utah valley half

i am trying hard to blog in the moment more - to not let weeks go before recording events. too much gets lost.. anyways.. here is my half marathon post from june 9th.

half marathon day came up on us quick.
it was crazy how all the weeks of training.. all the sweat.. all the time spent built up to this one morning.

picking up our bibs the day before

we left our house around 3:30.. a little nervous, but mostly excited.
after parking, waiting in line, and squishing in the back of the bus, we made it to the starting line.
it was pitch black with little huddles of people around tiny fire pits.
we found some ladies from the ward and chatted while the sun came up.
before we knew it, we were all lined up to start.

blurry phone picture

 and off we went.
i loved hearing the sound of hundreds thousands of feet running together.
it was almost relaxing, like the sound of rain.

overall, i felt like it was a pretty difficult race - with the hills and wind at the beginning, and being so exhausted by the end.

i am so glad i did it though. the course was beautiful. sharsti was the best running partner. and we finished at a pretty good time for our first race.
it is hard to beat the feeling of pure adrenaline, as you muster up all the energy you have left, and sprint the final stretch.

since this was my first race, i learned a ton.

logistically, i wish i had more energy to start with.. like a gu and some water.
i also wished i had my ipod.

 physically, i felt so good after my long runs a few weeks before the race, i didn't really push myself for the last few runs... probably not the best idea.
also, i need to figure out this whole numb toes thing.

personally, i need to work on my mental game.
i felt like i let negative thinking really affect me this race.
my focus was on all the wrong things..

so. with all of that being said. i am glad i ran. it really was fun. and i am excited to improve during my next race.

i have decided that i am going to run at least one half after each baby.
it was the perfect motivation to get me in shape.. plus the extra energy and endorphins you get from running are so awesome.
o, and i never felt guilty about eating a treat after running 6+ miles.

next up: the freedom run