NSV - journey to a half-marathon, in pics. (Sort of.)
AsellusReborn
Posts: 1,112 Member
I feel so strange to type this, because I know if I hadn't found MFP it wouldn't have happened, and in my head, I am still that girl...you know, that fat girl, who isn't active. Gets out of breath trying to keep up with her long-legged husband. That girl who didn't run the mile in high school, who was never athletic, that girl who never had the endurance to finish the turbojam workouts when she tried them. Yeah, that girl. Well, this girl:
Perilously close to 200lbs, avoiding the camera, because I didn't want to admit I was that girl. Sorry for the bad pic, but it's hard to find pictures of me - much less pictures of me smiling - from "before."
Well, 205 days later on mfp...on Saturday, 1/12/13, I ran my first chip-timed half marathon. Me. I finished it! Not only finished it, but enjoyed it. I have proof!
See? I ran. And I SMILED. Me. I smiled, while running 13.1 miles. (Granted, that photographer? That dude was one smart cookie, because that picture was taken 2 miles in. I'm sure my smile wasn't so wide at say, mile 12, haha.)
I can't even begin to put into words how this makes me feel. Because 6 months ago, a year ago, 2 years ago, 5 years ago...okay, every other part of my life previous to this, I couldn't. I didn't run a mile til I was 28 years old. (No, seriously. I walked it in high school. Go me, right?) I started the couch to 5K program in August of 2012 because I felt compelled to prove that this running thing? I could do it.
Wanna know a secret? I hated it, at first. I did. I came back in from my first day, C25K W1D1, on August 1, 2012, and told my husband, "I will do this, because I said I would, but you know what I forgot? I hate running!" And I did. It was boring. It was hard. It put me out in public, in all my sweaty non-glory, huffing and puffing and unable to hide how hard it was for me. It was cringe worthy. I felt so inadequate, I hated it. Running a minute was flipping hard. Those 90 second breaks that first week? The best part, by far. By the last interval, I was dying. I was covered in sweat, it was hot, and my shins hurt. I had no idea how I was going to graduate to week 2.
But you know what? Somehow, I made it through week 1. Each week got a little easier on my head though a little harder for my body, and I continued to be amazed by what I was capable of - despite not one, but two falls that have left me with very colourful and interestingly patterned scars on both knees. After W5D3 - which is the first time you run without any walk breaks - I was hooked. Running had become my me time, the time where I didn't have a 3 year old hanging on my arm or begging me to play princesses or build castles, where I didn't have dirty dishes looming to wash or meals looming to cook or a husband to take care of. It wasn't exactly meditation, because I was running outside and I was alert, but my head would be filled with nothing but the run and it was like active meditation, my mind empty. (The very few occasions I couldn't empty my mind to run - like the day my daughter started preschool for the first time ever - I found I wasn't "there" enough to run.)
Finishing my first 5K 9/13 was both exciting, and disappointing - because I wanted to run, wanted to run faster, harder, longer, better. I was slow, averaging a 13 minute mile. My husband finished that race a full 10 minutes before I did. 10! (Remember that number, I'll mention it again in a moment.) Somehow, that girl, that girl I knew myself to be, turned out to be a different girl than I thought - and that girl was running.
On 10/27, I ran my first 10K, and I came in last. LAST! Dead last. 21/21. (Small race! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/782125-i-came-in-last-in-my-race-this-weekend-and-loved-nsv) But you know what? Something pretty awesome happened. We didn't know it, but they had finisher medals. Yeah, medals for a 10K. Yeah, teeny little thing and my husband says it's not a real medal - but:
DUDE. I got a medal. THAT GIRL got a medal. Slowly, it clicked...that girl was a runner, and *I* was that girl. My husband ran too, and you know what? He finished 10 minutes before I did - in a race twice the distance of the first one I ran. Tell me, cool or what?
For my 29th birthday, I ran my first 10 mile race. (Which had a disaster, but this isn't a post about disasters, so I'm not going to rant.) The important part of that race is that my birthday - which I usually DESPISE - was positive, because now, I was a runner - and I ran 10 miles. TEN! And earned this sweet little bit of bling:
Yeah, that baby spins. Sweet, right?
I was hooked on running, and maybbbbe hooked on race bling.
Two weeks later, my husband ran a half marathon - only one of us could run it, and we decided he was probably never going to run again, so he had dibs, because I would eventually do a half. When he finished, I was so jealous. I wanted that to be me. Before my first 5K, I thought it would be one race, scratch it off my bucket list, and move on to something else. Even when I trained for the 10K, even when I started eyeing the 10 miler on my birthday, a half...a half still seemed crazy. Half crazy, half awesome.
