First Half Marathon...

and probably not my last- yeah, I know I have been saying for quite a while that this was to be my first and last half- however, I should know better than to say that word "never".  Yesterday, my friend Kim, told me that she couldn't wait until I finished because she thought I would be bitten by the bug- I laughed and told her no (mistake).  Then, I had two people last night tell me that I needed to run it again next year because now I know the course and had even more time to train- I laughed (not as hard) and told them no (not as emphatic but still a mistake) and then today, another friend wrote on my FB wall to find out how it went and then asked me when my next one was.  This time I laughed and said it had to be flat.  I have given up saying "no".  Now, I want to improve, I want to get where I can run even more.  I'm still processing all of the day and the feelings so this is not going to be my only post on this- in fact, I am working on a lessons learned post (cause you know I have to do so) :)  Today's post will simply be a recap and a few pictures!

The starting line- about 3100 lined up for the full and the half marathons and then a couple thousand for the 5K.  Due to my projected finish time I was in the back of the pack and that was just fine with me.  Here I am before the 7:30 start time.

My nerves were going big time- Kim told me not to confuse nerves with adrenaline.  We headed out in waves and I ended up crossing the start line about 2 minutes after the gun went off.  I got settled into a bit of a groove and just kept plugging away, step by step.  I hit the 3 mile mark and I felt good- knee was doing well and I was making sure I didn't tense my foot and made full movement (I think I tend not to do so which leads to some cramping).  We headed up to Kingston Pike which would be a pretty steady incline leading to Cherokee Blvd and Noelton Hill (which is where I have been running lately).  Right before we turned the corner were the first signs.  One was an older gentlemen standing there with a lady holding a sign (poster size) of Ryan Gosling and it said- Hey girl, I'm waiting for you at the finish line!  I was around quite a few women and heard several chuckles and then watched as others picked up the pace (to which the man replied- made you run faster didn't it? LOL)  Did I walk- yes I did but surprisingly I ran more than I thought I would.

Lots of water stops- the best was on the greenway right before mile 10 and Tyson Park.  Not only was it a great stop- I was running through there and grabbed the water and heard, "Good Job Tami!"  I looked over and it was a girl I went to college with (and I'm not friends with her on FB so she would not have known to look for me).  That gave me such a boost!  (and for the record- when I hit mile 10 I clapped because that meant only a 5K was left)

Then right around mile 11 I saw my friend Rae Ann- she was taking pictures and took this one- another boost and yes, I really was still smiling at mile 11. 

I climbed what was one of the last hills and got a text (which made me laugh) from a co-worker and friend who was waiting around mile 12.  I turned the corner and saw 2 coworkers and their children (one of which is a student of mine) so that was so cool- to again have the support in those last miles- that really kept me going!

Then the finish- when I saw that finish line I kicked it up a notch and crossed!  My official chip time- 2:46:35.  My number one goal was to finish- check.  My number two goal was to hit 3 hours- check- by almost 15 minutes.  So now, the competitive side of me wants to see if I can beat my time (see why I said I should never say never and laugh).  The feeling to have that medal placed around your neck (by a TN Vols football player) and to know that I accomplished something that I NEVER thought would be possible was AMAZING!!!  As I said- lots of lessons learned and I am working on that post in my head and should be posted this week.