Quad Cities Half-Marathon. . .

On September 22nd, I ran the Quad Cities 1/2 Marathon. It was such an exciting day and I'm really proud of how well I did!! Several months ago, a few different friends mentioned that they were thinking about running the QC Marathon in September. I had run the Chicago Marathon in 2005 and honestly, I've not really had the desire to do another 26.2 since then. However, in the back of my mind, I've always wanted to run a 1/2. I didn't know if I was in great enough shape to run 13.1 and I didn't really want to make the commitment, but I secretly wanted to do it. After running the BIX7 in July, I kind of thought I could do the 1/2. One weekend I decided to go out and run 8 miles, just to see if I could do it. I was so happy with how well I ran that I became confident enough to sign up for the QC Half, which was just four weeks away. The day before I signed up for the race, I was talking to my friend Courtney about going for a long run. I told her I was considering signing up for the race and then she said she would consider it. She had also run the BIX7 and I knew she could do it. I filled out the form and paid the fee and then wanted to throw up! I had committed to doing it and knew that I couldn't back out! I had four weeks to train! That weekend I ran 10 miles and the following weekend I ran 11, which was the weekend Kevin's parents had come to visit. The 10-mile run was great, but the 11-mile run was painful and I almost didn't finish. 13.1 was starting to really intimidate me! The day Kevin left for Brazil, I ran 7 miles with Courtney. She ran 11 that day and then signed up for the race! We felt like crazy girls! Most normal people sign up for a big race like that and then they actually spend time training for it. Four weeks or less isn't really ideal training time for a 1/2 Marathon!

Well, the 22nd arrived and Courtney and I drove down to Moline for the race. Just before we left, I grabbed some old gloves from the garage to keep our hands warm. I knew once we were running, we'd want to discard them, so I was happy to have junky ones for both of us! It was chilly at the start, so we kept moving around to keep the blood flowing. The MarathonFoto guys were busy capturing the moment for the runners and I love that we have a "before" picture from the race! Check out our fancy gloves!!

We lined up with a pacer who was holding the 3:50 stick for the marathon runners. My undeclared goal was 2 hours for the half. I was pretty sure I could make that but I knew it would be close so I didn't want to set a goal and then be disappointed if I didn't make that time. I wanted to be happy that I had run the race. For some reason, I thought I was going to be running with people whose pace was around 8:45/mile. Something changed and we ended up with the group running closer to 8:30/mile. I didn't realize that until after Mile 3. By that time, I was feeling great and just kept going with what felt good. It was faster than what I had trained to run, but it felt great!

We ran over the Mississippi River during the first mile and a half and then back over it during the ninth mile. We also ran along it for about four miles. Running over the I-74 bridge and along the river were definitely the highlights of the race for me! Well, that's not totally true. Those were my favorite places to run. The absolute highest moments came when I heard Kevin and Emma cheering for me. I was so excited to see Kevin with the girls at 3.5 miles. I had on a long-sleeved shirt that I was ready to ditch and seeing him was perfect timing to do that! I'm always so encouraged when I see him during a race. It's such a mental boost! I threw my shirt at Kevin and kissed Emma as I ran by them. Adri was sitting in the stroller, probably shocked by my sudden appearance! She's not a cheerleader yet, but I imagine when she figures it out, I'll be able to hear her from a mile away!!

Here I am just before Mile 5. I was really happy!

I was in la-la land, focusing on my breathing and pace when I heard my favorite voice in the world cheering me on again! I was so surprised to see Kevin with the girls around Mile 8. I totally didn't expect to see him again, so I was almost sappy at the sight of him! I loved it!! I wanted to stop and tell him he's the best husband in the whole world! Instead I just said thank you and kept running. Imagine my surprise then, when I started to cross the bridge to the Rock Island Arsenal and there he was again, sitting with the girls on the bridge, cheering as loudly as he could! Yep, he's awesome. Not too long after I saw him, though, I started to lose steam. Crossing that bridge had been brutal and I could feel my legs getting heavy just before I hit Mile 11. Those last two miles were mentally tough for me. I actually stopped and walked for a minute just before my final bridge. I was at 12.5 miles and couldn't talk myself into continuing. I had a quick mental argument with myself and then decided to give it all I had. I crossed over the final bridge back into Moline and then saw the thousands of spectators lining the road. Just as I came down the ramp, I heard my name one more time. I wanted to cry. I lifted my head to see Emma sitting on Kevin's shoulders. Both of them were yelling for me and I ran toward them. I gave Emma a high five and then headed for the finish line, two hundred yards away. I had so little left to give, but I glanced at my watch and realized I was definitely going to finish in under 2 hours!!! My legs felt like lead but my spirits were high and I felt like a champion! I crossed the finish line in 1:56.42, well ahead of my unstated goal. Just when I thought I couldn't be any happier, Courtney ran up to me and congratulated me! We had run together for about the first 2 miles but then we lost each other. She had finished in 1:50.30 and had waited for me just past the finish line! What an awesome friend!

Here we are, celebrating our awesome accomplishment!!

We were both so happy and riding the high all the way back to the car. We only had to walk a few blocks to get to her Jeep, but the lactic acid had already started building up! We stretched and drank a bunch of water and then headed home. Kevin and the girls were already there to welcome and congratulate me. I think I ate constantly for the rest of the day and slept really well that night! I was happy. I have a mental bucket list in my head of things I'd like to do in my life. Running a 1/2 Marathon was on the list, so it was fun to make a mental check mark next to that one!

I had a few other friends run the race that day and it was fun to compare stories and congratulate each other! I'm so proud of them and of myself for such a fun accomplishment!