I finished my very first half marathon!!!! Horray!!! I had such a blast and am so thankful to Kelli for pacing me. I wouldn't have been able to finish without her pushing me, especially the last few miles. She was WONDERFUL!!!
I didn't really know what to expect, being that this was my first half marathon. I was nervous about pushing myself too hard in the beginning and thought if I did, I might not finish. Miles 1-9 were comfortably difficult, but around mile 10 my legs got really tired and I felt like they weighed 100 lbs a piece. I tried to pick them up and move faster, but after a few minutes of running faster, I felt like I was dragging again. It was SO frustrating!!! I realized after talking with Kelli that my legs just aren't used to going that far and aren't used to pushing at the end of my runs, so I am going to start working on that and incorporate progressive runs into my training for the Salt Lake half. I also need to run more hills, so I guess I'm lucky that my city and neighborhood are full of them! They're just SO intimidating!!!
I will post my splits later. My Garmin battery died right after the race and I don't have my charger with me.
I also had a near-death experience driving back home. Of course I checked the weather before I left because I hate driving in the snow and it said there wasn't any chance of snow and the roads were supposedly clear along 1-15. I left on Saturday around 5:00pm for my in-laws' house to pick up my kids. The roads were completely clear until I reached the 1-70 turn off/Cove Fort area on 1-15. As I was coming over a steep moutain pass, I drove through a few flurries into a full blown white-out in a matter of about 30 seconds. Of course I slowed down, but was going down hill and the road was suddenly completely covered in snow. There didn't seem to be any tire tracks to even follow, so I had no idea where the road was (it was dark by now too). I started panicking and tapped my breaks to slow down, but I lost control of my car. I turned around in a few circles and then spun off a small cliff into a huge ditch and my car landed on it's nose (luckly it didn't roll). I thought for sure no one saw me slide off the road and that I would be stuck there for days. The ditch I fell into was so deep, you couldn't have seen me from the road. After realized I was okay and that I could move around I started freaking out b/c I couldn't find my cell phone. All the loose contents in my car were now down by my feet but it was so dark I couldn't see anything. Luckily someone started knocking on my window and said they called 911 and that help was on the way. I'm SO lucky someone saw me! We called a tow truck and crazy enough, only the front fender was damaged on the passenger side and I was able to drive to my in-laws. For my first car accident, that was very scary! It could have been much worse so I feel very lucky. Only a few bumps and bruises and a stiff neck.
Sorry that was a long post! Oh, btw - does anyone know where to look for your official time for Painter's? I can't find race results anywhere. Thanks!!! | 