My first half marathon.

So, the day finally came! I have trained and trained for this and the past year went by faster than I thought it would.  Today, I ran my first half marathon and I couldn't be more proud of myself.  I was so nervous going into it and I kept telling myself that I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to go a half marathon or not after some of the 5ks that I ran, but I did it anyway.  Our weekend was pretty busy.  First we started off with Friday, we had to go pick up my packet and the "run for Boston" shirt that I ordered.  So, Adam and I hung out in the city and as the expo afterwards.  

The beautiful city.

This is how I get ready for marathon weekend in the middle of the road. 

After walking through the city, Adam and I stopped at one of the bars so he could watch some of the hockey game. After having a beer we left to go home and get ready for the rest of the weekend. 

It's the "Runner of Steel" Bridge!

My Pittsburgh swag bag

Since we didn't get home until really late on Friday, we had all of our packing to do on Saturday morning.  I had such a hard time motivating myself to get ready because I had a baby shower to go to and then we had to leave for Pittsburgh. 

All weekend I was so nervous! After making breakfast and cleaning the kitchen, I definably need to pack.  Me packing turned into me just taking pictures of everything that needed packed. 

My race outfit is all ready to go!

It took me almost 3 hours just to pack because I would stop and find something to be entertained with before I would finish packing.  But I'm all packed and ready to go! This is when I really started to get nervous. Knowing that I've spent that last year training but not knowing what I'm getting myself into is crazy! I had no clue how I was going to do or if I could finish.  

Once I finished packing I had to get ready for my really good friend's baby shower.  It was a great shower and I can't wait for the little boy or girl to get here. 

We left for Pittsburgh around 4ish and we got there in really good time.  We stayed in the Ross Twsp. area and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.  (It was delicious)  Once we were finished we went and explored the mall a little bit.  Pittsburgh malls have way better stores than the malls at home.  I found a really cute sweater at Banana Republic for $14.95! I was pretty excited. Adam and I finished our shopping and we got back to the hotel around 9:30p.m.  I took a bath and had a pretty sleepless night ahead of me.  My nerves would not let me sleep at all.  Then, at 4:15a.m. my alarm went off and it was time to get up and get ready.  I did a breathing treatment before and after I went to bed because I've been feeling so congested. I packed my bags and we headed into the city.  My smart self completely forgot a jacket or something to put over my arms and I was freezing! 

The beautiful sunrise 

I was so nervous before it started

When I'm nervous, I cry.  That's about the only time I cry, but when I had to go to my corral ALL alone with a bunch of people I don't know, I almost cried.  I went in a bout a half an hour early and stood there waiting to use the bath room for the last time.  My corral didn't get going until about 20 minutes after the race had started. This is when you decide that you have to pee again and can't leave.

Here's my race summary, I'm not going to go by each mile but here ya go. 

Miles 1-5: I felt amazing.  My chest wasn't bothering me and I was passing people left and right. There were a lot of walkers that were walking down the middle, which made it pretty hard to try to pass them so I stayed closer to the right side. Also, there was a guy and a few of his friends that kept yelling chants, which was awesome because it completely took your mind off the miles  and what you were doing.  I kept running until 5.50 and I had to stop for a few second to take my inhaler.   This was the first time I stopped during the entire race. I was pretty proud of myself already.

Miles 6-9: I made it to the 10k mark at 1:05.01.  This was the fastest that I've ran this and I was so happy.  Once I got to mile 7 it started to go downhill.   The worst part was that the bottoms of my feet were killing me! From miles 7 on, I had to use my inhaler close to four times.  There were a few decent hills, but nothing I couldn't over  come.  Around the 9th mile I started to get really bad chest pains and I was afraid that I would have to stop that I medic tent when I was finished but by mile 11 it was gone.

Miles 10-13.1: My feet were still bothering me but knowing I was almost done made it so much better.  I knew I getting ready to finish faster than I ever had and that was my only goal from there on.  Around mile 12 everyone started to yell that they see the finish line and that was about the best feeling ever. I finished at 2:22:57!  I was proud of myself.   I crossed the finish line and got my medal and started grabbing everything down the line so I could get through it.  

Afterwards I had to get my stuff out of gear check and go find my family. Adam and my dad were waiting for me at the family reunion section since I didn't take my phone on the course with me.  

I finished! 

I should play #222 on the lottery!

My dad got my medal engraved for me. 

I love purple and blue Eat 'n' Park cookies!

My dad and I after the race

Adam and I after the race

This was one of the most memorable, rewarding experiences I've ever had.  I've worked so hard to get this far and I can't wait until next year.  Thank you to all the Pittsburgh volunteers, and the medic crews and officers, and everyone involved in helping with the Pittsburgh marathon.   

Unfortunately, at mile 12 a 23 year old man collapsed and passed away today while he was running the half marathon. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of him.