13.1 – Done! * Pre-Race Prep *

I DID IT!!!!!

This morning I ran my first half marathon!  13.1 miles!  I feel AMAZING!

Completing a half-marathon had been on my mind since the first time I learned what a 13.1 sticker represented (and I desperately wanted one on my car), but it was also something I wasn’t even ready to think about for another 7-8 months. Then, in late December, my friend Erin told me she was signing up for the 2014 Publix Fort Lauderdale A1A Half Marathon, and asked if I wanted to join her.  I decided to go for it.  Both of us were totally fine if we needed to walk and originally had no intentions of trying to run the whole thing.  We trained individually for about 8 or 9 weeks, but it wasn’t until we ran 11 miles together last Sunday that we really began to think we could run the whole thing.  It was so exhausting, so much work while training, so much soreness, and SO MUCH FUN.  Seriously.  But it also took a bit of preparation the day before to make sure what I’d worked so hard for went off without any major hiccups.  So here’s how my pre-run day went down, mostly for my future reference in case I decide to do another one.

The day before the run Jay, the girls, and I stopped at the Fitness Expo to pick up my race day packet, which included my bib, a shirt, and a bag full of goodies, mainly snack samples and coupons.  There were booths hosted by different vendors, everything from massages to health insurance to running gear.  Nearly every booth had freebies, and we left with 3 bags full of snack samples, Ziploc bags, sand toys, frisbees, and even beauty products.  I also bought a 13.1 sticker for my car!  We weren’t there long, but it was long enough for me to shed some tears from all the excitement.  The best part was seeing how proud Emily was of me.  She kept beaming and holding my arm and pointing at me when people asked her who she was going to cheer for.  Julia just liked the escalator.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I thought I would be the day before my first half marathon.  I stretched my legs a bit here and there throughout the day, but for the most part I just lazed about the house.  Jay wanted to order pizza for dinner, but I wasn’t sure that was such a good idea so I had some chicken & veggies from Boston Market instead.  And I broke my rule and had a Java Chip too.  Hee hee.  Since I had to get up at 3:30a I brought everything I would need to our downstairs bathroom so I could get ready there without disturbing everyone’s sleep upstairs.

Here’s what I wore/used:

• Running Pants
• Sports Bra
• Shirt
• Jacket
• Body Glide for Her (for chafing issues)
• Pantiliner (I wouldn’t normally mention this, but I was sooooo glad I had one on when I realized too late that the porta-potty was out of toilet paper)!
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Shock Doctor Patella Brace
• Thorlos Experia Socks
• Asics Gel Exalt Sneakers
• Elastic Headband
• Small Water Bottle
• Headphones
• Cash for parking
• Bib with pins attached

I did a mock “get-ready-for-go-time” test run to help me make sure I didn’t forget anything.  (It worked). I read the entire running program, even the ads (the Reese’s ad made me cry), and re-read every email to be sure I was as familiar with the event as I could possibly be.  I also packed the race program with the parking maps in it, the printed final instructions, and a few extra ponytail holders, some dry cereal, and a banana.  Once everything was ready I went to bed, around 9:30p.  I was pretty sure I wouldn’t sleep since I was so excited – and terrified I’d oversleep – and I wanted to squeeze every possible minute of rest in.

Next up – Race Day!!!!