So here's a summary of the mornings' events:
Weather
It was raining :( Pretty hard at times too. But other than that the temperature was right around 60 degrees which was pretty comfy running weather. AND to be honest, the rain didn't really phase me once I was running since there were so many other things running through my mind like: all the spectators, don't run too fast at the beginning so I can make it to the finish, what song was going to pop up next on my playlist, admiring all the other runners, taking in the scenic view of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, etc.
Attire
I ran in my Nike Motos, dri fit no show socks, Nike dri fit running tights, the Asics technical tee that was part of our swag bag and my dri fit, light weight, white zip up Nike hoodie. In addition to these things I wore a BIC band (did an awesome job at not slipping and holding all my hair back!) and a Green Bay Packer baseball hat (to keep the rain out of my face- thanks for the last minute advice Christopher!!). I opted to not wear my arm band for my iPod and just kept it in my pocket since that's what I had done for all my previous races. And in my other pocket I carried a pack of the Jelly Sport Beans in Berry flavor to have around the 7-8 mile mark.
Pre Race Food
Prior to the race, at 5AM!, I had 2 pieces of toasted whole wheat bread with peanut butter and bananas, a water bottle with emergen-C and a few Jelly Sport Beans.
Course
The course was tough! Not gonna lie. It started out and there was so much excitement/nerves/people/music that the first three miles somewhat flew by. I was overwhelmed by all the supporters of the Pig especially at 6AM in the pouring rain! It was such a cool experience though that I got goosebumps! Twice! At the beginning and then again at the end. One kinda crappy thing about the beginning of the run is that you spend so much time just trying to get going and weaving around all the other people. My brother, Catie and I were all running the Half but pretty much split up right at the beginning cause we all trained with different paces in mind for completing this run. The first three miles of the run take you from Cincinnati, over the bridge to Kentucky, over another bridge in Newport and then over one last bridge bringing us back into Cincinnati. I took my first water break right around the 4 mile mark and it was kinda gross. The water tasted really chlorinated. Eww.
Miles 4-6 also went pretty quickly. Again, there were so many people cheering us on on 7th Street that I felt like I had an endless amount of energy and just wanted to keep running for all of them! But then I hit a wall. Ha. Miles 6-9 had a steady continuous incline aka hilly. This was tough. I saw my mom near the beginning of the first big hill so I put a smile on for her and swiftly ran past her. Then my pace seemed to be getting slower and slower and my legs began to feel heavier and heavier! This hill was kicking my a$$. I made it to mile 7 had some Gatorade this time (which also tasted like chlorine!) smiled at the old man acapella singing group and walked for about 2 minutes while I ate my Jelly Sport Beans. I was hoping this would give me that little boost of energy I was looking for to complete these hills and the rest of the race!
Mile 8 was the first time during this run that I started having doubts about finishing. My knees were aching, I was soaking wet and was still going uphill. I wanted to stop so badly but knew I couldn't. This is where being in the right state of mind mentally started to come into play. I kept telling myself that I could do this, this is what I've been working so hard for, I'm more than halfway done, I can do it! Then around mile 9 I started to see signs where the Half and Full Marathon split and I made sure about 100 times that I was in the right lane and I was NOT about to attempt to run 26 miles. Mile 9 made me happy cause I knew we were on our way back toward the finish line. Mile 10 also made me happy because I only had 3 more miles to go! Mile 11 made me EXTREMELY happy because it was an entire mile of downhill running!!! Mile 12 was still downhill a bit and I knew that the end was so close. The entire 13th mile was awesome. There were people everywhere you looked. I can't believe I'm going to admit this but it kinda made me teary eyed! Cameras were flashing left and right to make sure they were getting that monumental moment of us crossing the "Finish Swine." I had a sudden burst of energy too so was able to run a bit faster the last few feet to the finish. Then I did it! And was able to slow down and walk! I was ecstatic and overwhelmed with happiness.
One other cool thing to take note of is that I crossed the finish line around the same time as one of the marathon contestants! So that was pretty cool. He ran twice as far as me in the same time! Ha.
Post Race
Aaron was already there waiting for me. He finished a whole 40 minutes before me and even broke the 2 hour mark!! I didn't quite finish it when I wanted to. I was shooting for under 2:30 and I did it in 2:35 but I'll take it! It was my first one and can only get better from there! Then moments later Catie crossed and was able to beat the 3 hour mark! Not bad for someone who had never ran more than 8 miles!! So a BIG congrats to Aaron and Catie! It was fun sharing in something so monumental with you guys!!
We were sure to stock up on post race goodies. They had everything. You name it, we got it. Delicious. Swiss Cake Rolls, Donuts, Chocolate Milk, Cheetos, Granola Bars, Apples, Bananas, Dried Fruit, Fruit Cups, and the list goes on and on and on.
The Aftermath
We were all sooo happy to be done and proud of our accomplishment but were all also extremely sore, wet and tired. Needless to say, we had a very, very relaxing rest of the day that consisted of eating, drinking and sleeping. It couldn't have been more perfect!
Alrighty, well that's it for now. If I can think of anything else I'll be sure to write more later. As for what's next??! I'm not sure yet! But I def want to keep running as I feel like I can officially call myself a runner :)
Until next time!