Well - I finally made that a reality. Around Christmas, I registered for the Chicago Polar Dash, set for January. On 12/31, I ran 13.1 in a "virtual" half for Leukemia with the Resolution Run. 2012 had changed my life, and that run - as much as I maybe shouldn't have run 13.1 that day, with my chip timed half only 2 weeks later - was life affirming. It hurt, the last mile was literally painful, but it was life affirming. That girl, the one I used to be, couldn't have made it one before it was hard, too hard, too hard to continue. I ran 12 easy miles, and 1 hard one - and despite how hard it was, I finished, in 2:50:59. And have this little souvenir (it's much prettier in person):
But as much as that was life affirming and a fantastic way to see of 2012 as the year I changed my life, it was 1/12 that brought me to tears (and not tears of pain...although the Resolution Run didn't hurt THAT much, haha~!) in a way, with it being a virtual race, it was a glorified (amazing!) training run. On 1/12/13, I ran the Polar Dash. It didn't hurt. The last mile was hard, but it didn't hurt. My husband ran by my side, supporting me the entire way. The miles flew, I laughed, I smiled, I growled and rolled my eyes at the bad jokes my husband told. I ate my chews, I drank my water. And I ran. I ran, for 2:45:35. I crossed the finished line and had run so hard the last stretch that I was perilously close to throwing up. But I did it. I completed a half marathon.
Why? Because I can. Because now, I'm that girl - the one who can run. And oh, this too:
Perilously close to 200lbs, avoiding the camera, because I didn't want to admit I was that girl. Sorry for the bad pic, but it's hard to find pictures of me - much less pictures of me smiling - from "before."
Well, 205 days later on mfp...on Saturday, 1/12/13, I ran my first chip-timed half marathon. Me. I finished it! Not only finished it, but enjoyed it. I have proof!
See? I ran. And I SMILED. Me. I smiled, while running 13.1 miles. (Granted, that photographer? That dude was one smart cookie, because that picture was taken 2 miles in. I'm sure my smile wasn't so wide at say, mile 12, haha.)
I can't even begin to put into words how this makes me feel. Because 6 months ago, a year ago, 2 years ago, 5 years ago...okay, every other part of my life previous to this, I couldn't. I didn't run a mile til I was 28 years old. (No, seriously. I walked it in high school. Go me, right?) I started the couch to 5K program in August of 2012 because I felt compelled to prove that this running thing? I could do it.
Wanna know a secret? I hated it, at first. I did. I came back in from my first day, C25K W1D1, on August 1, 2012, and told my husband, "I will do this, because I said I would, but you know what I forgot? I hate running!" And I did. It was boring. It was hard. It put me out in public, in all my sweaty non-glory, huffing and puffing and unable to hide how hard it was for me. It was cringe worthy. I felt so inadequate, I hated it. Running a minute was flipping hard. Those 90 second breaks that first week? The best part, by far. By the last interval, I was dying. I was covered in sweat, it was hot, and my shins hurt. I had no idea how I was going to graduate to week 2.
But you know what? Somehow, I made it through week 1. Each week got a little easier on my head though a little harder for my body, and I continued to be amazed by what I was capable of - despite not one, but two falls that have left me with very colourful and interestingly patterned scars on both knees. After W5D3 - which is the first time you run without any walk breaks - I was hooked. Running had become my me time, the time where I didn't have a 3 year old hanging on my arm or begging me to play princesses or build castles, where I didn't have dirty dishes looming to wash or meals looming to cook or a husband to take care of. It wasn't exactly meditation, because I was running outside and I was alert, but my head would be filled with nothing but the run and it was like active meditation, my mind empty. (The very few occasions I couldn't empty my mind to run - like the day my daughter started preschool for the first time ever - I found I wasn't "there" enough to run.)
Finishing my first 5K 9/13 was both exciting, and disappointing - because I wanted to run, wanted to run faster, harder, longer, better. I was slow, averaging a 13 minute mile. My husband finished that race a full 10 minutes before I did. 10! (Remember that number, I'll mention it again in a moment.) Somehow, that girl, that girl I knew myself to be, turned out to be a different girl than I thought - and that girl was running.
