1/2 Marathon prep run

This weekend was non-stop fun!  And it ended with my partner, myself, Wells L (click HERE to read her blog), K (click HERE, HERE, or HERE to read K's blog), and little M, running a portion of the Fort 4 Fitness mini marathon route.

Pic of my partner T (left), Wells L (center) and me (right). 
We're nearing the finish line here...still smiling.  :D

I was not mentally preped for this one, so it wasn't as much fun as I had hoped, but that's my own fault.  It was awesome to meet K and little M for the first time in the flesh.  :)  And Wells L was full of advice and wisdom for T and I as we discussed race strategies.  Since this 1/2 is our first, we have much to learn on what to expect.


I must say, it was the fastest 8.36 miles I've ever done.  Talking always helps!  I didn't do much of the talking, I'll admit.  I was in pain and didn't feel like complaining the entire way.  I'm sure a few complaints slipped out here and there.  But the rest of the girls chatted away and it was fun to hear the stories.


We started out in Foster park (OMGoodness!  SOOO beautiful this time of year!) and made our way through some Fort Wayne streets.  I'm directionally challenged and had absolutely no idea where we were...but Wells L is like a navigational beacon that knew the way, so I was just tagging along where ever she lead me.


We decided to walk 2:30 and jog 1:05 intervals.  I'm still not sure that I totally love this interval...we constantly change our intervals on runs, so I'd like to find one that feels comfortable enough to do the 1/2 marathon with.


The first half flew by thanks to some new company :).  The second half is when the pain really started to kick in.  My hip was aching and my entire right leg was in pain.  My knee cap protested with every step.  But the girls seemed fine, so I just kept on trucking.  Finally, we stopped to stretch and Wells L gave me some tips on how to stretch the muscles around the hip.  Apparently I have "runner's knee" and will have to ice it repeatedly with a regimen of Motrin.  The coarse was not bad at all. Seriously.  But, as usual, my body hit that point where it's like "Okay, we've been at this for 2 hours now...can we sit down yet?!".  I hadn't run since Tuesday and thought my body would feel well rested and ready to hit the pavement.  Instead, I felt like I had weights around my ankles.  The running was hard and I just couldn't seem to find my rhythm.  The good part about this run was that we got to meet some awesome new peeps (and one little peep :D ) and we got to know part of our actual route for the mini. 


I feel better about the running the mini now.  I know that we've got this.  Now all we have to do is figure out our pace and come up with a game plan.  We're on week 18 of 22 of training...meaning the race is only 5 weeks away!  It's crazy to think that it's so close...and I DEFINITELY get butterflies every time I think about it.  I'm sure the nerves will be killing me the morning of the race...but hopefully my partner will be able to calm me down and convince me that it's just like our training...just another "walk in the park".


I'm so proud of us!!  When we started our training, we did 2 miles a week.  Now we average 15-20 miles a week!  Running and racing is something we can both see ourselves doing for the rest of our lives.  What a life changing summer!!!!


Special thanks to Wells L for getting us started and guiding us along the way.  YOU ROCK!!!  It's been a blast to have you at our side along this amazing journey.