One year ago I told myself I was going to do a half marathon. I started training in June this summer by running 2 miles every other day at a small walking track at an elementary school near our house. Once I moved back to Virginia Tech, I began running on trails and roads. I followed a half marathon training plan that had me running between 18 and 30 miles per week. It was supposed to last 12 weeks but after week 8 my knees started to give out so I stopped so as not to put any more strain on them. I cut back to only running about 9 miles or less per week for the remainder of the training period. The day before the race I started developing a cold. Sore throat, runny nose and a headache. It was also supposed to rain the day of the race. Both not good signs. The day of the race, it was raining as predicted and cold (49 degrees). I somehow found the motivation to get out of my warm bed and go outside into the dark, rainy and cold race location. There were about 1500 runners who were signed up to run. At the last minute I decided to change out of my short sleeve shirt and wear a long sleeve shirt. I'm not sure if this was a good idea or not as the shirt was completely absorbed with water and stayed that way the entire time. The race started at 7:30. It was a slow start since there were so many people. I was completely drenched before I had even gone 10 feet. The rain only let up for about 5 minutes around mile 5. I don't remember much between miles 5 and 10. I was kind of in a frozen daze by that point. Around mile 10 I passed by my grandmother's house where she, my mom and dad were all watching. They caught a glimpse of me as I sped by. 3 more miles to go. I kept thinking of sitting in the warm car with heat blasting on me to keep me going. The worst moment was on top of a hill with rain pelting down and the wind blowing against me. My eyes were stinging from the water. I think it was a mixture of rain, sweat, tears and snot. By this point I didn't care at all what I looked like. I thought what would happen if I just collapsed, would the ambulance come rescue me? I was so cold by this point that it was difficult for me to breathe. Finally, finally the finish line was in sight. I picked up the pace a little bit and crossed the line. It was definitely not what I had been envisioning for the past year. Clear blue skies, warm with a slight breeze, smiling and throwing my arms in the air for a triumphant finish. Instead I struggled to stop my watch (I didn't manage to do that) and nearly collapsed from coldness once I crossed the line. My mom was luckily right at the finish line and guided me to the car. I could barely walk and words wouldn't come out of my throat. That part is a foggy memory. I didn't really notice any of my surroundings. I was just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. I made it to the car and put a dry shirt on and sat in front of the heater. Apparently my lips had turned purple and I was shaking uncontrollably. I was brought some chili which helped a little bit. Eventually I warmed up and was back to normal. My knees are just a bit sore but they should be better in a couple of days. I'm not sure if I will attempt another half marathon for awhile. I need a break from running.
