I Rocked and Rolled!!

Last Sunday I ran my first half marathon!  I ran the  Rock N Roll Latin Music Miami Beach Half Marathon. I know in my previous post I said that my first would be in January but this opportunity fell into my lap and I couldn't say no.  So I laced up my sneaks, attached my heart rate monitor and put on my bib number and ran 13.1 miles.  Ok it wasn't that simple but to say I was nervous was an understatement.  I was so nervous that I went into total denial about the whole thing.  My running mates would ask me if I was excited and I'd say yes but in my mind I would be thinking that there was no way in hell that I was running this race. I was so much in denial that I didn't book my hotel room until the night before I was supposed to head down to South Beach.

After that I went to put my race gear together.  My sports bra, my "Black Girls Run" tshirt, my capris, socks, sneakers, and my ankle brace. I had my energy gels and water bottle ready to go.  I also needed my heart rate monitor and GPS.  I had to make sure this historical event was recorded in my fitness journal! 
My son spent the weekend with grandma and my husband and I made our way to South Beach, not before stopping at Chipotle for a burrito. Hey I'm running a half marathon it's allowed. Actually it's crazy what's "allowed" when you are running 13 miles.
Made it to Lummas Beach where the expo was being held. This is where pick up your racing packet. It is also where many vendors come out to sell their wares.  It was hard as a novice runner not to run in there and buy up the whole place but I controlled my self. I only bought 2 bondi bands and new armband for my Ipod. My last one got too big for me since I lost so much weight, it slid up and down my arm when I ran.
I met up with my BGR girls Camille and Robin and even met another BGR runner from Milwaukee!  We walked around the expo for over an hour going from tent to tent checking out everything they had.  It was a very cool experience. I was having fun.
After the expo we gave Robin a ride back to her hotel but not before stopping at a pizza parlor and having the biggest slice of pizza I've ever seen. But it was so good .And like I mentioned before if it wasn't for this race there would be no way I would eat a big burrito in the afternoon and have pizza for lunch. But hey I'm was running a big race the next day. Carb loading is what they call it!  LOL!

Biscayne Bay

We finally checked into our hotel, the Marriott Biscayne Bay. Because I figured if I was going going to pay a ridiculous amount of money a night for a hotel it better be a darn good one. Marriott never lets me down.  And this one certainly didn't.  We had a beautiful view of the bay. 
After we checked in we freshened up and got dress to meet Camille for dinner on Lincoln Rd. Which was very nice.  One of the things I love about BGR is getting to know people deeper than "how many miles did you run". We talked about our families, our lives, our jobs.  BGR has introduced me to women from all walks of life. Lawyers, doctors, accountants, students, mothers, wives... and all are awesome!
After dinner we finally made it back to the hotel and I laid out my race gear and jumped into bed and was tucked in bed by 10:30.
I had a 5 am wake up call. Which I didn't even need since I woke up before the alarm.  But my husband still had to drag me out of the bed and tell me to get ready. I was still in denial.  LOL!
We made it out of the hotel and were on our way to South beach before 6am.  I met Camille at her hotel and we walked to the start line but not before stopping at 7-Eleven for "breakfast" which was a banana and cup of Chobani yogurt, and some energy gels.  My stomach was doing flip flops.

Start line! 

We made our way 3 blocks over to the start line passing all the folks just leaving the clubs and looking at us like WTH were we doing all chipper so early in the morning.  I don't think the South Beach party revelers  had any clue what was going on and why thousands of people were walking the strip in race gear.
The sun was finally starting to rise and the they were announcing that it was finally time to get into our corral. We did some last minute stretching and entered the corral we were assigned. 
The fastest people up front and the slower people to the back of the pack. I stayed towards the back of the pack.  The national anthem was sung and then the gun went off and the runners were off.  Our corral didn't actually get to the start line until 10 minutes after the first corral ran off.

Rainbow across the Miami sky. It's a promise of the rain to come!  LOL

But we were off and running!  We stayed with a pacing group who was running a 2:45, which was little over 12 minute mile.  They did intervals where they would run for 5 minutes and walk for 1 minute. This interval worked very well for me for the majority of the race. We actually ran faster than our pacing group and left them behind after about mile 3.  I was feeling fine other than a knot on the bottom of my left foot which I had to massage out at mile 6 and then again at mile 10.
It wasn't until after mile 10 that I started breaking down. I took some energy chews which seemed to help but by the time I got to mile 11 I was cursing in my head and wondering what the hell was I thinking.  By the time I got to mile 12 I was cussing out loud and screaming out to the cheery spectators along the course asking them "WHERE THE FRACK WAS THE FINISH LINE"
Yes those were my actual words.  Poor Camille was trying to cheer me on and motivate me but I really had enough. "Just around the corner" a woman shouted at me as I passed her. I probably looked like I really wanted to stop, which I did.  I wasn't going to quit the race but I was going to walk the rest of the way to the finish line. One of the reasons I didn't start walking was because it actually hurt more to walk then to run. Irony at it's best.
So I kept running, at a slower pace of course but then finally I saw the final turn into the finish line.  I picked it up then and remembered to put on my best smile as I crossed the finish line at a time of 2 hours and 41 minutes!  Not bad for my first half marathon.  

It's pink and green of course

After I crossed the finish line I scanned the area looking for my husband who I found fairly quickly since my friend was with him holding a big sign that said "Go Miriam Go!"  In pink and green of course.  There was plenty of water and snacks in the finish line area and my personal favorite was the ice cold wet towels they passed out, it was like heaven on my heated face and neck.  Soon after that I reunited with my husband and friends and we quickly found a place to sit so I could eat my snacks and stretch. Every muscle in my body ached but I did it! I ran my first 13.1 and it was an awesome experience.  I had a major sense of accomplishment. Running a half marathon was not something I'd ever see myself doing. But like I've posted previously. You never know what you can do until you do it. 

Hoarding snacks 

As far as my time goes, 2:41 was about average, for my age group and overall in the race and you all know how I feel about being average.  My next race will be January 29th, 2012.  That gives me a little less than 6 weeks to train and get my time down and my speed up!. Those bridges and causeways were no joke. I'm going to have to incorporate those in my runs.  My goal is to knock 10 minutes off my time and come in at 2:30.  Think I can do it???

Foot ice bath felt good!

Winner's Circle!