This isn’t Sweat, it’s Liquid Awesome

On Sunday, May 6, I completed the Long Island Half Marathon in a respectable two hours, fourteen minutes and twenty-one seconds. Going into this, my one goal was to finish the race. So a ginormous YAY to me, I did it! And today is the first day that I can finally make it down the stairs and sit without grunting in pain.

It definitely wasn’t easy and was unlike any other experience I’ve ever had. I’ve always been into team spots – lacrosse, soccer, kickline – where you’re supposed to rely on others to help you and motivate you. With running, there’s only me to keep me going. I determine if I power through or stop and walk. The whole experience is a mental game.

I hate to say this, but through the course of my training, I’ve determined that I really dislike running. I love how I feel afterwards and the benefits I’ve seen in my body, but I find it extremely boring. I do understand why people enjoy running, there are fabulous mental and physical benefits, but it’s still up for debate whether or not it’s my thing. On Sunday, I felt extremely proud of myself and very emotional when I crossed the finish line, but my first thought was “oh thank god that’s over!” I couldn’t for the life of me understand how running half-marathons and marathons could be addicting. Then I looked up my time on Monday and my first thought was “oh I can definitely beat that next time” and it clicked and I totally got it. Because as of Sunday after the race, I was going into running retirement and was planning on sticking to Zumba and the elliptical. But now, thanks to a highly competitive streak, I need to beat that time! My next race will be Harborthon in Boston, a 5K to support Camp Harbor View, on July 26th giving me plenty of time to get back into the running swing of things. But I’m planning to run another half-marathon in the fall, any suggestions?

And with that, BEST OF LUCK to my beautiful baby sister who will be killing the Delaware Running Festival Marathon on Sunday!! xoxo