A Day in the Life: Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon!

The day before the race at the expo

Last Thursday, March 15, I flew to Washington D.C. to run the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon with my little sister. This race was HUGE! There were 30,000 runners! It was definitely the biggest race I've ever been to!

I was nervous about running because I hurt my back a couple weeks before. I knew I could make it because I had trained well, but the back injury was definitely getting in my way!

My back was killing me from Wednesday to Friday before the race. I was really worried. I didn't want to hurt my back worse, but I really wanted to do it since I made the trip all the way across the country!

I couldn't sleep the night before. I called my husband, Patrick, at 12:30 a.m. and told him I wasn't going to do the race. He is sweet. He supported my decision. That must have been hard since he took time off work to watch our little girls so I could go to D.C. and run the race.

I didn't get much sleep that night. I was so torn on what to do.

The next morning I woke up at 6:30 and felt a little better, but not great.  

The sunrise from the Metro

I decide to go to the race and run at least 4 miles. My friends that we stayed with said they would wait for me at mile 4. I wanted to at least make it to that point. So we got ready and rode the metro to the race.

This is me at the beginning of the race

We started the race slow. A lot slower that we usually run. I felt okay. I thought if I at least run / walk the race, I'll be happy.

So we ran.

We ran all the way to mile 3. At mile 3 we saw a man running with only ONE leg and crutches. We thought he was AMAZING! We couldn't believe he was running the 1/2 marathon with only one leg! 

I thought, "If he could do it, maybe I could too."

So I kept running.

Running towards the Capitol

Mile 4 was near the Washington Monument. As we got closer I thought about stopping and getting out of the race. That thought only lasted a second because I kept going. My back felt okay. I knew I could go further, and I knew I'd regret it if I stopped then. 

Mile 4 near the Washington Monument

Some people say running is a spiritual experience. I think it is. It's a combination of your physical ability, with the power of your mind to help you make it to the end, along with support from a higher power. I definitely felt carried during this race. I didn't fell like I was doing it alone. There is no way I could have made it past mile 4 without some extra help.

We ran all the way to the half way point. I knew if I stopped, I might not be able to start again. Every mile was an accomplishment for me through this race. My sister was an amazing support too. 

My little sister, Kelli. She's 8 1/2 years younger than me.

I took ibuprofen before the race. I think that really helped get the inflammation down in my back. I couldn't take it before I left because I was nursing my baby. 

We celebrated each mile we ran. There were rock 'n' roll bands at almost every mile with people cheering us on. I couldn't believe how many people were running the race! The course was packed with people the whole way. 

At mile 10, a man passed us who was running the race BAREFOOT! We couldn't believe it! I thought if he could do it, I could make it to the end! 

I made it all the way to mile 11, and my back was really hurting. I started to run slower to see if that would help. I really didn't want to stop and walk because I knew I wouldn't make it if I did. So I ran slower. This made it worse. 

At mile 12, Kelli gave me her ipod to have some better music to keep me going. I started to run even faster. I knew the faster I went the faster I would finish. So I ran as fast as I could possibly run! I ran all the way to the finish line. 

At the end of the race I saw a lady with a shirt that said, "I only have one lung, and I did it. What's your excuse?"

I realized I didn't have any. 

We made it!! We ran it in 2 hr. and 20 min. This was our slowest time running a 1/2 marathon, but we DID it, and that's all that we cared about that day. 

That day I realized there are no excuses for being healthy and fit. There are so many people out there overcoming huge obstacles. If you have the determination to accomplish something, you CAN do it. All you need to do is stick with it EVERY day and don't give up! You may make mistakes along the way. You may not see progress every week like you'd like, but as long as you are moving toward a goal, you are successful.

The possibilities are endless on what you can do, and there really are NO excuses.