Woo hoo!!! (PHEW!!))

Guess what? I'm alive!! I made it!!! *insert extra large goofy grin here*. I don't have any pictures for you--there was no way I was going to pack my camera for 13.1 miles (E brought it but left it in the car)--but my mom had her camera so hopefully she'll email me some pics one of these days and I can post them later. I know you all want to see my red face and sweat dripping. But I completed the half-marathon!!! And not only did I complete it, but I did it in a time faster than I had thought.

My first goal was to finish it running, which I did.
My second goal was to finish faster than 2:30, which I did.
My 3rd not goal but hope was to finish it around 2:20 which would've been my long run pace. I did better than that though!!! My official time was 2:17:44 which equals 10:31 minute miles!!!!

I am really excited and amazed I did that well. It wasn't easy, that is for sure!! I got a little nauseous around mile #6--I think I had too much powerade at one of the water stops, then at mile #10 I finally gave in and used the porta potty (how my body could still have liquid waste to expel when I was sweating as much as I was is beyond me!!) which meant I had to wait about 4 minutes in line--but then after that short rest I was able to get back into our pace and even though every part of my body said "We're done!!!" my mind was determined to finish. My running buddy, C, said "From here on its mind over body Kendra" and she was sooooo right. I just made up my mind that I would finish with her and so I did, but I can't tell you how hard that was. After we hit the 13 mile mark we were up on the bridge with spectators clapping and cheering on both sides and that was when I knew I'd be able to finish so we both kind of kicked it up a notch and almost sprinted to the finish line. It was such an adrenaline rush at that point. We all got a little medal, which is cool, and then the food and drink was amazing. I am so proud of my running buddy--she is older than me and had struggled w/ foot pain while training so the fact that she was able to finish so strongly was exciting. Go C, you rock! :-) Another friend from church did the full marathon on Saturday and did great for a first timer, so S, you rock too!

After we finished I talked to some friends that came to cheer and my mom & sister who were hanging out with Kera while Erik took Lindz down to the kids marathon part. The kids had 2 months to get in 25 miles and then on Saturday they did 1.2 mile and then got a root beer float--it was cool. The funny thing is that since I was starting my race at 6am I tried to get Lindz' stuff all ready to go the night before so Erik would have an easier time. The only thing is I forgot to round up her athletic shoes so she ended up doing her race in her sandals! It was kind of funny but she was a trooper, wanting to do it anyways. I was really proud of her. :-)

Today I am so sore I can't even tell you. Even laying down hurts, so I didn't sleep too great last night. I keep walking around the house saying "ow, ow, ow". I don't know if I didn't stretch enough yesterday or if my body is just tired because of how hard I pushed it. Its hard to sit down and up--my thighs burn and my calves & shins are super tight. It should be fun doing my shopping today, limping around Costco and the grocery store! lol But I'm proud of my pain, so I'll be okay!