I'm Addicted to the Thrill, It's a Dangerous Love Affair.

North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Recap!

Sequim to Port Angeles
Official Time: 2:24:09
Averaged 11 minute miles

After all of the ups and downs of training and after all the injuries I finally did it! I completed a half-marathon. Check that off my new years resolutions and bucket list! I've compared training to a relationship many times in this blog:


In a relationship
Abusive Relationship
St. Paddy's 5K
Viking Fest Road Race
Highs and Lows
A Little Support Please!


And on Sunday all the pain, tears, worries, and fears were all worth it when I crossed the finish line. It finally wasn't a one sided relationship! I thought that I would cry, but the only emotion I felt was happiness. Seriously I had a huge smile on my face for about an hour afterwards.  


The entire weekend was the hottest weather we've had around these parts all year. So I was extremely careful about hydrating. Bottle after bottle of water and coconut water (natural electrolytes). I also carb loaded like crazy all while staying gluten free. The day before the race I had to work (something I will try not to do next time, standing on my feet for 8 hours isn't a good enough rest day) then jumped into the car and met my parents, Carly, Joe, Callen, Carly's Mom, her Sister, and Ryan up at the camp site in Port Angeles. I made a big plate of GF spaghetti for dinner (quinoa is the closest to wheat noodles out there). 

A ton of carbs and some baked tofu were the perfect dinner! Oh... and two smores! They make gluten free graham crackers that are pretty darn tasty and the mini vegan marshmallows are even better than the regular ones.

Carly and I did our nails. Purple with "Conquer it!" for me. Pink with "Team Elisa!" for her.

Both Ryan and I were pretty nervous and jittery all night. I think the other campers could feel it. Somehow I managed to sleep pretty well. I still woke up with the sun though. Which was nice because it gave me some time by myself to make some oatmeal and center myself.

I tried a little bit of coffee and found that I may have lost my taste for it... or maybe just how my Dad makes it! :) After some stretching and more water drinking we all piled into Carly's car to the start lane. We made it just in time to get a prime parking spot, but we had a ton of time to stand around and be nervous. But that was also a great opportunity to take a ton of photos!

 I can't even describe what it meant to me to have my family there to support me. Knowing that they were there at different intervals of the race and especially that they were there at the finish made gave me so much motivation to try my hardest. I saw them twice during the race and each time it was an extra large dose of energy! (even though my brothers couldn't be there I knew they were supporting me too!) and oddly enough I felt the support of a few friends during the race... I felt like they were sending me good vibes!

The leg of pain. That is a timing chip on my ankle and right around mile 3 is when it started digging into my ankle.... oh and also when I started feeling a blister coming on my right arch.

 When it was time to line up we headed for the 11 minute mile section. I figured this would be what I could maintain for the longest amount of time. In my head I had planned to take it easy, walk if I needed to (crawl if necessary). I was feeling really good at the race start, my legs felt light and nothing hurt, which I think I can attribute to the endorphins and adrenaline. 

 Start of race smiles!

Still smiling at about mile four, right before our first big hill and right when Ryan and I separated for most of the race. I had to stop to fix my timing chip and he went on. I was actually glad that we both were able to run the race at our own pace. It was really important to me to run my own race and not have to worry about staying up to speed with him. I was able to get completely lost in the race. It is kind of interesting because in both of the shorter races I completed this year I really enjoyed passing people, but on Sunday I couldn't have cared less about people eating my dust. This race was all about me.

Mile seven-ish. I caught back up to Ryan after he took a port-a-potty break. He waited for me also because he had all the gels and shot blocks. I was so happy and surprised to see my family right here! They caught us walking though the water station! I am not coordinated enough to drink or eat while running, but right when I saw them I started booking it! :) Even baby Callen and my Mom were there to cheer me on! (hearing "go auntie!" was awesome even if it came from my Mom!) Ryan and I separated again after this, we were both feeling great but feeling great at our own pace!


The course overall wasn't too hilly, just right in the middle and thankfully it ended completely flat. But that middle section was pretty intense for someone who didn't do much hill work. After the first two hills I crossed a bridge and turned right into a monster of a hill. "Oh Wow..." I thought I had said it in my head, but the girl running next to me goes, "I know!" :)


After mile seven my legs were really feeling it. The heat of the day was totally sucking the life out of me. At about every other water station (every two miles) they had orange slices and candy. I've never enjoyed an orange so much in my entire life! They really helped to keep my energy up. The only times I felt terrible were when I had to lean down to either fix my timing chip or tie my shoe. When I got back up the blood had rushed out of my head and I literally couldn't feel my body, but somehow I kept running forward. 


