"Dam" Marathon!

today i ran the teton dam half marathon here in rexburg. it was the perfect weather for a run, sunny with some hazey overcast most of the time, about 65 degrees and breezy (which isn't always great but it was definitely do-able). i ran it alone, just like i mostly trained alone, except for the few days i was lucky enough to have Jake or McKenzie run with me. I was really impressed to see that every time i hit a mile marker, i was going about 5 minutes faster than i usually do. about half of the marathon was uphill and more than half was out in the Sugar City/Rexburg potato fields. I really enjoyed myself, and even passed most of the girls i told myself that i had to past, to stay competitive and motivated to be fast and steady! :) it was seriously a blast. when i would get tired, i just reminded myself that i've already ran a full 26.2 mile marathon & that my lover and one of my best friends (Jake and Letty) would be there at the end to cheer me on! so i wanted to do my best for them.

i also wanted to beat my mom's fastest time, which didn't really happen (NEXT TIME!!) but i was close with a 2 hour and 2 minute run. a whole 8 MINUTES faster than i trained! i would say that was the biggest accomplishment of the run, that and the fact that i didn't stop to use the bathroom! hahah. the only time i walked was when i was at the drinking stations every couple miles. i was happy to get to mile 9 and see my roommates volunteering and handing me some water. it's amazing the difference it makes to hear people cheering you on, even if you don't know them. i grapevined past Katie and a few other people, mostly because i was bored and wanted to "spice" it up a little bit. haha :)

i was SO CLOSE to beating the 2 hour mark and i tried my hardest to gain as much ground as possible. i sprinted down hills and maintained my pace uphill. but i'll just have to get that goal next time. i love how you have to play mind games with yourself when running long distances. that's one of the hardest aspects of running, one that many other sports don't quite understand. i'm so glad that i ran this race, because it reunited me with my love of running. training was hard, but the race was awesome! just like last time. if only i could just race for all of my running! ;)

it's amazing how much easier a half marathon is than a full :) i still think it's funny that my racing experience jumped from a 5k to a Full 26.2mi then back down to a Half Marathon. My goal for the rest of my life (big, i know) is to run at least one half and one full marathon every year that i am physically able.

here's to the first year of this tradition!

cheers!