My 1st 1/2 marathon!

5.2.15

From Assateague Island to the Ocean City Inlet

13.1 miles in 2 hours, 19mins and 48 seconds.

As a child, I played softball. I dreaded having to run around the bases at practice, or even if I hit a homerun and had to run them all at once - there was a good chance I'd get out because I ran so slow!

I tried basketball, but there was too much running. I didn't even give soccer a try because all they do is run. When I struggled with weight, I tried running. Several times. I attempted the Couch to 5k and quit at week 5 because it wanted me to run for 8 minutes straight - I thought that ish was CRAZY at the time. Give me an elliptical, i could be on it for hours. Put me in a step class or spinning class or body pump type class and I'd have a ball. But ask me to run, and I just laughed at you. I had pretty much told myself it was never going to happen. And I was perfectly fine with that.

Then T25 came into my life. My goal with that program was simple - I wanted to tone up while working on my nutrition (where I lacked big time). 25mins a day was doable with our busy schedule, and I could still have time for family. My husband and I both agreed we could give each other 25mins a day to do the workouts, and so, in August 2013 we started.

Things were going great! We were right on schedule with the workouts, keeping to our nutrition plan, and really feeling and seeing the positive changes in our lives. About a month into the program we went to OC with my parents for the weekend. A tradition we have. It was a "rest" day for T25, but I wanted to get some kind of workout in. So, I decided to go for a run.

15 minutes into the run I freaked out. WHY?! Because I was STILL running! I hadn't stopped, and could still run more. So, i did! Remember above when I said I thought running for 8 minutes straight was crazy?! Yea, I was a little beside myself! I probably ran for about 30mins before stopping. I was so confused and excited about what I had just done!

And that's where my love of running began :)

After that I signed up and completed my first 10k in April of last year. I did another one in August. I ran 7 miles at some point last summer and it exhausted me so much, i figured a 10k was it for me. But, i wanted to see if I could push myself further. So, decided 2015 was going to be my year for my 1st half marathon and full marathon. I signed up for both at the beginning of the year! :) Training was TOUGH for a half in May with the weather we had, and I honestly didn't train as well as I should have. It wasn't until about 5 weeks out that I got serious about it. I was having a hard time running 5 miles...how was I going to run 13.1?! So, i stuck to the training schedule, watched my nutrition better, and just turned my mindset to a "I CAN DO THIS!" mindset. It worked :)

So, why did I choose the OC Half Marathon?

Simple. I grew up vacationing there with my family. It's where my love/hate relationship with running really began. It's a special place to me and I knew the areas where I was running. What was more special was that my husband and kids came down to cheer me on, along with my parents and my husbands parents. Seeing them 1 mile before the finish line was just as emotional as I thought it would be. I stopped quickly to give each of the kids kisses, and hug everyone else. I held back tears the whole last mile because I was ALMOST done. I wasn't just doing this for me, I was doing it to show my kids that anything is possible if you just believe in yourself. And they may not realize that now, but one day they will. Through my journey of running, and through other journeys of my life.