I did It...

Last weekend on May 1, 2011 I ran my very first 1/2 marathon!  For those who do not know how many miles that is...it is 13.1 miles! I have been training for this run since February and the day finally came and went. It was called the “Flying Pig” and held in Cincinnati, Ohio. The race actually took us through two states, Ohio and Kentucky.

My mother, sister and I all ran the race. It was actually a very interesting weekend to say the least. My mom and I flew into Louisville, KY on Friday morning. We rented a car and drove over to Covington, KY, which is right on the border of Ohio. Where we stayed was in close proximity to the race.

If anyone has ever ran a race of any kind than you are aware of the Expo’s they have. This is where you pick up your packets and goody bags. There is also hundreds of vendors there to sell you every product imaginable that has to do with running, at a discount. The newest and the best stuff out on the market. Needless to say, it was a little overwhelming. However, once you got in there, it was a lot of fun. Excitement was in the air. Everybody there had been training for something and now the day was quickly approaching. We got to the Expo around 5:00 and stayed until 7:00pm. We had not even gotten half way through the place before they closed. We were going to come back the next afternoon.

The first "Flying Pig” marathon started in 1999. The city goes all out and there are festivities on every corner. He had dinner that night out by their square with a band playing the entire night. It was very fun and relaxing. It was nice to have a great meal with my mom and sister and just take our time.

The next morning we all got up and went down to eat breakfast. This is where the weekend took a turn for the worst. Heather started feeling really sick. She was nauseous, dizzy and over all felt a little weird. We thought maybe she was just tired from a long week...little did we know what was coming. Heather, like a trouper trudged on and we continued on our day. We went back to the Expo, did a little shopping and than had a pasta dinner through the “Flying Pig”. They have these big before the race dinners that are nothing but, pasta and marinara sauce, bread and salad. The dinner was not that great, but it was a meal. My sister started to feel worse, so we went back to the room. We had to be up at 4:30am anyway so, we all turned in early.

The race started at 6:30am, but we had to be there around 5:15am because they were closing the roads. I jumped out of bed at 4:30am...excited! I had been training hard and now I was ready to run this race. It could not have started soon enough for me. I would of ran in the dark...

Unfortunately, my sister did not share the same excitement. I quickly discovered that she had been up all night vomiting! Oh no, she was not going to be able to race with me. Heather and I run close to the same pace, so I would normally expect her to be in the same area as me during our run. I was disappointed that   she did not feel well. Selfishly, I wanted her to be able to run side by side across the finish line! She was determined to be there though and she RAN the race? I can not believe she did it either...dehydrated and nauseous. I think she stopped to walk some, but who cares? I probably would of stayed in bed.

Now, the on-line course description of this race made it sound very easy. I had no idea that Cincinnati was so stinking hilly! There was supposed to be a 3 mile incline at mile 6,7, and 8, but nothing that was that bad. We  decided to drive the course the day before and to our surprise... it was extremely hilly! I do not mean that there were rolling hills, I mean the whole damn race was UPHILL! I would venture to say, 70-75% of the course was uphill. It felt like we were going up a mountain in the car...now imagine running that!

The morning of the race, I was hoping that it would not be that bad. I was wrong! It was brutal! The incline started at mile 2 and leveled off around mile 4. Around mile 5 it started back uphill and did not stop until around mile 10!!! I am not lying! There were people cheering on the sides and they were saying, “ it is all down hill from here”. I kept wondering where in the hell is the down hill...I sure was not running down! Finally, the down hill came and it lasted maybe a mile or so and then it was just some rolling hills to the finish!

I am so proud of myself and that I ran the whole time. I would of liked to have finished with a better time, but the hills really slowed me down. A person can only run so fast uphill for so long! My time was 2hours and 16 minutes. Not bad for my very first race!

I am addicted now! I have already signed up for another 1/2 marathon in October in St. Louis. It is there inaugural “Rock N Roll” marathon. These races are supposed to be super fun. I have a ton of family in St. Louis, so it will be fun to go there for the weekend. I am even contemplating the Chicago FULL marathon next year. This year is full because it is such a great race. We will see, I have a friend who wants to train together for Chicago. She is already a marathoner, so she could help me out? I think mentally it would be tough...we will see!

An update on my sister...she had food poisoning! She is finally feeling better, a week later! We will hopefully, cross the finish line together next time! :)

I have to order my pictures from the race. I could not carry a camera with me. I did take some pictures of the city and the three bridges we ran across. I also have a picture of the great medals we won. Christian was so proud, he took my medal to show and tell at school! Once the other pictures come in, I will post them!