Half Marathon.

Today I ran the Agoura Hills Pacific Half Marathon. My final time ended up being 2 hours 34 min 9 seconds. Originally I was doing the Chesbro but it was canceled to to inclement weather. (read as, it was a muddy mess.) What an experience! Training for it challenged me mentally and physically. I pushed myself farther than I ever have and was amazed at where it got me. Five years ago I would not have considered myself a "runner". I was just starting and I thought running a mile was a long way. (not to say it isn't, but my perspective on long has shifted...) The race turned out differently than I had originally thought it would. The terrain was different and I had just come down with a sinus infection. In fact I spent few days prior to the race sitting on the couch with a fever sniffing and coughing. The actual run was really good. I was motivated by the diverse group of runners. Younger, older and in between. everyone was so nice and encouraging. The landscape was beautiful and the time seemed to slip by. Well until mile ten. After that I really struggled. My back and hips were in so much pain. It was so hard to run, especially the last mile. I kept trying to picture the end in my head and how I would feel. Interestingly enough when I finished it took me a few hours to feel good about it. After the initial relief I was so stiff and sore I just concentrated on getting food and getting home. After a nice hot shower things began to look up. I am definitely going to have to do this again. Sometime when I am not sick! I am so glad I was able to run with Judy and her friends. They helped me not to be so nervous about the whole experience. It's always better to share these kinds of experiences with others.
Ella was pretty excited to see me at the end, it was fun to see her cheering me on to the finish. All day she's been running back and forth wanting me to "cheer" for her. She wears my medal and says "mommy, I running"! So cute!
One of my favorite parts of the whole experience happened right at the end. There were a few men from the National Guard who ran in full fatigues with their super huge (and I am sure heavy) packs on their backs. It must have been so hard! They came in right as the police were opening the roads to cars again. (It probably took them almost 3 1/2 hours) they looked so tired, a few feet from the finish one of the men stopped, he looked so worn out. It seemed that one could feel his pain just by looking at his face, My heart went out to him as I clapped and cheered with the crowd. His other team mates stopped and came back to him all waiting so that they could all finish together. That was quite a sight. I am so grateful for the men who fight for our nation. They work so hard and give up so much. It was a good lesson for everyone watching that the race isn't about the finish but what you do to get there.