Half Marathon Man

Stats:
Weight:253 Lbs
Miles ran on 4/28/12: 13.1 glorious miles in 2:13:14

Coach Laurie and I post race celebration

Post race meal. Six Taco's, pound of potato ole's and a large mountain dew.
 Been waiting four months for this

Yesterday I did it! I completed my first half marathon. I made one more step in the right direction. I took another step towards the new me. Well the old me with a different twist and better fitting clothes. Friday I blogged about how crappy my hotel room was. Well it was still crappy when I left. I slept about five hours that night because I was worried about bed bugs and late night intrusions. Pair that with the trucks and highway noise and you have a recipe for disaster. I got out of bed at 5 A.M. and looked out the window and saw a monsoon. I fell into a immediate panic, but I kept hearing Laurie's words "You have to run through the rain to enjoy the sun". After driving to the race and getting my daughter LiLi to a porta potty (Three and a half year olds and porta potty's do not mix!) I made my way to the starting line. On the way to the starting line I looked up at I hotel located on the campus of the University of Illinois Champaign and noticed a very naked gentelman standing in the window checking out the race. He was perfectly situated at the starting line and letting it all hang out for the thousands of runners to see. 

Yeah so from the beginning of the race it was a very interesting time. I'm not sure if anyone called the cops but they probably should have since he could be seen from the window for at least twenty minutes.

Okay now on to the running. By the time the race started the rain was over, but the wind remained and the 45 degree temps didn't go away either. At the starting line I started shaking and shivering but not because I was cold but because I was getting very nervous. Crazy thing is up until that very point I knew I could do it. To calm down I turned up my iPod and found my center while listening to Niggas in Paris my favorite song from Kanye West and Jay z's last album. By the second time through, my corral was ready to go and so was I. I started out in the coral dedicated to a 2:30 finish and ran a pretty even pace throughout. It was awesome to be in such a large crowd with so many people all going towards the same goal. It was also awesome to see so many supporters and funny signs. At no time DURING running the race did I feel I couldn't do it. The first ten miles were like running on air and once I realized I only had a 5k to go I kicked it up a notch.I even sprinted with another guy at the finish line. I now know I can do anything I put my mind to as long as I put the training in.

Your slow fat runner and Stephanie a  fellow  half marathon virgin and friend.

I am officially hooked on the long distances now. Next race is already planned and starting tomorrow I plan on changing my training up and trying some new things. So stick around it should get real interesting.

The Slow Fat Runner