even in high school and college when I had to run for cheerleading - I did it because I had to, not because I wanted to.  Even still I am in awe of my most dedicated running friends who finished 13.1 in about 2 hours - 30 minutes faster than me - wondering where they get their speed and endurance!  In the end, my overall pace was 11:44/mile obviously slowing down a lot after the Yard of Bricks.  But one thing is for certain: with better planning and more consistent training, I should easily be able to beat my time next year!  Who's with me?!?

My awesome (and much faster!) race buddy



Frozen vegetables tied on with scarves...a lovely Saturday night!
Yes, I'm trying to make it so my knees will want to bend again in the near future.