half-marathon

I did it. Yep it’s true! I’ve signed up for my 2nd half-marathon! Sometimes i think i’m crazy for wanting to walk a half-marathon, but then i realize HEY, i am crazy so it’s okay! haha

I’ll be walking with Jeanette, Dacia, and hopefully Monica!!! I’m so excited I was so thankful to my sister for walking my first half-marathon with me! It was definitely an experience.  I kind of can’t believe i signed up for another one!

I’m definitely going to be sticking to my training plan, unlike with my 1st half-mary, i didn’t follow the training plan so much! I’ll definitely be doing more strength training, and cross training!

The schedule is slightly off, being that the half-marathon is on a Sunday. Some weeks, i might have to change up what i’m doing exercise wise depending on what’s going on.  Like, for the Saturday before October 1st is my best friend’s wedding. So the Saturday i’ll be getting LOTSSSSS of cross training in with my dancing at the reception

I’m working right now on getting exercise when i can, but i’ll officially be starting half-marathon training the week of Junee 27th!!! SO EXCITED!!!

Can’t wait to cross that finish line with some blends, and have this amazing feeling all over again

Have you ever completed a race?! Do you like racing?! What keeps you back from racing? Share the racing love or the not so much racing love!

Before i get started with the re-cap, i want to say a few things.  The Livestrong Foundation has been on my heart for a few years. I’ve been a fan of Lance Armstrong for a few years. I had always wanted to do the half-marathon or 5K over the past 3 years, but it never worked out for me to get there and i didn’t feel like i could do it. Something changed this past year. I knew that i wanted to do it, and i was going to do it in memory of my grandfather, who passed away from cancer 5 years ago this past December.

My grandfather, Gerald Kenneth Staires-- we call him Papa Red!

Thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me since i decided to walk the half-marathon! Thank you for your tweets, text messages, and facebook posts on Sunday! That means a heck of a lot to me <3

I owe a lot of thanks to my sister, Chelsea, she walked with me and encouraged me and kept me going every step of the way! So thank you Chels! LOVE YOU!

My awesome sister-- love you!

I walked today for those who couldn’t, for those who supported me, and for some of those people who doubted that i could walk 13.1 miles! So to those who doubted- hahaha! I DID IT!

RACEDAY BABY!

I woke up at 5:07 am, yes, i set the alarm for that. ha. I stayed in bed until 5:11 am. Got up showered, kind of got dressed, and rode on the stationary bike for a few minutes to warm my legs up.  Stretched a little bit, prepped my legs and feet with Biofreeze, Body Glide anti-chafe and anti-pain!!! I don’t know what i would do without those things!  We made oatmeal for breakfast, i put some dried strawberries with a little bit of honey in there— delicious and so good!

I had way too much fun taking pictures at 6:00 am just sayin.

We probably left the House about 6:30, drove down to downtown, and parked in a parking garage near 9th and something, i don’t remember! Walked towards the Capital and the starting line! Chelsea and I walked towards the back, and Desi made her way up to the front since she was running the half-marathon, and was gonna have about a 2:00:00 time!

Texas Capital! Thanks to Melissa (www.werunforwine.com) for some of the photos!

Chels and I talked a little while waiting for the race to start. Eventually we met up with my mom and my uncle’s girlfriend, Sue! We got out some pre-race jitters and my mom got all crazy with taking pictures pre-race! I was still nervous somewhat, but it was nice to have pre-race photos!

Ready to rock it!

Mom, Chels, and I before the race!!! Can you say EARLYYY?!

Sue, Mom, me, and Chels-- ready to go!

2 white's and 2 blue's again!

We got closer to the start, the guy was talking, music was playing… the adrenaline was pumpin! (Wait my heart is pumping right now thinking about the startin!!!) We crossed the start line at 7:21 am, things got going, and we were off– well minus the fact that mom wanted to to take moreeee pictures!

When the race started i felt a lot of tightness in my right achilles area, like i had been having for a while when i first started walking… so i wasn’t sure how it was going to go! But i knew that finishing the race and getting to the finish line was something i wanted soooo bad! And i knew if i pushed through for 13.1 miles it would something i could achieve!

Miles 1 and2- They were kind of rough, but i always have difficulties with the beginnings of the walk. I knew that if i could get through the beginning i could make it through the rest. People passed us up, but that’s okay. For a while the cop pace car was behind us, but it was cool. We joked about how we had a police escort for most of the race!

Miles 3 & 4: We had turned off of Cesar Chavez and turned onto S. Congress St. We had passed by all of the spectators cheering on the runners making the curve on S. 1st St. turning onto Cesar Chavez St. heading in the opposite direction. I got chills and was motivated to keep going. We passed some of my favorite places & restaurants– like Hey Cupcake!

We saw a cop after our 1st bathroom break– he said that they’re waiting for us and to keep going! We weren’t sure if he meant a the end of the race, or that the cars had to stop and wait for us to cross!!! Either way, we were pumped up and fired up and ready to rock this thing!!!! We started to encounter some of the crazy hills, that the Austin race is known for! Man wheww those were tough, but are all a part of the course!  Had a bite of my chocolate power bar in between mile 4 & 5.

Mile 5 & 6: We waked up S. Congress up to Ben White Blvd and turned onto S. 1st St. My leg was getting tight again, so we took a QUICK stop and re-applied Biofreeze to the bottom part of the legs. The somewhat upsetting part about being at the end of the race was that most of the bands were packed up or packing up. More motivation to stay in the “pack” next race! Lots of volunteers with water and gatorade stations were still up, motivating us along the way. Did i mention the winds?! Oh my gosh! Several times, we felt like we were gonna get literally blown over! craziness!  We passed this older lady walking the half just going her own pace– she said she did it last year, came in wayyyy after the 4:00:00 mark and she had to keep pestering them for her medal… She got it a few weeks later! I kept saying, i was gonna be so upset if i worked so hard, walked 13.1 miles, and my damn medal wasn’t there for me at the end of the race!!!!!!

