I have been training for it for some time, but there is literally nothing that could have prepared me for that day.
Let me start at Friday. I got up, did some homework, went to class, and then packed my bags to head to Nashville with two of my roommates - one who was also running the half and the other who was gracious enough to come and cheer us on. We traveled to Nashville and went to the convention center to pick up our bibs and gear. I have never, ever seen so many people in Nashville. It was crazy. We stood in line for probably 30-40 minutes and finally made it to the desk where we got our bibs and t-shirts. Then, we headed to the expo where there were hundreds of booths set up selling all kinds of running gear and health food. Naturally, we had to try everything. Marathon bars, power jelly beans, gummy energy snacks, shots of tomato juice and muscle milk. Almost everything I put in my mouth was disgusting, but, hey, a runner's gotta do what a runner's gotta do. I separated from my compadres and headed to my sister's house. She took me out for pasta (naturally), and then I went home and went to bed.
Saturday, I got up at 4 am, and I scrounged around my sister's house in the dark for some breakfast food. I wound up with a piece of bread and four strawberries. I wasn't sure if this would hold me over, but it was all I had. I headed down to LP Field to park my car and boarded a shuttle headed for Centennial Park. The range of emotions on that shuttle was incredible. It ranged from intense focus to anxiety to exhaustion. When we got to the park, we were shepherded through all of these stations that were handing out free bagels, bananas, water, and other energy drinks - luckily, my food problem was no solved. Then, I had an hour before the race to scope out the competition, which really meant an hour to watch people.
Finally, I started stretching and then walked down closer to the corrals where I found my roommate - a shocking feat due to the sheer mass of people that was there. After some talking, we headed to our corrals and got ready for the race to begin. It was amazing to look back and see all of West End COVERED, I mean COVERED in people. There were 30,000 participants and probably an equal, if not greater, amount of spectators.
At 7 am, the race began. I was in about the 8th corral, so I started at around 7:10, and as I crossed the race line, I felt so great. It was incredible to be so in tune with everyone else who was running and to just feel the excitement of everyone cheering for you. The first six or so miles went like clockwork. The best part to me, was finding people to pace myself with. Call it weird, but I developed some psychological connections with these people, and I now act like we were friends after that good 30 minutes that we were running together. The sad part, I'll probably never see them again. Sad. Also, along the entirety of the course were people cheering for you with signs or water or fruit. Another favorite part were the kids who would hold out their hands in anticipation of a high-five. 1 hour 55 minutes and 33 seconds later, I crossed the finish line. It was an amazing feeling to accomplish something that I had been thinking about since last November or before. Needless to say, running the Country Music Half Marathon was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I wanted to do something that was just for me. Something that I could be proud of on my own, and I did it. I look at my medal, and I think about the hard work that I did, and I'm proud that I can say how much it means to me.
Was it difficult? Yes. Did I have to work for it? Yes. Am I in more muscle pain right now than I have ever been in before in my life? Yes.
Was it worth it? Absolutely.
Maybe you aren't into running, maybe you aren't into physical activity at all. Point is, set your heart on something and go for it. Do something just for you, something that you can be proud of and that you can take full responsibility for. Sometimes, it's just what you need.
Next year, I'm setting my eyes on the full. Let's go.
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