On 10/27, I ran my first 10K, and I came in last. LAST! Dead last. 21/21. (Small race! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/782125-i-came-in-last-in-my-race-this-weekend-and-loved-nsv) But you know what? Something pretty awesome happened. We didn't know it, but they had finisher medals. Yeah, medals for a 10K. Yeah, teeny little thing and my husband says it's not a real medal - but:
DUDE. I got a medal. THAT GIRL got a medal. Slowly, it clicked...that girl was a runner, and *I* was that girl. My husband ran too, and you know what? He finished 10 minutes before I did - in a race twice the distance of the first one I ran. Tell me, cool or what?
For my 29th birthday, I ran my first 10 mile race. (Which had a disaster, but this isn't a post about disasters, so I'm not going to rant.) The important part of that race is that my birthday - which I usually DESPISE - was positive, because now, I was a runner - and I ran 10 miles. TEN! And earned this sweet little bit of bling:
Yeah, that baby spins. Sweet, right?
I was hooked on running, and maybbbbe hooked on race bling.
Two weeks later, my husband ran a half marathon - only one of us could run it, and we decided he was probably never going to run again, so he had dibs, because I would eventually do a half. When he finished, I was so jealous. I wanted that to be me. Before my first 5K, I thought it would be one race, scratch it off my bucket list, and move on to something else. Even when I trained for the 10K, even when I started eyeing the 10 miler on my birthday, a half...a half still seemed crazy. Half crazy, half awesome.
Well - I finally made that a reality. Around Christmas, I registered for the Chicago Polar Dash, set for January. On 12/31, I ran 13.1 in a "virtual" half for Leukemia with the Resolution Run. 2012 had changed my life, and that run - as much as I maybe shouldn't have run 13.1 that day, with my chip timed half only 2 weeks later - was life affirming. It hurt, the last mile was literally painful, but it was life affirming. That girl, the one I used to be, couldn't have made it one before it was hard, too hard, too hard to continue. I ran 12 easy miles, and 1 hard one - and despite how hard it was, I finished, in 2:50:59. And have this little souvenir (it's much prettier in person):
But as much as that was life affirming and a fantastic way to see of 2012 as the year I changed my life, it was 1/12 that brought me to tears (and not tears of pain...although the Resolution Run didn't hurt THAT much, haha~!) in a way, with it being a virtual race, it was a glorified (amazing!) training run. On 1/12/13, I ran the Polar Dash. It didn't hurt. The last mile was hard, but it didn't hurt. My husband ran by my side, supporting me the entire way. The miles flew, I laughed, I smiled, I growled and rolled my eyes at the bad jokes my husband told. I ate my chews, I drank my water. And I ran. I ran, for 2:45:35. I crossed the finished line and had run so hard the last stretch that I was perilously close to throwing up. But I did it. I completed a half marathon.
Why? Because I can. Because now, I'm that girl - the one who can run. And oh, this too:
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Replies
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Wow! Fantastic work
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That is so inspiring! Congratulations!0
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This is so cool! i still find i'm dying as I approach 5 miles, so...I've got a long way to go. Kinda jealous of all your pretty swag. 0
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what an inspiring story! Love it!0
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your story is amazing and inspiring--thank you for sharing and way to go you!!0
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Fantastic!
It's so cool how you get finishers medals in Chicago. I only get a finishers medal for half and full marathons..boo!0 -
Who says "diamonds" are girl's best friend right? The new bling....
Thank you for being so transparent and real in describing your experience. I am so proud of you!0 -
Definitely inspiring! Congrats on the achievement. I saw the picture of you running and even before reading your story I knew you had to be in Chicago. I am in Chicago too and I have a much more basic goal of running a 5K. This is going to be the year. I did the Santa Hustle in Dec and I finished but I only RAN about 1/4 of it. Same goes with the Hometown Charity Run in July. I am planning to do Cara's Begginner Running program again this spring and sign up for some 5Ks. Anyway, I think you story will inspire me to achieve this goal!0
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What a great story. So inspiring. Thank you for sharing. 0
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Thank you all! This has been in my head to write for a bit, but I still feel like I'm on a journey so didn't feel like I had a success story yet...but I'm glad I wrote this!Fantastic!
It's so cool how you get finishers medals in Chicago. I only get a finishers medal for half and full marathons..boo!
