Yesterday I ran my first ever half marathon.
Before getting to what it all means to me, I’ll first share the details of the day…
Sunday morning started with a 4:12 a.m. alarm. I set out my clothes/bags/necessities the night before so I just had to get myself ready and make my breakfast to eat in the car ride. We left our apartment at 5.
For my pre-race breakfast: 2 slices of whole-wheat toast topped with cinnamon, peanut butter, and chia seeds, plus a banana and just a tiny bit of water. I focused on drinking a lot of water the day before and wanted to avoid drinking much the morning of the race because I didn’t want to have to pee while running (though apparently people are not shy about doing so!). Also, I was careful with what I ate the day before and ate a breakfast that I knew settled well in my stomach for running strong.
**(if you’re going to train for a race I highly recommend that you play around with different breakfasts to find the one that’s best so that you have the best running fuel possible)
My sister gave me a notecard that she said to read the morning of the race, so before leaving that morning, and again in the car ride, I read her note. It was a verse from the Bible, and though I won’t share it all, the main thing about it that stuck out to me was this: God will always provide me with strength and courage. This instantly became my race motto.
We got to the starting line/area at about 6:20, the perfect amount of time to put on the rest of my gear (watch, armband/ipod/earbuds, etc.), use the bathroom, find my family that came to watch (plus take a few pictures, naturally), and find my right place in the starting line.
At 7a.m. the National Anthem was sung and then the race began!
I knew I had to take things slowly at the beginning–if I didn’t make sure of this I don’t know what would have happened. My goal for the race was ultimately to run the entire thing but also to get under 2 hours.
My playlist for the race:
The first couple of miles were great! I kept my pace under 9 minutes but over 8:30 (aka meeting my plans exactly) and was feeling pumped up but focused. I just couldn’t get over the fact that I was currently running a half marathon.
Miles 4-6 were tough. The sun was beating right on us, the wind was right in our faces, and the hills were a major challenge. I really didn’t do any training with hills (a little incline on treadmill runs, but nothing major), so I wasn’t prepared for this as much.
My on-the-spot plan however was to really push up the hills and then relax going downhill, hoping the fact that it was downhill would pay off for me. I was still getting under 9-minute miles despite the hills!
At mile 6, my sister (thank you, Brooklyn!) ran me some Clif Blocks (I ate 2) and a sip of water. I walked a little here to chew but started jogging again as soon as they were swallowed. I was tired but seeing my family definitely motivated me.
My Ipod randomly froze during mile 6 so that was a little bit of a pain to deal with, but it actually distracted me for a lot of the mile and didn’t affect my time much.
Getting to mile 8 meant that we were now in town and started our couple of loops before the final stretch to the finish line–knowing this made me feel like the worst must be over with….wrong!
Mile 9 was the worst mile of the race for me. I felt just exhausted, we were in an area where there was no crowd/cheerers, and the wind was really blowing at us again. This was the only mile that I didn’t run under 9 minutes and instead was 10:22. Whoofta. When I saw this at mile-marker 10 I told myself to kick.it.in.gear. and pushed my pace back up to under 9 minutes. I hard worked too hard to slow it down now!
The last 3.1 miles were pretty good. I had just seen my family again for the last time before the finish line (SUCH a major motivator!!) and after the 11-mile mark I was creating a PDR with every step I took.
A few random people in the crowd along the way made me feel good too—one woman had a sign that read “Yes, you can do it!”, another woman said there was only one mile left and I came too far to not push through it hard (amen!!), and another man complimented me on my smile. haha.
Once I saw that finish line though I instantly got chills. I was about to do something I never thought I could ever do. Complete a half marathon…
I had reached the crowds near the finish line, could hear the celebratory music, spotted Jesse, and my tired body just couldn’t hold in the emotions anymore.
I started tearing up, and as I crossed the finish line, the clock read 1:56. Tears were running down my face and I was gasping for air.
Official Chip Time = 1:56:10
After stopping and shaking out my legs a bit, I grabbed a bottle of water and as many race(food) freebies as I could hold. I was scanning the crowd to try and find my family plus working to compose myself, and once I found them the emotions did not slow down. I gave my sister a big hug,
Jesse a long emotional hug,
and followed suit with my aunt, uncle, and cousins that were there for me. I heard a few “I’m so proud of of you”s and I cannot explain to you how much those words and their support meant to me at that moment.
I quickly drank a bottle of water and snacked on a banana, apple slices with pb, and some baby carrots. I did get some cramping in my feet but other than that my body felt great (just hungry soon after :)
I could not have asked for any part of this whole race to have gone any better. I feel so blessed.
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Anyone who knows me would remember these phrases coming out of my mouth, most of them at more than one occasion….
Some people just aren’t runners…I’m one of them!
A marathon? Only crazy people run marathons.
I don’t understand how running could ever be fun unless I’m chasing a tennis ball to swing at or preparing to catch a fly ball.
I could never be a runner.
This list goes on.
For a year and a half now, I’ve been running at least a couple days every week. I ran my first race (5K) in June 2011, a 4-miler later that month, and another 5K in October, and even then I didn’t think I could run 13.1 miles.
I’m not sure how or when this became a dream of mine, but for over 3 months I trained hard specifically for this race. In fact, training for this half marathon was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. I was challenged every single week and I learned things about myself during each run.
Was I nervous for the race? You bet. But was I confident that I had trained well to do it and achieve my goal? You bet.
If you’re wondering why tears were running down my face as I crossed the finish line of this race, it’s because this was the one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. I did something I always said I could never do.
If I, Danica Louwagie, could run a half marathon, I promise you not only can I accomplish anything else I set my mind to, so can you. This wasn’t luck. This didn’t happen because I’m “lucky to be a runner” or “lucky to have a body that can take me that far.” Yes, I’m blessed with these things, but I didn’t just sit on my couch and eat junk food, then one day decide to run 13.1 miles. I had to work hard to make this happen. I finished a half marathon (and in under 2 hours) because of my dedication, hard work, perseverance, and confidence. This, my friends, is what this race means to me. I am very proud of myself.
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