Half Marathon

There I was, sitting alone under the shade of a large oak tree. My muscles were spent, my knees were throbbing and my back and shoulders unexpectedly ached. I wasn't sure how I was going to get back on my feet. I didn't even really want to try. I tried to stretch my legs out, loosen them up just enough for me to walk back to the car. My body was punishing me after I had I punished it for the last two and a half hours. As I hunched over, this nauseating feeling nearly overwhelmed me. I gasped, held back, and with no explanation, all I wanted to do was cry. Tears welled up in my eyes, my stomach churned and my body ached all over.

And I was so happy.

I laughed as my eyes pooled over and a tear streamed down my face. I can't fully explain the mix of emotions that swept over me. Exhaustion mixed with a subdued, delirious joy. In that all-too-brief moment, all the running, the pain, the injuries and the sacrifices made sense and seemed so completely worth it.

No, it wasn't a marathon. One year after I vowed to hit the streets at the New York City Marathon, I was 1,500 miles away in Dallas, Texas, running my first half marathon. The progress has been slower than I thought, but there has been progress. I questioned whether I was really ready for this race this weekend, but I'm so glad I did it.

There's a lot more work to be done, but for now I'm going to enjoy this little victory in my life.

DRC HALF MARATHON RESULTS
Gun Time: 2:30:28.00
Chip Time: 2:26:54.14
Overall Finish: 2459 out of 3285
Age Group (30-34): 207 out of 227