Soaring....Running....I figure it's the same thing...

A momentous day in history.....I did my FIRST HALF MARATHON!!! It was the Inaugural Soaring Wings Half Marathon in Conway, AR....A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY!! Okay....at least, to me....


Pre-Race: Got up about 5:00..finally decided on my running skirt, tank, and long sleeve performance shirt for the race, with my PINK FLEECE along for the ride for post-race chills. Feeling rather bloated, I realized to my horror that my skirt was riding a bit higher than usual due to my monthly "girth expansion" (aka PMS), but the alternative, my Sugoi pants, were so tight, you could see my panty line...ick...I figured, "It's not Halloween and there WILL be small children there, best not to scare them...." It was cold, somewhere in the 40's, but not as cold as I expected. I grabbed an Odwalla Bar for breakfast to eat on the way to Target, where I was supposed to meet Cheryl and the "Infamous" Kim at 6:15, so we could ride together. I sat in the parking lot for about 2 minutes, adjusted my shoes and thought "what if they are waiting on the side of the building?" so I drove over there to make sure. They aren't, so I drove back to the front, just in time to see them pull up. I grabbed all my gear and off to Conway we went. We chatted all the way up there and we seemed to get there really fast! At first, we couldn't tell where to park, the driveway to the McGee Center was blocked off and there were no signs. We drove around the corner to a church parking lot and walked to the McGee Center from there. We got our packets with bib, chip, and t-shirts. The shirts were huge for the size indicated, so I was hoping that my medium could be traded for a small later. We headed back to the car to get closer parking and found that there were still some great spots on the grass near the finish line, although the parking guy was a bit RIGID on exactly where we parked! We went inside for a bathroom pit stop and I met some of the other running gals that Cheryl and Kim know. Not long after that, they announced that the race would start in about 10 minutes and that we should be making our way to the starting line. We quickly took some pics to commemorate the event and headed down the street.

During the Race: As soon as the "Go!" was shouted, we took off. Kim basically shot off and we never saw her again until after the race. Cheryl and I started off kind of fast, but gradually got into a groove. I had to stop and tie my shoe once, and boy I had to really take off to catch up with Cheryl again! I had a G2 with me, so I sipped that throughout and ended up taking some Gu about mile 5 and 9.5. Energy-wise, I felt okay, but I really started to get sore in my right hip and knee about mil 10 or so. When we hit mile 12, I was like..."Where is that finish line?" Cheryl reminded me of my medal awaiting me, and that was the incentive I needed to go that last 1.1 miles!! She asked me if I was going to cry at the end and I didn't think so, but I did tear up when we rounded the corner. No Kim in sight, but we virtually crossed the finish line at the same time and I was SO EXCITED!! I wish they had announced my name, but I was just so glad to finish at all!

Post-Race: They cut the chips off our shoes, gave us our medals, and we headed for the food!!! But not before Cheryl gave me a hug and congratulated me on my first half-marathon! We stretched by the road block and then went to look for Kim, our "invisible cheering section", she was nearby talking to a guy she knew from work. We walked around a bit, I got a hamburger, talked to some of the running gals, and went to get some pics at the finish line. When we got to the t-shirt table, not only did I get to trade in my t-shirt for a smaller size, we got to buy the short sleeve performance shirts that we had all been lusting over that morning for only $5 each! That was AWESOME! After the pics, we headed to the preliminary finishing list to see who placed. None of us did, although I was sure that I would place...I mean, I was awesome! Kidding....We all did PR...wait, can I PR? I mean, this was my first half.....I was fairly pleased with my time. I didn't really have a goal, but I was satisfied with 2:04:58...

Finally, at the car to leave for Starbucks, Cheryl and Kim gave me this bag of goodies (that almost made me cry) to celebrate my first half-marathon. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me.....I normally keep those things to myself and these 2 ladies were allowing me to celebrate (and celebrating with me!) an accomplishment that means alot to me and something I didn't think I could do! Pardon if I get sentimental here...but sometimes, I really believe that God puts these blessings and people in my life to really show me He loves me. And I am grateful......Now, back to my story....we went to Starbucks for some yummy and much awaited coffee and Kim and I discovered that we not only have the same phone, but we also both have Verizon, so we can text like crazy now!! We went to Target and Old Navy, but didn't find much (although I almost shoplifted some panties at Old Navy), but it was still fun. By the time we got back to NLR, Kim and Cheryl had talked me into doing the St Jude Memphis Half Marathon and spending the weekend with them and Aunt Martha.....Boy, that should be a weekend to remember!!

All-in-All....a wonderful day with wonderful new friends....I hope to start running with them, next week in the mornings, at least on Monday and Friday mornings...and maybe the running clinic in Cabot on Tuesdays.....more fun to come!!