13.1 done!

raYesterday was the day! Abby came in to run it with me and told me what I was doing all weekend, from eating, to sleeping, to making sure I was hydrated. She has done several marathons and half marathons so I did whatever she told me to do since I've never done one before. On Saturday we went to the expo to get our bibs and all the free stuff they were giving out. While we were there we even got to see what our finisher medals would look like and it made me even more excited about finishing!!

When Sunday morning came along I was fully expecting to be even more anxious than I had been the day before and be having crazy stomach issues, but luckily I was feeling pretty good! When Abby and I made it to the gear check area I started getting really excited and a little anxious. Waiting around for 7:00 to come sucked. When we finally started moving it felt so surreal that it was actually happening. Even when I finished it still didn't seem real. Abby and I ran the first mile together, and then she took off since she's a lot faster than me. It is crazy for me to say this, but the first 8 miles were so easy! We went up Congress which has some hills and is also a steady incline, and then down First which is all downhill (my favorite part of the course haha), and I was feeling pretty good. Mom and dad were waiting at mile 2 and 9 and by the second time I saw them the sun had come out and it was really hot. I felt a little lightheaded before I saw them, but I had already told myself even if I throw up or pass out I won't stop. 

After leaving mom and dad the hills really came out in full force. I practiced on hills, but after running 9 miles, in the heat, I felt as if this was my first time on a hill. Around mile 10.5 was a huge group of my students and their parents. They had posters, noise makers, pom poms, and huge smiles for me. We were all so excited to see each other, and one of my moms was so sweet offering me water, gatorade, or doughnuts. After I left them a few of the boys ran with me for a little bit yelling "Go Ms. Ewing! You can do it!" Not much further along I saw some of my students from 2 years ago with their families and posters for me. I didn't even know they knew I was running! 

Next was Enfield. Whoever made this course is cruel. from mile 11-13 are some of the nastiest hills. The worst being up to Lamar where it looks like you will never reach the top. After a few of the big ones (but not THE big one) I saw some of my teacher friends and their kids. Amy ran out onto the course with a beer for me and everyone else was holding posters and signs they made for me. At this point I wasn't feeling great so I passed (sadly) on the beer and gave everyone a big hug. Amy yelled out words of encouragement and I was off for the last mile and a half. I saw Eric for a second time, and then Emily, Matt and Penny. When I got to THE hill I had to walk it. I mean there was no way. At least I wasn't alone in the walking. There were probably only about 20 people that I saw actually running up the hill. 

At that point I was almost at the end. It was crazy how the atmosphere just changed the second you got to the top. The crowds started getting bigger and bigger, everyone around me started speeding up, it was amazing. Right before one of the last turns I saw Jillian, Karam and Chris with signs yelling for me. I started crying when I saw them and I started getting excited thinking about how I was almost finished. Right before the last turn I started crying again because I was so happy. The crowds were huge and so loud! I turned my iPod off so I could just listen to everything and be present in my finish. When I crossed the finish line I immediately threw my hands up in excitement. After a year I reached my goal. Something I thought I would never, hell something I thought I could never do I did. Starting from scratch, and a year of training I finished my first half marathon in 2:43:54! Below are a bunch of pictures from Saturday and Sunday.

My bib with all the free stuff!

Abby and I drank all of these bottles of water on Saturday to make sure we were hydrated. Needless to say we were in and out of the bathroom all day because of all of that water.

Eating before the race.

Waiting around for 7:00 to come.

Mom and dad were at mile 2 and 9 to catch me. Mom didn't see me until I was standing in front of them so I had to pretend to run for this picture.

Seeing my kids really helped push me further along!!

Finished!!!!

Heather, Claire, Ben, and Amy made me signs and they taped them to my door after the race. Thanks for coming out!

Finisher shirt and medal!!

Thanks to everyone who came out to support me Sunday! Thanks to everyone who helped support me, coach me, and encourage me this past year, I couldn't have done it without you! Love you guys!