Ok, focus. So, I've enlightened you all on my amazing trip to London, but I think I forgot to mention how our half marathon went. Um, 'freaking fantastic' is the answer to that. Danny finished in 2 hours and 35 minutes and I finished in 2 hours 45 minutes. We are pretty proud of ourselves, considering neither of us were sure we'd live to see the finish line. Here are the details of this epic adventure...
My sister and brother in law (heretofore referred to as Amanda and Yogi) drove down to Anaheim with Danny and I the day before the race. We were all super nervous as we collected our race numbers and registered. We went into the park for a few hours just to get a quick Disney fix in (and to calm ourselves) and went to sleep fairly early that night, as we needed to be at the start line by 5am.
Danny and I on our way to the Starting Line
The four of us right before take-off.
It was dark, of course, when we got there. The crowds were huge and the atmosphere was prickling with excitement (and anxiety). I wanted to pee my pants. I suddenly felt really scared that I'd hurt myself or I'd humiliate myself by not finishing. When, at last, they announced our group and the race begun, I stuck to plan A, which was: put my headphones in, put one foot in front of the other, and go.
I did. And guess what? It worked. And it wasn't scary at all. It was seriously one of the best experiences of my life. The first four miles were through the park. Characters and Disney workers encouraged from the sidelines. The second part of the race was through the streets of Anaheim. Marching bands and cheerleading squads from local schools cheered us on. There was never a dull moment.
Danny (who has endless endurance) stayed with me for the first 7 miles. I could tell that I was holding him back, even though I never stopped running...my legs are shorter and I just couldn't keep his stride. Finally, I told him to go, that I was fine, and have some water for me at the finish. So he took off and I was left on my own. Amanda and Yogi were a mile behind, as we got separated in the initial shuffle. At this point, I had only ran 10 miles on my own and all of those miles I ran on a treadmill. I was happily surprised to learn that I run faster on the street and was clocking 11 minute miles up until mile 10, when my knee started to stiffen. I was stoked when I passed that mile marker because it was a victory in itself, as every step after was now the farthest I'd ever gone. I walked mile 11 and half of 12 because of the pain. When Disneyland was back in sight, there was an elderly man standing by himself with a sign that read "Chuck Norris never ran a half marathon" and I took off, suddenly determined to beat Chuck Norris at something. The man yelled that I only had half a mile to go. When I hit mile 13, I could see the finish banner, just .1 miles away. I took off in a sprint. It was the oddest feeling ever, my legs were numb and I could feel a rush of blood suddenly as I pushed myself that final bit, to the end.
If you watch the video, which is an arial view, you can see a tiny fist hit the air as it crosses the finish line.
That would be me.
My finishing medal
In front of Disneyland after running 13.1 miles
And, with that, I'd like to proudly announce that, for the first time in my life, I have successfully carried out my New Years resolution. If you read that post, you'll know that I resolved to better myself by trying things I never have, by controlling my fears in order to experience things I never thought I would. I've been waiting a year to write these words.
I did it.
Thanks for your support. =)
