i'm only half crazy. a.k.a. i ran a half marathon!

About 5 months ago, all the way back in March, I wrote a short blog post about my new pair of running shoes. 

I also announced that I was going to run a half marathon for the first time. 

After 5 long months of early morning runs, sweaty afternoon runs, long canyon runs, short runs in between, pumping iron at the gym, and convincing myself not to back out, I did it! I ran a half marathon for the first time! And so did Ammon! That's one more thing crossed off on the marriage bucket list.

We ran the Little Grand Canyon half with my chums Allissa and Rachelle. Mark was our photographer, cheerleader, and chauffeur. (So that's why there aren't any pictures of him.) Thanks Mark!

Before running my race, I only had two goals in mind:

1. Run the whole thing. No stopping to walk. Only stopping to grab a drink of water.

&

2. Run it in under 2 hours.

It was my first half marathon, so I didn't know what to expect. 

*Keep reading to see if I met my goals!*

 (haha, as if you're that interested.)

My besties. They are all way faster than me. But I still love them.

Bright sun.

Cuties

And we're off! Yeah... it's in the middle of nowhere. 

Oh there's me just running ahead of everyone. Ha. Just kidding, I'm behind everyone.
But don't worry, my trusty i-pod stuck with me the whole time. :)

Allissa and Rachelle booking it. 

 After running and running through canyon walls, alternating between sun and shade, uphills and downhills, we finally made it to the finish line:

Ammon. 1:40:11

Rachelle. 1:41:38

Allissa. 1:49:34

 My finish line picture was uh... accidentally deleted? Actually, someone stepped in front of the camera so we got this one instead:

Me. 1:59:17. That's right! Under 2 hours. (barely.) Boom baby!

Cuties again.

My official time card. 

I'm holding onto these babies the rest of my life.
Oh, and the leaves are because it's almost Fall. I'm seriously so excited.

As for my goals, I achieved the first one. The one where I said I wouldn't stop to walk. But only barely. The last mile was seriously the hardest thing I've ever done. It was miserably hot, my body had been running for almost 2 hours straight, and I couldn't see the finish line until the very end. It is mentally difficult to keep going if you can't see where you finally get to stop. The only thing that kept me from stopping to walk, was knowing that I would finish sooner if I kept running.  

The second goal, I also achieved. Again, barely. But hey! I met my goals and I'm proud of myself. I may not be as fast as my friends or my husband, but I still did it. Oh! And not to mention, that I also worked a 9.5 hour shift as a waitress, without a break, that night. Just call me wonder woman. haha. 

My legs are still sore and the tops of my toes are bruised (not sure why) but besides that, I feel great. And I don't feel guilty taking it easy for a week or two. Or three. Or maybe even four?