On Sunday

Every now and then we have a moment where things all comes together and we achieve something awesome.  I feel pretty lucky to have had lots of moments like that in my life, but truth be told I have worked really hard to get to a lot of those moments.

Like on Sunday.

My first goal for 2012, health & fitness wise, was to run a half marathon.  I was really scared that I wouldn't get there, a foot injury has interrupted my training so it hasn't gone down quite the way I wanted it to.  However, I didn't chuck in the towel.  I changed my approach and adapted, I (mostly) listened to my trainer and I did as much as I could while giving my foot room to heal.  I talk some more about how I adapted and what my training consisted of in another post.

With 19km as my maximum training distance I started on Sunday without having run the full 21.1km before, but that's not unusual for a first time half marathoner.  Not ideally I'd only done it the Saturday before, I'd wanted to be at that distance a good 3-4 weeks before with only a shortish run the week before.

Sunday arrived, way too quickly, Lauren & Jess came along for the drive and for that I am so grateful.  I'm not quite sure how I would have gotten home otherwise.  It also meant I had someone's shoulder to bury my face in when all the emotion hit and I ugly cried, gasping for breath, at the finish line.

I pushed.  I pushed through pain, past the overwhelming desire to stop and walk 3kms from the end.  I pushed through that last km and picked up my pace to the finish line.  I pushed from somewhere within and I made it.  All by my own. 

Long distance runners have got balls.  Even when there is another person running alongside you it's your legs and your brain that have to get you there.  There's nothing else to hold you up but your own two feet, nothing else to carry you over the finish line.

1:51:39 is my official time.  I thought that second 1 was a 0 but I'm not going to quibble over it.  It is so close to the 1:50:00 that I secretly hoped I'd be able to finish in.  So secret I couldn't even say it out loud in case I didn't get anywhere near it.

I amazed myself.

Even when I could barely get out of bed this morning because my body was hurting so bad I still couldn't quite believe I'd done it.

But I did, and I did good.

Thankfully my muscles are coming down from yesterday and I'm walking like a normal person again tonight.  I happy with my recovery actually.

So, on with the next goal, another half, this time as part of the Adelaide Marathon Running Festival.  This time I'll be running on the same track as my sister Sam who's gearing up for the full 42.2km.  Awesome isn't it, I'm excited for it.

Do you have a big goal for yourself this year, running related or otherwise?  I'd love to hear all about it!

Tatum xx