Goal Accomplished!

I did it!  13.1 miles done. 

Wow!  What a day.  I was definitely anxious before the start.  I didn't sleep much the night before, because my mind was already racing a million miles an hour thinking about so many things.  But I was excited for the big day.  It was a beautiful morning.

A good day for a race!  And my biggest supporter was by my side!

Seriously.  I couldn't have had such an easy time in my training without this man!  Thanks honey for helping me all along the way!!!
But when we got to the starting line, the worst thing was before us.  A line to the bathroom!  I waited there for 45 minutes, and in that time the race started.  It was a little disappointing to not be in the excitement of the start, but I didn't want to have to stop once I got going.  And then we were ready to hit the road.

What an anti-climatic way to start. HAHA

The start of the race was by far my favorite part.  I have to admit...Kansas fields are so pretty in the Fall.  I wish the whole race was this way.

The whole race was all along Route 66 from Kansas to Missouri.

I was so excited to see my Mom and Jordan at this point.  Tears welled up in my eyes and I was overcome by emotion.  I couldn't believe I was out there doing this, and I was so happy to have them cheering me on!  But I was only a little over half way through.  The hardest parts were yet to come.

The sun rose up high and right above us.  The ground heated up pretty quick, and the long drawn out highway got monotonous.  I took more walking breaks than I wanted to, but my calves and quads were burning.  There were definitely more hills than I anticipated and they got the better of me.

Here's my Dad coming up on the end.

He finished in 2:11:15  I never even saw him after we took off.  He moves pretty fast...maybe one day I'll catch em.  It was definitely fun to have him out there with me. 

So happy to see my family an the finish line.  I was ready to kick it in to high gear and finish strong.

Run em down!  I tried to smile the whole way across the finish line and look pleasant since I looked so pained in the pictures from the 5k i did with my Dad back in March.  I did not want that embarrassment again!  But it most not have worked, because once I was over the line, I was asked by two different people if I needed medical help!  HA!  No!  I just needed to catch my breathe and get some water thank you!

I was so thrilled to have that medal!  I have never gotten an award for athleticism.  It's a good feeling, and one I want to have again!

 I'm addicted now.

Finishers!

My Brother came over from Springfield to be there at the finish line!  I love this guy!

Thanks Mom for all of the encouraging talks, and encouragement all along this journey!

I have the best parents in the world!  Thanks for always being there guys!  And for helping me reach my goals!

My results:
Overall I placed: 453 out of 820 runners
In my division I placed 25 out of 53 runners
Amongst all the women I was 233 out of 506
And my official time was 2:26:45
with an average pace of 11:13

And according to Nike+ here's the breakdown of every mile:
Mile 1: 9:32 (a little faster than normal, but I was feelin good)
Mile 2: 10:01
Mile 3: 10:33 (starting to find my rhythm)
Mile 4: 10:44
Mile 5: 11:17 (there was a wicked hill in this mile)
Mile 6: 11:00
Mile 7: 10:57 (saw my Mom and Jordan somewhere in here)
Mile 8: 11:04
Mile 9: 15:53 (started to wonder how I was going to finish)
Mile 10: 11:13 (tried to keep the momentum)
Mile 11: 16:23 (it seemed endless, and my legs were burning)
Mile 12: 14:29 (the last three miles was all hills)
Mile 13: 11:08 (mustered up the strength to end well)

I was sick I was 11 minutes over where I wanted to be.  It was just three miles that killed my time.  But I tried to set those feelings aside and be proud of my first ever 1/2 marathon.  The longest distance I have ever run in my life.

So where do I go from here?  I dunno...but I'm ready for more!