My Fitness Journey Part 2: My First Half Marathon

After I accepted my 5-mile knee flare-up, time passed, and I graduated from BYU and went on to attend Arizona State University to pursue a master's degree in Exercise and Wellness.  I wasn't married and I didn't want a grown up person's job, so I decided more school was the best option.  In graduate school, I realized that I had a much more flexible schedule and could really focus on my fitness.  I began working out every day.  I recognized a HUGE change in my fitness level as well as my body shape when I went from working out 3-4 days a week to 5-6 days a week.  I would often go the the gym, do about 45 minutes of cardio like an elliptical or a group fitness class, then another half hour of strength training.

I met my running mate in the midst of adjusting to that Arizona sunshine. His name was Ryan and he enjoyed running.  I still remember the first time we went running together.  We went around the block for a 4-mile run (which in the East Valley is easy to track thanks to our early Mormon settlers).  I couldn't believe how fast he ran!  I thought I was going to die.  I hadn't ever really tried to push myself into running faster.  Up until then, I had been okay with my natural mediocre running pace.

However, as things got more serious with Ryan, we ran together more often.  I enjoyed running with him, not only because I was falling in love with him, but he was making me a faster runner.  After we were married in December 2007, he talked me into training for a half marathon.  I told him it was impossible because my knee wouldn't allow me to run much more than an hour.  However, as convincing as young love is, I trained for the 2008 Bryce Canyon Half Marathon.  I ran a couple of 8-mile runs with a 10-miler just before the race.  

In training for my first half-marathon, however, there were a few things I had failed to think about.  First off, I had been training on really flat terrain in Arizona.  When I say flat, I mean not a single hill in sight.  The first half of the Bryce Canyon Half is is steep downhill.  To illustrate how steep it was, I passed a sign on the road warning drivers of the 6% decline.  I had not trained running downhill at all.  I had never considered that it was necessary since running downhill should be easier, right?  Well, about mile 7, my quads were done.  It was pure mental toughness that kept me going.  I tried to use my quads less, but then due to that unnatural gait, I began to feel it in my hips.  

Despite the fact that the downhill section crippled me, I approached the finish line and saw Ryan running back to me.  I didn't wear a watch and had no idea how long I had been running.  He quickly informed me that I was only about a few hundred feet away from the end and at about 1:48:00.  I booked it and finished right around 1:49:00.  I couldn't believe it!  My knee survived and I had kept a pretty good pace.  Of course I walked like a 90-year-old lady for about five days, but I concluded that as long as I only ran a couple of times a week and supplemented with cross-training, I could make this work.

Working in the Fitness Industry after I graduated from ASU was busy.  I was a health coach in corporate wellness, I had dozens of clients at a personal training studio, I taught various group fitness classes, and even taught a couple of classes at the county's community colleges.  I loved getting paid to work out and help people catch the fire for healthy living.  

In 2010 I decided to run another half.  I had been training with occasional sprints on the treadmill and increased my speed significantly.  My brother decided to come down and run it with me and Ryan.  The course was completely dirt... well, since it had recently rained, it was partially mud as well.  It was a smaller, completely flat race, but was a lot of fun.  

I actually learned a couple of really great lessons while running this race.  Both of them having to do with your attitude and mental connection to the physical outcome of your race.  I had started running with an ipod and an emotionally touching song came on right around mile 10 as the race started to wear on me.  Okay, since you are curious and must know what song it was, please don't judge. It was the Backstreet Boys song "Perfect Fan." I love my Momma. I may have cried, but it helped me keep up my pace. The music you listen to can really make or break your race, choose wisely. 

My other lesson came in spontaneous positive reinforcement to my fellow racers.  The course had a couple of spots where we had to turn around and run back.  Obviously this meant that we were running opposite some of the other runners in the race.  As I watched them, I noticed that not very many people looked like they were enjoying themselves.  I started high-fiving some of them and giving them encouragement.  As I did, I felt a surge of energy shoot through my body and speed up my pace.  I came in right around 1:44:00, five minutes faster than my first race and on a much flatter course.  I contribute much of that to my encouragement to the other runners. 

My brother did really well too.  He trained in Provo, Utah at about 4,500 foot elevation, so coming down to Arizona took off a ton of time for him.  We headed home after the race.  Later as we looked up our official times, I checked and in shock realized that I won 3rd place in my age category!  We had left before they awarded the winners their medals.  Not only that, my brother finished first in his category.  I felt kind of silly asking them to mail us our medals, but so happy we won! 

Since I had done so well in this race, I realized I wanted to keep going. I soon afterward looked for an upcoming marathon.  I figured that if I kept up that pace the whole way, I could get a 3:30:00 time on a full! If only that was how it worked...