I need to toot my sisters horn a little bit because she is the most humble, selfless person I know and she completely rocked her first half marathon!
I finally talked my sister Amber into taking the plunge and running a half marathon. I'm 100% sure I was WAY more excited about this endeavor than she was. There is something kind of awesome about seeing someone accomplish something they truly didn't believe they were capable of. And when you love running as much as I do it is also just great to convince someone else in the family to join in on the chaos. For all the years Amber has supported my running, driven all over the state to watch me, and woken up at the butt crack of dawn to bike by my side...she most definitely deserved to do something for her! She truly has sacrificed A LOT to support me and she has never once complained. Cheesy as it may sound Amber is without a doubt my best friend and I wouldn't have it any other way. She has been a major blessing in my life this year as I have literally leaned on her daily.
Amber's Running/Training Background (let's just go with some bullet points here):
- She absolutely refuses to wear a watch. I even gave her one and haven't seen her wear it once.
- Her mileage peaked at 20 miles per week.
- She did one 10 mile run about 5-6 weeks out from the race. She loved it but shortly after she got really sick and ended up having an awful respiratory illness that completely wiped her out.
- She wears sweatpants and T-shirts from HS to run in. I somehow convinced her to wear an actual pair of running shorts on Saturday!
- She always tells me "I'm not a real runner."
- She is competitive and the mentally toughest person I know.
Pre-Race: Rode up to the start on the busses with AmberD. My sister seemed fairly calm considering it was her first half marathon until I mentioned that we would have to run to get back down from where we were driving. Haha I probably didn't need to mention that but it was funny to see her face. We did the normal pre-race routine and then lined up behind the 1:50 pacer. Amber had no real goals beyond finishing.
Splits: 8:15, 8:27, 8:14, 8:09, 7:53, 7:50, 8:09, 8:20, 8:24, 8:14, 8:19 (what hill?), 8:16, 7:46
Finish Time: 1:47:20
Race: We started out behind the 1:50 pacer and remained there until mile 4. Amber's breathing was low and we were just chatting like a normal run. I really just wanted to try and keep her calm. We laughed about people we ran past and made bets about whether or not her husband would make it to the finish. I did absolutely nothing for her beyond being by her side...in fact she probably could have ran faster had I not been talking her ear off.
We passed the 1:50 pacer and sped up a bit the next 3 miles out of the canyon based on effort. Our race strategy that we kind of talked about was that I would run right by her side until mile 8 and then I would run right in front of her and all she would need to do was follow me. Together we also came up with dedication miles for the last 4 miles of the race. Out of the canyon I told her she needed to drink but she was so excited about the fan fair that she flew past the aid station. I chased after her with a full cup of gatorade but she was going so fast and I was spilling so much gatorade that I finally gave up. Crap I was worried about her hydration. I talked her into trying a GU on the golf course and I think she nearly puked "how do you guys eat that crap..it is disgusting!" At mile 9 I made sure she walked for a bit and got fluids in her. She was not even slowing at all out of the canyon but I knew that the next 4 miles would be the toughest.
The next 4 miles were what proved to me that my sister is indeed the toughest person I know. She was in pain but she held it together like a champ. I literally could not believe it. Who maintains there pace in a downhill race....in there first half marathon? I kept expecting her to slow but she just kept fighting. I warned her all day about the big hill in mile 10 and reminded her that is was okay to slow down but to focus and not stop. She flew past me on the hill and I was the one trying to keep up. So much for my pep talk...ha! The last 2 miles of the race were hard for Amber but she never once complained and never slowed down. Mile 12 was dedicated to her daughter Vara and I sang Katy Perry "Baby you’re a firework" out loud the entire mile. It is her Vara's favorite song and I also knew it would probably annoy her enough to move fast. I guess it worked. My apologies for those around us. The last mile we dedicated to Trevor and it was Amber's fastest mile of the race! I'll admit I was pretty mean to her during this mile but she responded and fought hard for every single step. I do not have a split for her last .1 because I tried to run up a head and get a picture. She must have been moving fast because all I ended up with was a picture of her back.
Words do not even do justice how proud of my sister I am. I've always known she was stubborn and tough but she took this to an entirely new level on Saturday. She was overwhelmed with emotion at the finish. I really don't think she realized she could actually do this.
Amber you are a "real runner". A real good one! I hope breaking this barrier can help my sister to realize that she is not the only runner in the family. I'm incredibly thankful I was able to share this opportunity with her and am already planning her first marathon. ;)
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