This Saturday I ran in the DC National Half Marathon. It was such a blast! I woke up at 4, ate breakfast and got dressed. My friend picked me up at 5 to drive into DC. Traffic was pretty bad and we finally arrived at 6:30. The race was starting at 7 so we quickly made our way over to the port-a-pots for one last pit stop. We hugged and went our separate ways to our pre-assigned corals. I found the pace group I wanted to run with and made sure to stay with them for the first few miles of the race. Now, I had a goal for this race. It was to finish the half in 1:45:00. It was a bit lofty for me, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it, but according to my last 5k race, it was the time predicted for me. I could see the 1:40 pace group in front of me and the 1:45 pace group behind me, so I just hung out there for the whole race.
It was a fun race, weaving through the streets of DC. When I finally finished, I was in awe of the marathoners who continued on to run 13 more miles. I did reach my goal, and crossed the finish line in 1:43:08. I cried. I always get emotional at the end of a race, but I couldn't believe that I actually set a goal and accomplished it. My training has now turned to the Marathon in November. If I train smart and work hard, I have a good chance of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, which is another secret goal I have. It's always a little scary to say your goals out loud. It means you're accountable now, but I guess that's what I need to do. So here it is out loud "I'm going to qualify for Boston some day!". My qualifying time would be 3:35. Last year it was 3:40. They just dropped it by 5 minutes across the board. It's going to be a fun goal to aim for!
Thanks for sharing your amazing accomplishment! Now we can see why you kept beating all of us with your training/exercise points!!! Keep going! Boston is a great goal!!!
ReplyDeleteWow Marci that is just terrific. So satisfying and emotional when you reach a goal after so much hard work. I've set a goal for the next two months, it probably would seem like a small one to you but for me it will be a challenge. I'm going to walk/run 120 miles by the end of May, I hope I'm as successful as you.
ReplyDeleteMARCI! Good for you girl! I am so impressed. Boston, wow! That would be so exciting. I know you can do it!
ReplyDeleteWay to go Marci! and good luck with Marathon training, you will do awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement! Queen Vee, you'll do great. I think your goal is a wonderful idea!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Marci!! You did awesome AND you WILL do awesome in November! Good luck with training. I can't believe they dropped the qualifying times by 5 minutes!!! It shows how many people want to go to Boston!
ReplyDeleteYAY MARCI!! So proud of you! I know you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. When you make it to Boston, I think you should wear a Super Mom shirt. :)
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