13.1 Club

I did it!

The last few weeks leading up to the race my feelings toward the event were a roller coaster. The phrase “freaking out” would be an understatement. That coupled with excitement that I’ve set a goal and I’m going to accomplish it put my emotions all over the place.

Along the way I’ve been making changes to my lifestyle including the decision to limit how much meat I eat.  It’s something I’ve talked about doing for years. And now in the middle of training to run 13.1 miles I decided to jump. Yes I’m impulsive and don’t always think about timing. Oh well. Here goes nothing! About two weeks in I did do a little research and found out that I am not alone. There are many other runners who are also vegetarians. Before I workout now I make sure to eat a protein bar.  

So far going vegetarian agrees with me. I feel better and lighter. I feel pretty confident this is the way that I’m supposed to be eating. Very interesting. I’m eating veggie burgers now too. My favorite so far is Morning Star spicy black bean burger. So so good.  I like to pair it with hummus and pita bread. Also a HUGE fan of Amy’s organic frozen dinners. The pesto pizza is delicious!

I also went back to the buddy system with my friend Mallory. It really does make a difference. I push myself further and we encourage each other. Leading up to the race we were getting together about three days a week. She’s even talked me into doing another half marathon in February. I really appreciate her motivating me to keep going.

On October 23 I and many other people set out to complete 13.1 miles as part of the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon. I was quite nervous before the race and thought I was going to throw up but I cleared my mind and turned up my music. It’s funny how your body adjusts to the fact that you’re about to go that far. I kept a pretty steady pace of running and walking. I even met some cool people along the way. My friend Val came in town to cheer me on. I saw her on the sidelines holding a poster with encouraging words on both sides. That was around mile 8 and it was just the boost that I needed to keep me going.  

By mile 11 though, I really just wanted to stop. Seriously I just wanted to give up but I didn’t. Mentally I kept telling myself that I could finish. At the same time I ended up talking with another participant. It was the perfect distraction and helped me make it to the end. Earlier in the race I planned to run the last mile but when I got to that point I just wanted to finish. Everything hurt but it was so worth it. It meant a lot for my Mom, sister, nephew and niece to be waiting for me at the finish line. I’m now officially a part of the 13.1 mile club and it feels awesome!

Note to self: You CAN truly achieve anything you set your mind to.