...and then I found $5.

Last year, after the semi-disappointing 2012 Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, I told myself I would finish the next one in under two hours.

And I did!

On Saturday I crossed the finish line at 1:57:01—a full 6 minutes faster than last year. I was so happy and proud of myself that, as I finished, I choked back a couple of tears. I know that sounds really lame and dramatic, but I had wanted to do that for so long now. To some, that’s not fast at all. To some, that’s lightning fast. For me, it was truly awesome.

Funny how running is, though, because now I want to do it even faster next time. I know I can. I ran a 10 miler in 1:24:05, so doing 13.1 in 1:50 is possible. This race is a hard one to train for, so easier said than done. Training takes place January through March when the weather is usually awful. I hate treadmills, and weekend weather is unpredictable, so my training slacks. I think doing Body Pump twice a week for the past couple of months really helped my leg strength a considerable amount, so at least there’s that.

Anyway…

Again, the race was great. The course was new-and-improved, and included a MASSIVE hill up Calvert Street into Adam’s Morgan that proved to be the most difficult stretch all morning. I rocked it, though! Didn’t walk one step, even though I was tempted to. The rain held off, and was actually warm and sunny towards the end. (Meteorologists have the easiest job.) My playlist was fucking awesome. (Thank you Rachael for the recommendations!) The crowd. DC people—thank you. The support along the course was so much better this year than it was last, and it helps. I take every free high five I’m offered. 

Me, Ashley & Kristie (my sister) before the race

Spirit fingers at the finish!

First place! (Kidding, obvs. Also awful picture but whatever.)

So, that’s that. It was a great day. Not sure when the next one will be.

[P.S. I still update my race results post, if anyone’s interested.]

I’ve recently switched sides on the music or no music while running thing. I used to run with nothing, but now that I mostly run alone or with the dogs, I find myself getting bored. 

So, I’m asking for your help in creating a playlist for the upcoming Rock & Roll 1/2 in March. (Any other Tumblrs running in DC?)

What are your favorite songs to run to?

Running skirts.

I mean, aside from just not getting it in general, wouldn’t your thighs rub together if you wore one?

I’m confused.

What’s wrong with shorts?

do you run without music???

Yes, yes I do.

It kinda clears my head, ya know?

As we all know, I didn’t train properly for Saturday’s 1/2 marathon. I had all intentions of doing so when I signed up, but life got in the way. I had originally wanted to finish in 1:55. A 12 minute difference than my previous (and only) half marathon in Philly, 2010. I hadn’t really trained for that one either, so I thought it was something I could do.

As the weeks and months went by without doing my long runs, I knew 1:55 was out of the question, but I still wanted to beat my Philly time of 2:07. I had no strategy and was hoping for the best. 

Saturday morning came quickly, and off to DC we went. The race started. The course was a lot more hilly then I was anticipating. The weather was perfect. I started out fast (rookie mistake), ended slow…but throughout the entire race I was ahead of where I thought I would have been. Maybe thanks to my friends who came out to cheer me on! The last couple of miles, however, were brutal. I had zero energy. Not much crowd support, which really makes a difference. (All those people are watching you—you have to keep going!) I almost barfed twice—too much water and Gatorade along the way, I think. I told myself I was never going to do this again. I was about to stop and walk around miles 11 and 12, but I had run 13 miles 2 weekends before so I knew I could do it. There would be no selling myself short, so onward I went. 

I crossed the finish line at 2:03. 4 minutes faster than my previous half! Although it wasn’t as good as I was originally hoping for, it was an improvement nonetheless—considering I barely trained.

Next time (and yes, there will be a next time) I will train and I will finish a half marathon in under 2 hours. 

I also want to say congratulations to my sister who finished her first half marathon on Saturday. Good job Kristie!

Personal achievements aside, I want to make a note of how great the Rock and Roll Marathon Series people did at putting together the race. Yes, the packet pickup was a tad inconvenient, but I don’t know what else could have been done. That’s what happens when a race is on a Saturday I guess. Day of everything was so smooth, so organized. I was really impressed and will definitely register again if they choose to come back to DC. Kudos to you, RnR!

Now, some photos (but definitely not the professional ones—woof!):

Me and my sister pre-race

Photo my mom snapped of me about to cross the finish line

Finisher!

Me and sister, post race

Congratulations to all of you other Tumblrs who ran too!

Now, time to train for the 10 miler in April. Oy.

Excuse me while I go replenish the 1400+ calories I just burned.