Running a Half Marathon

Pre-Race photo at the Health & Fitness Expo

I finished my first half-marathon in 2 hours 25 minutes and 1 second. I wish I would have taken a bigger step across that finish line…that would have avoided going over those 25 minutes by one second!!!

Personally, THIS WAS THE BIGGEST FREAKING PHYSICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT I NEVER THOUGHT I’D COMPLETE.

Moments before crossing the finish line

Excuse my enthusiasm but this was big for me and I owe it to my husband Paul who kept pushing me and took me on ridiculously difficult, uphill, 12-mile runs from hell during my training. Every time we ran together I would get soooo mad at him for telling me I could do better when I started whining about feeling exhausted, thirsty, tired, etc. Paul just kept running saying I was fine and I’d better catch up. The truth is, my honey knows me best and I admire his commitment to helping me get through this race because he always led by example. He didn’t just talk the talk, so to speak. He ran the hardest, longest, most difficult runs with me and made sure I was pushing myself to the max.

What I learned about this race is that, the struggle to keep running is mostly mental. Running 13.1 miles straight requires physical preparation but more than anything, a focused, positive mind that tells you to keep going and pushes you to run faster and harder right when you think you’re about to hit a wall.

For my first half-marathon, I had my mom, dad, Benny and sister Frances waiting near the finish line (Paul had to work). As soon as I came close, they cheered me on and Frances actually ran the last quarter of a mile with me to take pictures and ran accross the finish line (HILARITY)!

See Frances right behind me...LOL

This was the Rock-N-Roll Halloween-Themed Downtown Los Angeles Half-Marathon. There were nearly 10,000 runners, several rock bands throughout the course, many Halloween costumes and great snacks and goodies at the end of the race.

The little sissy with me after the race!!

I’m glad I was able to complete this physical challenge and I think I’m going to continue training to run the LA Marathon in March 2014, God willing!