Monday, January 16, 2012

"If you aint first, you're last..." FALSE!

This weekend I ran my fourth Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon in Phoenix. Normally I run it with a competitive mentality, but this time I ran it with my boyfriend- it takes a lot to get him to work out. Okay and one quick interjection, as much as I wanted to use "Ash" as his pseudonym, I just can't- it reminds me of Pokemon. So anyway... Mike (his real name) and I ran the half marathon together [at his pace- unfortunately he didn't have much time train]. But race time aside, I came to some really meaningful realizations. In fact, the easy run enabled me to be more observant and encourage others along the way.

One of the things I noticed is that running attracts people of all types- and I LOVE that. It doesn't matter what size or shape you are, this sport allows you to free yourself mentally and physically. Also, I realized that pace doesn't always matter. As much as I love to run 8-minute miles and compete against my own personal records, sometimes it's more important to enjoy the journey, rather than pushing yourself to beat a record. You define running- it doesn't have to define you.

I value the fact that people of all kinds can find common ground because of this sport. It was so nice to meet tons of people from all over the country before and during the race- I can't wait for my next half marathon in April with my little sister from Chi Omega.

Here are some photos of race day:

Pre-race... hello sleepy heads! Yes it's still dark!
*The cool thing about this race is that they allow you to wear extra layers until you get warm and then you can throw your extra clothes to the side of the course. Then, the race coordinators donate all the clothing to various shelters and such! So great!

Post-race! He did it :) Although he only ran 3 times before! There were so many yummy freebies afterwards.

A little motivation... free beer at the end!

I feel like I could write so much more, but right now the Bachelor & wine are calling my name. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.

XO

9 comments:

  1. Congratulations! That is amazing and such a fun way to donate clothes! I am dieing to do a half marathon but am really nervous, so glad to hear about your experience!

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  2. Congrats!!!! Such a wonderful post! I love the part about how running attracts so many different types of people, this is so true! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Congrats on finishing the marathon. And FREE beer after the race, very intriguing!!!

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  4. Oh my goodness great job! I have relatives in Phoenix and actually considered doing a 1/2 there but since then I've injured my leg, boo! But this looks like a great race and awesome job for completing and participating in it! Glad the boyfriend could join in too!

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  5. Congrats on the race! Such a great accomplishment!

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  6. you were mentioned on my blog today, make sure to check it out!!

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  7. AWESOME!!! Please come and be my running buddy!!!

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  8. How awesome! Sean and I are planning on running the Chicago marathon later this year... we'll see how that goes hehe ;)

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