KRIS.10.K: My First Half Marathon

One of my 2010 & 2011 New Years Resolutions was to complete my very first Half Marathon. My girlfriend, Sarah, agreed to sign up with me, bless her heart. March 20, 2011 was the big day in Virginia Beach, VA, and all nerves aside, we were excited race weekend had finally arrived.

The night before the race, we kept reminding ourselves that the time had finally come. We really couldn't believe it. We would give each other the look of "if you don't want to do this, I'll quit with you", but something deep down in both of us knew we could do it and we were going to do it. We both struggled to get much sleep, and when the alarm went off, we were both lying there afraid of what was ahead of us.

Race morning was freezing cold. I don't know why I thought it would be a bit warmer (we were at the beach after all), but we were frozen. I had left my gloves, ear warmers and long sleeve shirts tucked nicely in my dresser at home, and was dressed in a tshirt, crops, and a thin jacket. Knowing we would hate running with a jacket, we dropped them just 5 minutes before the gun went off. And so it began ... our 13.1 mile journey.

For personal documentation:
As I trotted through my first 3 miles, I felt great. I hit the 5 mile mark, and was jamming to my amazing play list as well as the fun bands and dj's lining the tree covered course. Small signs lined the parkway with one reading "If this were easy, everyone would do it". That saying stuck me with and I recited it over and over again on my way. As I ran by the 7 mile mark, I looked to my left and saw the waves crashing and the sun shining over the water. I knew God was carrying me through this race. Was it really just a short time ago I was standing in the dark, freezing my tail off, scared of what was ahead? Here I was smiling from ear to ear and feeling incredible half way through my first half-marathon. I remember breezing through the 8, 9 & 10 mile marks. Right around mile 10, I came on up an older male and middle aged female runner. They were running side by side, with a string around both of their wrists. The older gentleman wore a vest with the back reading "blind runner". Could it really be? A tear started to fall down my face, and I choked back the full blown cry fest, and once again, I was reminded just how fortunate I am to be running this race. Around 11.5 miles into the race, the course headed towards the boardwalk, which I knew was the finish line. I was still feeling pretty good, and pleased I had paced myself enough to not be in pain. On-lookers lined the neighborhood streets holding their morning coffee, their dog on a leash, and signs with enough charisma to crack a few smiles. And then came the turn. It came quicker than I had thought, but it was the turn I had waited for, for almost 5 months. I turned left onto the boardwalk and heard the cheers of the crowd. Although I wasn't in first place, or even 1,000th place, the cheers gave me chills throughout my body. With my chest proud and Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream" screaming in my ears, I sprinted with all of my energy through the finish line. I did it. I completed my first half-marathon.

Sarah and I met up at the end of the race with the biggest hug. Celebrations were in order! We grabbed a beer at the Yuengling beer tent, met up with friends, and shared our experience.