My First Race

Its a long time since I updated. You might have thought id given up writing my blog entries or even given up running... not a chance, Ive not had time to blog but I have had time to run.

My sister & brother in law have just gone home after a week long visit to see me with their 3 children & as everyone with children will know, it's hard to find time to do much except entertain the little darlings. I loved every minute of it though & although it was a hectic week it was sad to see them all leave. That's the price I have to pay though for living away i guess.
Meg is 6, Lewis is 2 & Aimèe is 1 so they all have their little personalities. Meg is as bright as a button & very caring toward her younger siblings. Sometimes it's hard to believe she's only 6 as she is so mature & helps her Mum with the little ones. Lewis is a typical 2 years old boy but only in the sense that he is always on the go & getting into mischief, as strangely enough he also has a girly side to him in that he likes to dress up in his big sisters clothes & play with Barbie dolls. I even bought him one on his visit as that was his chosen toy. Aimèe is only 1 so is not walking or talking yet but she too has her own character. She is very calm & laid back & to be honest, you forget she's there sometimes.
It was a great week, filled with trips to the zoo, bowling & kids play area's, my sister & her husband also got to have a couple of nights out on the town while I was more than willing to babysit.
Regardless of a busy week Phil & I still managed to get out for our runs, weekly & long, although the weekly runs felt like I hadn't even done them as where they would usuallyhighlight my day, they were overshadowed by my fun with the children. Our long run however, was the hightlight of my Saturday. We ran the Dublin Half Marathon

Now I won't bore you/ myself with all the details as I have already written a full blog entry about it & somehow managed to lose it! (i was actually going to quit my blog altogether after that but Phil persuaded me otherwise)

The day of the race Phil & I were up before anyone in the apartment (even before Aimèe)having a good breakfast of porridge & banana, a breakfast I would usually finish with pleasure but this time nerves had gotten the better of me & I had to force it down. I didn't ponder on that thought too long however as we were running late to register so off we set to Castleknock College.

We didn't actually know were the college was so we just followed the crowds of athletic looking people out of the park & hoped we would end up in the right place. We did. We got there with enough time to register, walk with the crowds into the park & soak up the atmosphere before it was time to head for the starting line.

At the starting line there was quite a few people, 3398 others, and I was starting to get nervous again, though my nerves were mixed with excitement this time.
10am came & I was feeling anxious to start. There was about 5 minutes before the starting pistol was fired, but it felt like much longer. Eventually the crowd started to move forward. The race had begun.

For the first mile of the race I was too busy in awe of my surroundings to think about running or distance. I was amazed at how many runners there actually is in Dublin compared to how many I see while training. I wondered if there are more fit & determined people in Dublin than I thought or was this just the reality of the secret world I am now living in.
All around me where runners of all different ages, shapes & sizes, and even one runner I saw was running with his child in a pram!
Eventually my amazement turned into concentration as I began to memorise runners that were along side myself & Phil. I wanted to remember them in hope that I would see them again in a few miles to come.
There was one woman runner that stayed in my mind as she was with us pretty much most of the way, occasionally losing her behind or ahead & then seeing her again. She wore a brown top.

For the first mile Phil & I missed the "mile 1" marker, probably through lack of concentration on distance & more on looking at fellow runners, but we found "mile 2" & Phil was happy to tell me that we had completed the first 2 miles in exactly 20 minutes... perfect for our 10 minute mile pace. We kept this pace all round the course, give or take a few seconds, and it was a comfortable pace which I was more than happy about.

Come about mile 6/7 when we were on our first lap of the course the leaders caught up with us on their second lap. Sandis Bralitis who won the race was the first to pass us & for a while the only leader to pass us. He was clearly ahead of anyone else at mile 11. Though by mile 13.1 the runner in 2nd place was hot on his tale, only a minute behind.
I was amazed watching the leaders pass us. They made it look like a walk in the park.

At the end of the first lap we spotted a work friend in the crowd so she cheered us on which was a great help as we had no one else there to support us.

Most of the course was run smoothly & I enjoyed running very much, but by mile 12 my mind was taking over & telling my body it was tired, even though my body knew full well that wasn't the case, and so my pace slowed a little leaving me lagging behind Phil. I started to feel a little defeated by this point but then suddenly out of nowhere I spotted the woman in the brown top & the closer we got to mile 13 the more i thought "come on Sarah, you can beat her". No offense to this lady, I wasn't trying to out run her to show off, but rather to spur me on. She still had a bit of life left in her & I thought if I can get past her I can get to the finish line sooner.
At mile 13 just as this thought was in my head, the girl from work started to cheer my name. This gave me the boost I needed, my legs took on a life of their own & I powered forward with Phil toward & across the finish line. I felt great! and what's more, once over the line I felt like I could run further.

Phil & I spent a few minutes wandering round after we crossed the finish line, we re hydrated & went to look for our work friend to say thank you. We did not find her but have since thanked her for her much needed support.
I just hope that I have plently of support for the full marathon as it does make a lot of difference. My parents are coming over to watch us so I know that will be the biggest help & best form of support. I hope to make them proud.

So that was my first race & in a little over 4 weeks I will be competing in my second. I am really looking forward to feeling that same thrill & excitment again, though I am sure it will be magnified in comparison.

Wish us luck!