Mile 7 & 8: Less than half to go! That was the amazing part of the race! We’d come so far. I had less to go, than what i’d already done!!! Getting to that moment, knowing that i’ve walked so much already, and knowing that there’s no turning back now! We took a photo at mile marker 7, but i don’t know where it went. During these miles the cop pace car, caught up to us again and then went ahead of us again! Mile marker 8 was on the S. 1st St. Bridge!!! AMAAAAZING! We made another quick stop here to put some more anti-chafe balm on my feet, by this time they were burningggggg a good bit! YOWZA! You could see the river, and one of my favorite buildings downtown!  (Well this picture was taken after lunch, but hey it’s the thought– and this is my favorite looking building downtown!!!!!)   Chels kept saying, i don’t want to ever hear ANYTHING about you can’t do something, i’ll just say 2 words: HALF-MARATHON!!!!! She is so right, i walked a half-marathon and i graduated from LPN School!!!! I can do ANYTHING I SET MY MIND TO! All it takes it some hardwork, determination, blood, sweat, and a few tears!

Mile 9: May have been one of my favorite miles! I didn’t know about this ahead of time which was just as sweet! The directors called This the Yellow Mile !!!  So encouraging to see all the yellow! And to see all those people cheering for us! Saying Go Brittany, go Chelsea!!!!! I was like ummm how do they know my name?! creepy. Chels goes– britt, look at your bib! oh duhhhh– my name is on my Bib–hahahaha. awesome! We kept moving! Had some of my chocolate peanut butter power bar! DELICIOUS! So far in the race, i hadn’t listened to any music from my “half-marathon playlist” i worked hard on. So out came the music and the head phones, i needed some musical inspiration to get pumped up and get through the rest– I called upon the fantasticness of:

Florence & the Machine, Chris Ardoin & Nu Step, The Killers, Glee, and Michael Jackson!

Mile 10: We walked down Cesar Chavez / BR Reynolds to Lake Austin Blvd which turned and took us up on the road connecting us to Endfield Road! And i thought that most of the hills were done. But boy was i wrong!

Mile 11 & 12: We had our last station for water & gatorade! But somehow Mile markers 11 & 12 were missing! Not sure what happened there, but they were definitely not there! More reason why i want to have a garmin watch for the next race We kept trucking along. Turn onto Endfield Road, and what do we see?! None other than this fabulous monster of a hill !!!

the crazy hill on Enfield Road! Thanks again Melissa for the photo!

Oh my word, this hill was a beastttttt! But walking up it i could finally see the Capital again! I knew we were getting closer that’s where the finish line was!!!! EXCITEMENT!!!! We’re almost done!!!!! But i’ll be honest, i was pretty upset walking up this hill. I was crying, wheezing of sorts, and out of breath. It was not the best hill walk ever. But we made it up and that’s what counts!

Only a few more blocks! Chels said we’ve only got to go until the end of the orange cones, and then we turn right! The orange cones seemed to go on foreverrrrrr! It was only a few blocks! And the cops were still out at every street, stopping traffic for us to walk through! SOOOOO AWESOME! And maybe one of my favorite parts about the race!

Mile 13: We turned the corner at 15th & i think Congress— and i saw the sign 600 meters to go… so close! But man i’m soooo exhausted…. 1.5 times around a track! SOOOO CLOSE! But i wanted to stop right there and quit! But when we turned the corner, we saw the marathoners coming in, they were on the other side of the cones! Something in me got inspired!!! We kept pushing, we “dug deep” as they say!!!! SOOO close! Then 400 meters, then 200 meters! We’re almost there…. we get closer and Chels realized (i later found this out) that the half-marathon finish line had been closed down– so we ended up going in with the marathoners! Kinda cool

almost there!!!!! ONE BIG PUSH!!!!! WE CAN DO IT!!!!!!

We crossed the finish line!!!!! EXCITEMENT!!!!! AMAZZZZZING! We get closer to the lady with the medals, and we’re like we did the half-marathon, not the full…. she goes, that’s okay honey– i’ve got your medal right here!!!!! I GOT MY MEDAL, i didn’t have to wait!!!!! The feeling of being finished is unlike anything i’ve ever experienced before!!!! It’s simply amazing, and really quite undescribe-able! I worked hard, i pushed myself (well with the help of my sister!), i sweated, i got the blisters on my feet, and i pushed myself to the finish!!!!! I DID IT!!!!!!   What a feeling of accomplishment!!!!  Sure i would have liked to have done more of my training walks, but that’s okay…. I did it!!! I finished!!!!! I’m so proud of myself!!!!! This was definitely the hardest thing i’ve ever done…. but so amazing and so worth it! You should get out there and push yourself! If i can do it, so can you!

I did it!!!!! I KICKED ASS AND TOOK SOME NAMES TOO!!!!! The medal is mine

Chels and i finished!!!!! We got our medals!!!!! And you can hardly tell i've been crying

All 5 of us-- Me, Sue, Chels, Desi, and Mom !!!!!!!

Sue and I showing off our precious and hard earned medals !!!!!

I got a bag from the LuluLemon people, and one of the quotes on there said, “Do one thing each day, that scares you” — This was definitely one of those things!!! I was so scared of failing, getting injured, and having to quit in the middle of the race! That didn’t happen, and i’m so proud of myself that i did it!

FINISHING TIME: 4:13:49 — The only goal i had for today was to finish the race and that’s exactly what i did!

XOXOXO– part 2 will come later ( post race delicacies were delicious!!!)