Conquering Goals One Step at a Time!

First 13.1 of 2016....Hollywood Half Marathon

This weekend was Hollywood Half Marathon weekend and my confidence was wavering quite a bit due to wondering if my foot and sciatic issue would keep me from finishing.  I tried to psych myself up and think happy thoughts but also remind myself to take it slow.  I had only trained up to 7 miles for this one because my injuries have been so annoying, my motivation was low and adding in rest was necessary but derailed my typical training plan.

The night before, Auntie Pam, who lives in the area made a perfect dinner...Kale Salad and Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs.  I think it was my lucky meal because I had no stomach issues on race day and felt better than I had in a long time the morning of a race.  I ate my typical half whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and drink my Ideal Lean pre-race watermelon ice about an hour before the race.  Thank goodness the hotel was only a few blocks from the start, so it made for a very smooth morning.

I took the first mile easy - it was pretty crowded with the 5K and 10K runners with us at the start so my first mile was about a minute slower than my normal time and my Nike App stopped playing music after a mile, so I walked while I tried to figure out the problem.  At mile two, I just ended up restarting the app and starting over.

With music working and trying to distract myself with the sites on Hollywood Blvd, the first few miles went by pretty quickly.  There are a lot of turns in this race off the main strip and many were incline one direction and downhill returning to the main stretch.  Although there was very little spectator support (only limited to the start and finish), there were course angels and watching the faster runners on the turns were really motivating.

My time, well, it sucked.  BUT, I have been injured and training didn't go as planned, so I'm excited to say I finished in 3:03.  I had to walk a LOT with this foot and leg issue that I was sure I would be last.  But, somehow I still managed to almost be under a 3 hour half marathon even with all the reasons that could have kept me from even starting the race.  This was a huge confidence boost for sure!  Half Marathon #1 of 2016 is now complete and I can build on this success for the next one in May.  The medal for the 5th Anniversary of the race was awesome!  Love it! 

The post-race meal was some yummy Ono Hawaiian BBQ and later that night some Dave & Buster's goodness. I try to eat well but Half Marathons make you really hungry and I guess I earned it!

 Bye, bye Hollywood...I might be back when I'm 100% healthy!

 Now that half marathon #1 of 2016 is complete, I'll do a recovery 10K this weekend on Whidbey Island and then I have a few at home training weekends before the Spring races continue.  The takeaway from this race is a big boost of confidence! One step closer to NYC!