It depends on the race! The 10K was in Indiana and it was a very pleasant surprise. The 10miler was a 10mile/10K and they are known for their cool medals for that race. Some 5Ks have medals, but for the most part it's halfs or full marathons that have medals. I am doing a 10K next month that has medals and a 5 miler in May too though, although, no lying, I totally picked them because of that, haha. I don't want to focus on the numbers on the scale...but earning a medal a month? I can do that!Definitely inspiring! Congrats on the achievement. I saw the picture of you running and even before reading your story I knew you had to be in Chicago. I am in Chicago too and I have a much more basic goal of running a 5K. This is going to be the year. I did the Santa Hustle in Dec and I finished but I only RAN about 1/4 of it. Same goes with the Hometown Charity Run in July. I am planning to do Cara's Begginner Running program again this spring and sign up for some 5Ks. Anyway, I think you story will inspire me to achieve this goal!
Yep, Chicago! That was the "polar" dash - 50 degrees in the middle of January in Chicago. Who knew, right?! Just keep at it - you will get there. It seems impossible at times, but if you push your body to adapt - it will. 0 -
This is awesome and very inspiring!!!!! It makes me wanna increase my miles too! Thanks for posting and great work!!!0
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AWESOME! I'll be running my first half in April. Stories of inspiration help!0
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Bump.
This is a great story. Thanks for posting.0 -
congratulations! and i'm so jealous... was on the same path before i broke my ankle on Oct 25... i'll catch up in 2013! Happy running!0
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Congratulations! So inspiring! I'm about to start training for my first half!0
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What a great story. You have truly inspired me. I read your story and thought "wow, is she talking about me?". I just signed up for my first 5k (with obstacles) and I'm crapping bricks! I'm so nervous. I start my training today and YES, I'm that girl who hates to run and would NEVER EVER consider running any where, but here I go signing up for a 5k.
Thank you for sharing 0 -
Thank you all! The half might have been one of the most fulfilling accomplishments I've ever had.0
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Your story brought tears to my eyes!
Inspiring!0 -
That was awesome. I could feel the pain and felt the days I bet you felt like giving up. So glad you didn't and you have motivated me to keep going and get back into shape. Thanks for sharing. Congrats on changing your life.0
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I love this post! As one of "those girls", I can totally relate to it, but you put it into words much better than I could! I can't wait to hear about your next race!0
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So Inspiring!! Way to go!0
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Just signed up for my first 5k. What an inspiration. Thanks for this.0
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I absolutely LOVE this. Running changed my life. I HATED it at first too. Absolutely HATED it. I hated it just thinking about it. Then there came a point where I surprised myself and realized I didn't hate it anymore.
It's given me confidence and strength that I never imagined. Thank you for this post. This is why I run. Thanks for joining the running community, it's an honor to have you. Keep it up!!0 -
Oh and also, I have come in dead last in a race before. I had the police escort car breathing down my neck. I know the feeling. 0
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YAY you! I started running 5 years ago. Last year I ran my first (and last) 10 mile Monster Dash. I hurt like HECK after, but I finished. I do want to do another, but dang, it is cold in Minnesota these days. I do still run every weekend, but I'm not sure I can do more than 5 in the cold.
You know what? This is pretty negative. My running pal wants me to run a 10 mile in March. We have not trained for a long run. What do you think? Should we go for it?0 -
5k with obstacles! That is fun! Get good upper body work in because you're going to need it!I just signed up for my first 5k (with obstacles) and I'm crapping bricks! I'm so nervous.0 -
I absolutely LOVE this. Running changed my life. I HATED it at first too. Absolutely HATED it. I hated it just thinking about it. Then there came a point where I surprised myself and realized I didn't hate it anymore.
It's given me confidence and strength that I never imagined. Thank you for this post. This is why I run. Thanks for joining the running community, it's an honor to have you. Keep it up!!
Isn't it funny how it happens? Now there is nothing short of injury or illness that would prompt me to willingly give up a run - and even then it's grudging!YAY you! I started running 5 years ago. Last year I ran my first (and last) 10 mile Monster Dash. I hurt like HECK after, but I finished. I do want to do another, but dang, it is cold in Minnesota these days. I do still run every weekend, but I'm not sure I can do more than 5 in the cold.
You know what? This is pretty negative. My running pal wants me to run a 10 mile in March. We have not trained for a long run. What do you think? Should we go for it?
It's normally really cold in Chicago this time of year - never let it stop you. Go for that 10 miler!0 -
Amazing story!!! I love it. So inspirational! Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your hard work and determination!!!0
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Your entire story made me smile because I knew the ending was going to be awesome. And it was. Congrats, keep collecting that race bling!0
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congratulations! I am trying to decide whether to train for a faster 5k or 10k time, or train for distance and do a half...0
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