I finished my first half marathon!

Yep, I did it. 

Not that I didn't think I couldn't do it, but I didn't think I would actually have that much fun doing it.  So am I crazy that I will be continuing my training to do another half marathon in May? I don't know yet, but I do know that I can do it now.

 I never doubted myself, but I have to say the 13.1 miles was a little daunting and I had no idea what to expect. We were standing at the start line and my friend Kelly gave us some encouragement that came from our friend Bobbie.  "Are you kidding me? Of course, you can do it! If you can paddle 42 miles for 8 hours, you can do 13 miles!" Yeah Bobbie, thank you! :)

We had a good group of girls..all different levels and all good friends. We go by team #nac4life! We did group workouts, and we have a great workout schedule created by the fabulous Eden, our supportive leader!  I tried to keep up with the schedule as much as possible, but through Christmas, New Years and getting sick, I fell off quite a bit. I made sure to reach 6 miles of running at one point in my training which is the suggested minimum you need to be able to run to be prepared for a half marathon. I felt super under prepared but I was still going to do it. And I am glad I did.

Doing it with a group definitely helped...I had support, workout buddies and even though we didn't all run together the day of the race we were still all there in it together, cheering each other on along the way. Not only did we have a great group, but we had a beautiful day and gorgeous scenery! We participated in the Surf City Half Marathon that goes out of Huntington Beach, Ca.  It runs mostly along PCH with the sun soaking through, the sound of the waves, the smell of sunscreen and salt, and stretches of beach to look at while running. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

It took me 17 minutes longer than the goal that I had put in when I registered months ago...but I wasn't totally attached to that number because, one, I did not train as much as I had anticipated and, two, this was my first race...I just needed to do it and get through it. Now that I have done it I see what all the hype is about. Holy cow, were there a million people down there. That alone was probably the biggest eye opener of the day. We took over PCH, and instead of lanes of cars, we were a sea of people weaving in and out of PCH like we owned the place. It was kinda cool being in the middle of a highway I have driven on most of my life, but running it, with not a car in site.

What? Like it's hard?

In January, I joined an online running group started by Raechel Myers, who writes at her blog, Finding My Feet, which I follow.  The online running team consists of about 50 or 60 people from all over the US training for half marathons, or just needing help staying accountable. #TeamFMF really helped me keep up miles through the last month of training and even helped me get in some of my longest runs.  Really supportive group there as well.

You wont see me doing a full marathon, probably ever, but I am going to tackle another half or two this year.  The next one coming up in the San Diego Wild Safari Park Half Marathon which takes place in the park so you get to run and see all the animals.

I know what you are thinking - Maddie support a place full of "captive" animals? I know but, this park is far different from any zoo you have ever been to, and it is the only animal park I have supported in the past 5 years. What makes it different? According to a San Diego Travel website they are "a conservation facility. This establishment is designed for the study and preservation of wild animals and endangered species. The main goal of this facility is to provide a wildlife sanctuary where animals can live in a protected environment." They home a lot of endangered animals that are close to extinction...they are setup to re-populate these species, and have separate facilities for this. They have acres of land and most of the animals have a ton of room to roam...they are not in a normal cage you would see at a zoo.  The animals are partnered up, they try to have two or more of each species for companionship. Although I still disagree with captivity, this park is set up for the right reasons, ones that I can support.

Thanks girls for a great first half marathon, would not have wanted it any other way! And here's to a few more!! ;)

xo,