My playlist was also an important part of my race. I'm thankful that I had time to add some new tunes to it the night before the race. I think I listened to Jay-Z's 'Run this Town' about 5 times BEST RUNNING SONG EVER. The first couple lines, "I'm addicted to the thrill, it's a dangerous love affair," fit in to my 'running is a relationship' theme. But the best line is "Victory's within the mile, almost there don't give up now, only thing thats on my mind, is who's gonna run this town tonight." 


It turns out that I was the one running the town! The only time I walked was through the water stations! I kept on chugging! Repeating in my head, "Conquer it" or "This is is" or "Just keep running" and a lot of  "I know I can do this."

 Katy Surprised me at the finish with a sign! It was so awesome because I saw her, Carly and my Dad about a tenth of a mile from the finish when I was really really feeling like I was done for! It Gave me that little extra push to get me over the finish line with a great big smile on my face!

 Right around mile 11.5 I met up with Ryan again and exchanged a few words both us stating that we felt like hell. He was feeling extra like hell though, his left thigh muscle was completely cramping up. He ran with me for about a mile before he had to walk for a little bit.

 Blowing kisses. I wont be making this face ever again...

Home stretch!

Ryan coming in about 30 seconds after me. I think when I left him I might have yelled, "Conquer it!" I'm sure I got a lot of strange looks from the other runners because of that one. 

 And he did! He ran across the finish line (with a smile on his face) hurting leg and all!

 Right when you cross the finish line someone comes up, hands you your medal and an energy drink and walks with you all the way through to the finish station. I asked the girl if this was just in case I fell over and she said yes. It actually was kind of nice because there was a chance that was exactly what I was going to do.

I would have been happy with any finishing time, my goal was only to finish. But of course in my head I had an idea of what I wanted to finish in. That goal was right around 2 hrs 30 minutes (but I wouldn't have been disappointed with anything under 2:40). So when I saw the official time of 2:24:09 I was ecstatic! I think that is a pretty decent time for anyone's first half marathon, much less someone who was injured throughout her entire training! (Imagine real quick the time I could have put up if I would have been healthy!)  

It was so great to have a running buddy for this race. I thought at first I wouldn't like it, but we both ran our own race and it was nice to know there was someone else on the trail with me. 

Sweet sign! 

Sisters!

Nobody looks cute after running 13.1 miles! Nobody! 

And if you couldn't tell... Purple is not only my birthstone (amethyst) its also my power color!

Callen had a blast playing with my muscle roller! 

After hitting up the food and water tent (I had packed a GF bagel) we got massages! I had her focus solely on my calves. It was so awesome and so necessary! 

All the training paid off. All the cold morning runs, all the tears from frustration, all the physical therapy appointments... all of it was worth it. I've never known a runner's high like this before.


This race was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. There is something so rewarding about taking your body to its absolute limit (I couldn't have run more than 13.1 miles) especially after putting so much time and energy into training. 


I'm not gonna lie, I'm totally feeling it today. I'm super sore. Yesterday my back was killing me which was most likely from absorbing the shock of running for over two hours. But today I my legs are really feeling it. Walking down stairs is close to impossible. But it is getting better all the time. Did I mention the blister on my foot? The blister that was bigger than a silver dollar?! Yeah right on my arch. Ouch and Gross! My calves are still tender, but I am so surprised that they don't hurt me more. They've hurt more after a 3 mile run. All the pain was worth it. To quote another one of my playlist songs, "This is 10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain." And 100% happiness at reaching my goal!


The best part is that I can't wait for my body to rest up a bit so that I can get back out there! I'm ready to train for the Warrior Dash coming up and I'm signing up with my friend Nicole (and I think Ryan will do it too) for the Bellingham Bay Half Marathon in September. I'm wasting no time! The best way to stay motivated is to keep a goal in mind!


Sorry for the super long post but this is the culmination of soooo many emotions I just had to put it all out there!


Oh! and one more time I want to thank my family for being there for me every step of the way... from hearing me bitch, to catching my tears, to putting up with only seeing me in workout clothes for 4 months, and especially for cheering me on from start to finish on Sunday. It means everything to me.