We have to apologize for being complete blog losers and abandoning it for so long but we really have no great excuses for our long absence. So we are sorry and we are going to try super duper hard to keep up this time cause we know our lives are exciting and you want to know about them.
So we have not completely fallen off the fitness bandwagon even if we completely fell off the blog bandwagon. In fact, TODAY, I (Emily) finished my first 10k race!!
(Me @ Start line - it was 6:45 am and cold!!!)
Not sure if I have said this before but even if I have, it bears repeating: I do not like running.
I'm slow. I average a 12:15-12:30 mile. My legs feel like 10,000 lb weights. I have big, muscular legs and apparently this doesn't work like I think it should. One would think my big muscles would just carry me along. Nope. Those jokers are Heavy! But - I like to challenge myself to so things I am not good at so I try to run.
My friends and I signed up to race in the Rock 'n Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon Series in Savannah, Ga. Mainly I was attracted to the Savannah part of this not the running part. (Probably the same reason I signed up to do my first official 5k at Disney!) Rachel and Laura did the 1/2 marathon and Megan and I do the new 1/2 marathon relay which means I did the first leg (6.2 miles) and then Megan did the second (6.9 miles).
(Laura, Rachel, Megan and I in front of Forsyth Park fountain)
We went to Savannah on Thursday and had a good time hanging out Thursday night and Friday. We went on a carriage ghost tour Thursday and ate at this delicious place in City Market. Friday we walked all over the place and had a huge Mexican dinner. Smart choice for a pre-race meal, probably not! But we got to dress up and have fun girl time so that is what is important.
(Me before our pre-race dinner)
This morning we had to wake up at 5 am to get ready. Start time was 7 am and we had to walk 0.8 miles to get to Bay Street and the start line. I was so nervous, guys! Let me make it known that I did not spend tons of energy training for this because other things in my fitness life take a front seat (more about my new fitness adventures in another post) but honestly, I was running maybe 3 miles twice a week so I was so nervous that I would not make it longer than that!
(The 4 of us at the start line.)
It was cold - maybe 50 - and we checked our coats and our bags, so we jumped around dancing to the music until finally we were off! The relay runners got to pick which corral to start in so my friends wanted me to start with them. Bad choice. They have a much faster pace so they were in a corral who had a faster pace and for the first mile people flew by me and I am not going to lie, it got to my head a little bit! Once I got around people of a similar pace I felt much better about my run and even got to pass some people which is always good for a runner's ego, right?
The first part of my run was through a neighborhood and the residents were all so sweet and supportive. Even at 7 am people were out in their yards cheering us on. The second half was in downtown Savannah and they were also just as supportive. Tons of spectators yelling and waving and giving high fives and you just get so motivated that you yell and wave and give high fives right back to these perfect strangers! I felt like a celebrity!
Mile 3 came and went, and I felt good! This was the part that I was worried I was going to want to stop, but I would just walk a little while after getting water and take off running again. Ok, maybe take off running is the wrong term. I would slowly "shuffle off" as Amanda would call it. Shuffling closely resembles running, if you are unsure of what it is.
Mile 4 I ate some energy chews and felt so good. Was almost a little sad that my run was coming to an end. Almost. Saw some great signs around this point. Wish I had pictures but ain't nobody got time to get their phone out while running. One said "What you are doing is amazing!!" and another said " I am so proud of you, stranger!" So after seeing these signs and realizing, "Holy moly, I am almost done with my first 10k distance run!" I got overwhelmed and so proud and teared up a little. Yes, I cried while running. What?! Anytime I think of where I am now and where I came from, I get emotional. I think it's a good thing, right? I have worked hard and it has paid off!
So, back to the race. Mile 6 comes and goes and I AM DONE! I hand Megan the baton (yes we had to carry one like a real relay!) and she takes off. I get a banana and water and Gatorade and call my mom all sniffly and teary eyed to tell her I finished.
Official time....1:21. Not amazingly fast but I am proud of it. My first time ever running that far! I still keep thinking "I cannot believe I ran for over an hour straight!"
I headed to Forsyth Park which is where the marathoners, 1/2 marathoners, and those who ran the 2nd part of the relay were to finish and basked in the sun am listened to music while waiting on the other girls.
(Rachel and I in Forsyth Park waiting on Megan and Laura)
I am so proud of us all. This was Laura's first 1/2 marathon and she did awesome! And Rachel finished with her best 1/2 time and Megan finished despite recent injuries and still had an awesome race time, in my opinion.
(Megan and I post race...we had 15 min to shower and pack and check out. And we had just finished running!)
After the race, I ate my body weight in carbs. And it was good.
So, I'm looking forward to more races as tired as my little leggies are right now. It's not the running that I enjoy. The whole race I am thinking about how my legs hurt and I am tired and them when I finish I have this overwhelming sense of accomplishment. The finish is when I look back and realize I wasn't as miserable as I thought and I am proud for pushing through.
I would totally recommend the Savannah run to anyone who can get to it in the coming years. First of all the city itself is beautiful. Secondly, the people in the city made this race for me. I seriously felt so supported by random people as I ran. The cheering really gets you through.
So, that's my recap. It may be totally not interesting but I was so excited about it that I had to share. Amanda and I are running the Turkey Trot 5k in Orlando on Thanksgiving morning so we will recap that as well! And look for some more blog posts soon catching y'all up on our lives! Thanks for reading!
Seriously, though. I ran 6.2 freaking miles today!!!
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