I guess the best place to start is with the Charlottesville, Virginia Half Marathon. After months of training and a very late night before the race....it was time to run the full 13.1 miles. The countryside in rural Virginia was unbelievable--I don't think that I could have asked for a better location for my first big race. While the hills were really strenuous, I felt really good and my body seemed to be holding up well.
Something that I really loved about the race was the sportsmanship that I felt from my fellow runners. There were cheers for everyone. Everytime somebody passed me (I don't think there were too many!) they shouted out a "great job" or a "you can do it" and everytime I passed someone I passed along the same encouragement. At one point in the race I was passing an older man who seemed to be struggling. I thought, here's a time when I can really help someone out who needs it. After my "hoorahs" and "good jobs" I thought that I might hear a "you too" or something to that affect...but NOOOOOO.....All I got was a "Shut up"!!! I couldn't believe my ears. Seriously?? Who does that?! Let me clarify it was not just an under-the-breath shut up, it was a get-the-heck-out-of-my-business shut up. So I just continued along trying to not laugh or get angry because I wasn't quite sure what to think.
I finished the race in an hour and 56 minutes! YEA! I felt like it was a pretty good time for my first half marathon. As I was stretching my poor exhausted muscles out near the finish line the old man that told me to shut up came up and said thanks for the encouragement, I wouldn't have finished the race with out you telling me to push through. I just smiled at him and said no problem but inside I was trying not to laugh at the whole situation.
I was really proud of finishing the race, I felt good and I couldn't have asked for a better experience...until about three hours later that is. To make a long story short, my body decided to start shutting down (extremely low electrolytes+high blood pressure+low oxygen levels=a ride on an ambulence and a day trip to the hospital). I decided that the way to go into a hospital is on a stretcher (I did try to walk out of the ambulence which is precisely when the EMTs proceeded to STRAP ME IN!). As they wheeled me in the doctors and nurses swarmed around me. If you know me even a little you probably know that I hate hospitals, needles, doctors, blood...you get the picture. So basically, this was not the way I envisioned the end of race day. Anyway, my good friend Jason who ran the race with me sat in the hospital all day. It took about a week for my body to get back to normal and I am proud to say I am now back to running again.
Regardless of how the day actually ended, I had a great experience running in the race. I have accomplished half of one of my lifetime goals...Now I just need to run the whole marathon, which hopefully I will do in the next year or so.
