Going up to this particular race, my friend Jessica and I had walked the path. People were touting how flat the race was. I have to gracefully disagree with that assessment. The day before the race, I dropped by the Expo, which made the Princess Half Marathon expo look like there was no one present. I then went to Jessica's house. Same process as the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon. I had learned from experience to get ready the night before by laying everything out:
This particular race was not too long after the Boston Marathon bombings. It was evident that security was ramped up:
Thank you for being there, unknown South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) agent.
I was feeling pretty good that morning, with the exception of a small amount of tendonitis (that would subsequently put me out of commission after this race for over a month)
It was about this point that I heard nearby: "Amanda?" Manisha, a fellow buddy from the Princess Posse Facebook group showed up at my side:
This is a race where I did not take pictures in the middle of it. As I said earlier, I had a weird tendinitis thing going on that seemed to get worse. Although I would not typically do this, I actually took some Advil mid-run.
Which, I need to tell you who are not runners and want to do it. . .that is absolutely the WRONG thing to do for your kidneys. Do as I say, not as I do. I would have been better off carrying Biofreeze or Icy Hot on the run rather than popping that Advil.
Now, as I've said before, this is a pretty hilly course. Near the last hill, I spotted Jessica's husband, who was working one of the medical tents, and then in the last three miles, another Athletic trainer friend of mine, Andrea.
BTW, Andrea, so, so, so, sorry for trying to knock you down with my sweaty self!
In the back of my mind all along, I wanted to run a sub 3-hour half marathon. It was my goal for the Princess, and Jessica herself knows how disappointed I was that I didn't for that race.
But for the Divas? With a hurt knee?
And the bling?
Even Nike knew what it was all about:
Unlike Myrtle Beach Mini, I stayed right on target.
After I watched Jessica and her neighbor cross the finish line, we went over for celebratory cheeseburgers.
In the aftermath of that race, I had such pain that I was out of commission from running for a month. First for the pain, then for the flu.
It was not until today I was able to reward myself for such a great PR:
The original plan was a Disney Dooney, but I think this matches me. And I see the Dooney possibly coming into play for finishing a marathon the year of my 40th birthday.
But my reward is much more than a bag. Or a PR. Every day, I am finding I can do more than I imagined. I couldn't run a quarter of a mile, much less a half marathon. Tomorrow, I'll finish my third week of Galloway training for a full marathon. It's taking a commitment to finish something--something I never thought I could do.
"Whatever you do; do well." ~Ecclesiates 9:10
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