Wow, I ran a half marathon.

I did it. I ran a half marathon!

And I look like I just ran a half marathon!

I intended on posting on Saturday, the day before my run, about how nervous and excited I was, but alas, life got in the way. And now, my story is much different than the one I would have told on Saturday.

When I woke up on Sunday morning, it was still dark out. This is not exactly the ideal time for me to run, seeing as that's usually when Tre is attached. But I pulled myself out of bed and quietly passed him off to Bear and luckily he cooperated. Getting in my car, it was drizzling out and I figured that was just the morning marine layer, and would pass. Boy was I wrong. The run was full of so many weird and wonderful things. There was the guy wearing a mini dress and Superman underwear underneath (at least he had the running skills to back up that kind of showmanship) and the girl applying make up at mile 5. Seriously. Where was she even carrying that make up? I could barely carry my Gu pack. But back to my run...
By the time the race started it was fully raining. And it kept up for about the first 7 miles. During one particular downpour, Jay-Z's Umbrella came on my iPod and the irony was just too much for me. I was laughing to myself and nearly shouted out RIHANNA WHERE YOU AT!? Around the same time, I passed Luluemon Athletica (which is where I get all my running pants and bras) on Colorado and bless those employees - they came out in the pouring rain, opened up shop, set up a DJ and were cheering their hearts out for everyone.
At this point in the run, I was still partially asleep. My feet were wet, my left hand was completely numb and I pretty much had no idea where I was. Right around mile 6, the route hit my usually running route and it was like an alarm clock went off in my head and I suddenly became aware of what was going on. Which made me incredibly aware of the rain and the aforementioned problems. Finally the rain let up, just in time to hit the hills at mile 8. Yes, they make you run 8 miles, and then throw in 2 miles of hills for fun. Somehow I managed through them without losing my breath or my sanity, and from there, it was 3 miles of downhill to the homestretch. As soon as I saw the mile 10 marker, all I could do was smile. My favorite songs were on my iPod, I could hear Rylee's voice singing along and my clothes were starting to dry out. Life was good. But then right at the end, I was running in at the same time as the Kiddie Run was going. Now, I can navigate around the kids no problem. They were just running along. It's grandma stopping directly in front of me to take a picture that I have a problem with. Seriously, I can't believe they let all these people onto the course when people are finishing a lengthy run like that. I can't believe I was almost injured at mile 13 of a 13.1 mile run. And naturally the person that caused it was completely oblivious.
But I finished and honestly felt like I could keep going. And when I did, my mom, my husband and my 3 beautiful children were at the end cheering me on with huge smiles on their faces. It made my day to have them there for me, even if it was for that split second at the end. And I so appreciate my husband for dragging the kids out of the house, even in the pouring rain to make sure that I had my family there.

So there it is. I can now say I have completed a half marathon. It felt great personally and physically. Now I'm ready to start my training for the next and see where that takes me. So please stay with me on this journey!