A month ago, I announced I would be running a half marathon to raise funds for my trip to Honduras to develop water systems.
Today I completed my first half marathon. 13.1 miles. It was horrible.
I fell in and out of sleep the night before. This always happens to me before a big day. However, I still get out of bed energized, running off of excitement and adrenaline.
Running the event itself wasn’t so bad, until after mile three. It wasn’t the distance. It was that I had to use the restroom. For the remainder of the run, the question was “To pee, or not to pee?” I’ll spoil it, I didn’t stop.
I just saw the situation as another challenge to overcome (I’ll admit not a very smart challenge). That was essentially the theme of the day, to overcome both mental and physical challenges which you’ve probably never experienced before.
Yes, my legs hurt. Yes, I’d love to slow down and walk. Yes, I’d love to use peeing as an excuse to take a break. No, I won’t do any of that.
The run was relatively smooth from mile three until mile 10. The last three miles were the most difficult to endure. The finish line wasn’t in sight until the last quarter-mile, making it a little more difficult to push at the end. However, seeing my friends near the end really helped.
In the end, I ran 13.1 miles and completed the half marathon in under two hours. It’s a small win, but a big step for me. I challenge myself to slow down. I challenged myself to run like I’ve never ran before. I was able to overcome physical and mental hardship. I felt fulfilled. If I can make myself run a half marathon, what’s next?
If you’d like to sponsor my trip to Honduras, please donate using PayPal ($13 sounds like a good number :D ).
My time and placing results are below. I’m quite happy with them for my first event.
I had a huge meal after the event and took a long nap. My body has been in tremendous pain.
It’s going to be a long week.
Again, I would really appreciate it if you helped fund my trip to Honduras!
