The first

I ran my very first half marathon last month and let me tell ya, it was cool. So cool that I have already signed up for my second half marathon.

Here is a recap of my experiences:
Although I felt like I was ready to complete the 13.1 miles about a week or so before the race, I began getting very nervous. My biggest fear with running/racing has always resulted from the fact that I am so slow. I picked Green Bay for my inaugural race because it seemed very first-timer friendly and the results from 2007 showed many people finishing in well over 3 hours. However, I was still very afraid of being dead last and having the waterstops or finish line pack up before I was finished. It is this fear that literally keeps me running, I feel as though I am being chased by the possibility of not actually being able to finish the race. Therefore, I was nearly immobilized by this fear up until the gun went off! The bus ride from the hotel to the starting area was nearly vomit inducing. I couldn't even talk to the family members also running the race with me. It was bad. I actually am not sure I ever relaxed that day.

My favorite part of the entire experience was lining up at the start line. Well, I say line...but we all know that I was nowhere near the actual line until about 5 minutes after the gun went off. I was firmly stationed at the back of the pack until that point. The feeling around me was electric as Black Eyed Peas "Let's Get It Started" played loudly over the speakers. It made me want to dance and sing outloud, but I restrained myself so that I didn't lose any of the important energy that I would need later at mile 11. Sometime after crossing the start line, some woman came up behind me and asked me "Where is the rest of your team??" I had forgotten that I was wearing a shirt made just for the day with pictures of myself and my fellow family runners that said Team Schmitt. I explained to her that we all run different paces, so we aren't literally running this race together. She asked me what my goal finish time is and when I told her three hours she quickly got lost in the crowd again. I should have remembered her bib number to see where she finished. She obviously had some problem with slow runners like me. Haha!

I am torn about how I feel toward finishing the race. I am proud of what I did, but I have a hard time feeling like it is anything extraordinary. It is a big deal to do the 1/2 marathon, but what if you took longer than most walkers to finish it?