13.1 miles and a free banana

We arrived in Yellowstone on Friday at around 11 am. It was a long ten hour road trip but luckily it was made comfortable with the motor home. There was nine of us in total but it didn't feel like it. The day was filled with registering for my half marathon, spontaneous yoga, and carb loading.
The day before I was starting to get a sore throat and Friday that grew into a head cold (not the best conditions for running..). It made me worry but luckily I have a father who is able to give me a blessing in a moments notice. I thought it was a silly thing to ask a blessing for, but I was comforted and put at ease because I knew the Lord would take care of me.
That night I had the best sleep I've had in a while. I woke up feeling %100 better than yesterday and felt ready for my run.

The run started on Saturday at 8am after the national anthem. The first five miles passed by easily and it wasn't until mile 6 that I started to wonder why on earth was I doing this. At around mile 7 I took my first (but not last) walking break. Between mile 4 and 7.5 there was a continuous incline and apparently a lot of people were having troubles with the altitude. For the most part the last half was downhill but that did not help and I swear that the second half was much longer than the first. I made some friends with whom I had been running in close proximity with since the beginning. They had aid stations at various mile markers with water and electrolyte drink to refill, energy gels (which work but are disgusting), port-a-potties and some even had bananas and orange slices. Those aid stations were a life saver. Around the 11.5 mile mark I started walking, then a runner came up behind me and and encouraged me to run some more. Doug and I kept each other going until the finish line. Doug had done 6 previous half marathons and applauded me when I told him this was my first one. He said from now on every half marathon will seem easy because this one was a tough one.

I finished the 13.1 miles in 2hrs and 35min, which was a lot sooner than I thought I was going to do it. I received a medal for finishing but with the size of my smile you would have thought I came first place. I got free chocolate milk, nuts and granola bars, and of course the free banana. I felt great for just 30min after the race and then my body hated me for the rest of the day. But looking back on it I wouldn't change anything and would even run another one.