It's not a sprint, it's a (half) marathon

On Saturday October 19, I ran my first ever half marathon. The Cincinnati half marathon with 1,500 other people. It was an amazing experience, spending 12 weeks training for a race that will take two hours. It is a true test of strength, will power and determination. I have already been asked if I'm crazy enough to do it again and the answer is that I'm already trying to convince my mom to let me run another one in two weeks. I have been wanting to run one for a few years now and I decided I should do it before I head off to college next fall. I was not really a runner before I started training this summer but that didn't stop me.

Through this experience I have learned a lot about myself and about running in general so I decided to compile a list of 13.1 things I have learned from training for and running 13.1 miles.

1) Not all dogs are friendly. I did a lot of my training in my neighborhood and the surrounding ones. There are a lot of dog owners, some let their dogs roam the yard freely. I have been chased down by a dog twice and although neither one bit me I was still afraid for my life. I also learned that dogs love to chase people who are running and when you run away from them it makes the situation worse.

2) There are some crazy drivers. Every time I cross a major road while running or even walking, I use the crosswalk, yet I have almost been hit two or three times in the past three months. Also not everyone looks behind them while backing out of their driveways. That has happened to me once, if I would not have stopped, they probably would have backed right into me.

3) Sweaty bands are amazing. I bought one of their headbands so I could wear it to the race, it's really cute because it's pink and says 13.1 all over it. See the picture above. Anyway headbands have NEVER stayed on my head. This one did for the entire race. I was so impressed.

4) My family really loves me. On race day they came with posters saying "Run Amy Run" and "We Love You" and stood at miles 1, 3 and 13. When I crossed the finish line and my family met up with me, my mom was crying and telling me how proud she was. The one I'm holding in the picture, my sister made because Beeze is my nickmame. I don't know why.

5) Runners are really nice/awesome.  Part of my course was out and back so when I was on mile 7 there were people on the other side of the road on mile 11. The girl behind me was clapping and cheering them on. There were also a lot of high fives between runners. There is a community feel when your suffering through 13 miles together.

6) Mother Nature can be mean sometimes. Running in the rain is not one of my favorite things. Before my race I had run a few short distance runs in the rain but on race day it rained starting on mile three and then it started pouring around mile seven. I was drenched by the end. Luckily my loveing family was waiting at the end with a jacket for me. 

7) People are really creative. The crowd support for the race came with posters. I didn't have my glasses on so it was hard to read some of the signs but my favorites were "You Run Better Then The Government" and "Run Like You Just Stole Something." I also loved all the kids giving out high fives.

8) You always run faster during a race. My training time was a 10:30 mile and my race time was a 9:50 mile. You gain a lot of adrenaline.

9) Music is my best friend while running. I don't know what I would have done without Katy Perry's "Roar" or Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire." And don't make fun of my taste in music.

10) Carbs are awesome. They give you lots of energy and help you run. I ate pasta almost every night the week of my race and I think it really helped me. Also water is really cool too and when they offer you water during a race, drink it or else you will end up regretting it.

11) You will look gross after a race but so does everyone else. If you don't then your not human. Because of the rain, I basically looked liked a drenched dog when I was finished. Also, my perfect fishtail braid fell out around mile four and my hair was just kind of wet and the ponytail was basically nonexistent at that point. Again, see the photo above. It is the farthest thing from a fashion show.

12) It's important to reward yourself after a race. I spent the day laying on my couch, icing my knees, watching movies and eating ice cream while wearing my metal.

13) Finishing a half marathon gives you such a sense of accomplishment. I have run a lot of 5ks and a few 10ks but I have never actually trained for a race. Having a goal, training for it and then achieving it is one of the best feelings. I did 90% of the training by myself, probably because most people don't want to wake up at 7:30 on a Saturday to go run ten miles or go out in ninty degree heat to get a few miles in. I think that shows a lot about my mental strength. 

13.1) You can do anything as long as you have determination and it could end up being one of your biggest accomplishments.

If you were woundering, my time was around two hours and ten minutes, I don't know the official time yet because they haven't posted the results online yet. In total I ran 216 miles while training and went on 46 runs. But hey, I'm only half crazy.