A few months ago I decided I needed something to work towards and look forward to in my life. Lots of my friends compete in various type of sporting events. I have done the occasional Fun Run here and there, but nothing too extreme. So I was going to compete in a big race of some sort and amaze my friends and family that this old basketball/volleyball player still had some competitive blood in her! I narrowed it down to a running or biking race. I knew taking up biking would be muy expensive and I could do running for free so... I was going to enter a half-marathon!
Now at the time I decided this back in February I was feeling good that I could run 3 miles, so having to run 13.1 was going to be near impossible. But I would do it! I started by training for a 10K in March. I took a running class, got some REAL running shoes and started running. I have to say I am a fairweather runner and if it is too cold, you won't find me outside, but I also realized I can't stand running on a treadmill longer than 30 minutes, I go crazy! Fortunately the weather stayed pretty nice over the next few months. I competed in the 10K, running 6 miles in one stretch for my first time ever. I was quite surprised by the fact it wasn't that bad. I thought I had done an awesome job taking only 50 minutes to run the race. However, when I found I was towards the bottom of the placings for my age group, I realized I needed to get faster. May 1st was coming fast so I started uping my mileage and running hills to try to get faster. I was feeling like a runner and looking like a runner (according to my trainer). I was even thinking I could take a medal in my age group. That dream was quickly crushed when I looked at the race results from last year. So I was excited that I would just finish the half-marathon in a time I had set for myself. (And my mom told me she would give me a medal if I finished!)
Race day came, I had a new running outfit, I had eaten a yummy pasta dinner the night before, a good breakfast that morning, I was ready. It had been snowing in Utah the past couple of days, but the forecast looked promising for race day. As I waited at the starting line I felt good. Now something to note, the last couple of runs I had done prior to race day my knee had started really hurting by the end. But today none of that mattered, I was going to run a half-marathon!
The cannon sounded and we were off. I was feeling good, running to the beat of my music, thinking about crossing the finish line in just a few short hours to a cheering crowd. Then the rain started, a light rain, not too bad, but as we ran towards the big, dark, looming clouds, I knew the light rain was just the beginning. As I ran through hail and sleet I was feeling like a real runner, I could run in anything, I was invincible. Then I came to mile 5 and my knee started hurting. I started to say a little prayer that it would go away becuase I had run a lot further than 5 miles and needed to be on my game today! At mile 6 both knees started hurting, I took some Advil at the water station and was off, I was not quite half way and I was in pain. The rain was pounding hard, water was streaming into my eyes, which was kind of nice because it hid the tears of frustration that were tearing up. I finally had to succomb to the pain and start walking. I wanted to run the whole marathon, so this was devasting. I started to run again and when my knee buckled or the pain became unbearable, I would walk briskly. I saw my goal time come and go and started to feel bad for my roommate who was waiting at the finish line for me in the cold and rain and I couldn't contact her.
The remaining 7.1 miles of the race was a mixture of slow, strained running and fast walking. The snow started falling and my hands were numb. Since I couldn't run for very long my body temperature couldn't keep me warm and I became cold. Cold, numb, in pain, and full of frustration or not the things a girl should be feeling in her first half-marathon. I felt foolish as I watched runners pass me by panting for air and my lungs were in fine condition since I couldn't run long enough to exert them in any fashion. A half-hour past my goal time I crossed the finish line. Cami and serveral other volunteers were still there cheering me in. They were awarding the medals to the winners as I finished too late to be considered. I had finished my goal unhappily ever after.
I came home and did some research on my knees to find out I had Runner's Knee. It is something runners get if they up the mileage in their run too quickly, run on concrete, and haven't built up their thigh muscles to be as strong as their hamstring muscles. Basically my knee cap had moved out of place so my femur was rubbing against the knee cap the whole time I was trying to run causing the pain. Runner's knee gets worse and happens sooner into your run the worse it gets. So I have had it the past few weeks and not thought about it, but it definitly made it's presence known when I ran my race. The good news is I now know how to treat it and train correctly so I can run another half-marathon in August. Hopefully it will be a beautiful, bright, sunny day, my knees and legs will be healthy and I can live happily ever after!
Here I am celebrating that I finished the Provo City Half-Marathon!
Cami was so nice to come and watch me finish in the yucky weather! Notice my hair is drenched and it ain't from sweat.
