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The weather forecast said it would be cold (low of 50, high of 63) and rainy. Come on, San Francisco. I’d been training in the Houston heat all summer for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon. Of course it’s going to be cold and rainy: exactly what I was not used to.
Somehow the weeks of preparation passed me by ridiculously quickly, and suddenly my alarm was waking me up at 5:30 am in San Francisco on Sunday, October 17. I got ready for the race, and before I knew it, I was at the starting line and about to start the race.
Miles one through three of the half marathon were the hardest for me. It was probably because I had to go to the bathroom really badly, so I ended up waiting in a thirty minute line (literally) for a porta potty (it was gross). Once I finally got to start running again, everything was such a blur. I don’t know what got me through my race so quickly. I guess it was the water stops every two miles, or the thousands of volunteers there just to cheer me on, or possibly the multiple free Luna bars that I kept eating. There were people wearing crazy costumes, holding signs that said, “Don’t think. Run.” and other motivational words to keep us going.
I know this sounds so cliché, but this actually happened: I made it to mile twelve and I got so emotional. I ran to that finish line, hills and all, and it was so exciting to have made it in the cold rain that I started crying out of sheer joy and probably adrenaline rush mixed with exhaustion. I literally could not run a mile in June, and here I was, after working and training for months, finishing my first half marathon.
It’s all I can talk about, and I’m so proud of myself for accomplishing something that I put my heart and soul into.
Now, unfortunately, I can’t walk because my knees and muscles are so sore, but I did it. And that’s all I could have asked for of myself.
