B.E.L.L. Half Marathon

B.E.L.L. HALF MARATHON

MARCH 2011

Runners: Becca, Emily,  Lorianne, and Liz

track: self charted

total distance: 13.1 miles

cost: FREE

Well if you had ever asked me before if I would end up running a marathon or a half of one I would have told you to "jump in the river".  Becca brought the idea up to me a month in a half ago and at first that's exactly what I said...then it started to settle in on my mind.  I actually got excited about it and before 2 days had gone by I was training for a half marathon! "When," you ask, "will the race take place?"  We have no idea, we're just running.

It is amazing how when you are running those first three miles (at least for me) are hard and then something happens.  It's like your brain shuts off the fact that you're running and you are able to just keep going.  I found it surprisingly easy (though still not easy) to run 6, 8, 10 miles and I felt great!  I had never run that far in my life.  

I ran on my own while Becca ran with some Springville friends.  They would run at 5:30 am and Becca had repeatedly asked me to join them...HAHA, Yea right!!  That's was WAY too early for me!  (Still is)  But one Saturday she convinced me to come down there so that we could run together.  We were on the same training track so today would be our 12 mile run.  The half way destination was Hobble Creek.  Half of it being uphill was tough for me.

When we were on our way back home we just decided "Heck! Why not just run the whole half marathon today and call it good!?"  We were all there anyways...so that's just what we did.  They called up their families who came outside with toilet paper to hold up for our Finish Lines that we could run through.  It was so fun to have them all there cheering us on!  Because that last mile or so got hard and my body just hurt so it felt so good to have people there cheering us to "bring it" to the end!

What an accomplishment!!!

Ran the whole thing

no stops...

well, except for one...

Okay so I frequently have to use the bathroom when I run.  Not multiple times within one run but it has become a normal routine to need to find a bathroom or that I end up walking the block back to my house because if I ran we would have an accident and that would not be pretty...so when we were up at Hobble I told Lorianne that I needed to find a bathroom, which we couldn't...When Becca and Emily caught up to us I told them too.  Becca had an Aunt Becca that apparently "Lives like right here".  We were already started down the mountain so I figured it would really be right there...it wasn't.  I was nearly a mile down the road and guess who ended up needing to walk so she didn't embarrass herself...Anyways, We finally got there, me waddling...Thank goodness she was home and let me right in.  Finish I was now ready to go.  I reached for the door and nothing happened.  The door would not open.  I was locked inside these peoples bathroom.  Aunt Becca came, so embarrassed, then instructed me to jimmy the door open with a butter knife they had stashed in the bathroom sink (evidently this was not the first time of this incident) HAHA!  It was funny!  I was sure having problems jimmying it open and it wasn't until she told me not to worry about the wood or paint that I really went to town and was out in a few short moments.

Good times!

By the end of the run I was SORE! tired, yea I guess but absolutely and totally sore.  My back, my hips, my knees...also felt thrilled about what I had just done!

Bring it Baby!!  

WE DID IT!!!!!!!
(* I love how my feet are barely off the ground and Becca is practically flying!!  remember, I'm a lot taller than she is...so there's Becca who when we were finishing up turned to me and said "I think I'd like to run a full Marathon :)"  I think I even glared at her, haha!  That was the last thing on my mind...I still don't think I will but I want to do Sprint Tri-atholons now :)  You know, some variety!