Half-Marathon COMPLETE. Mission Accomplished.

My ultimate goal since starting running back in January was to run a half-marathon.  I already achieved my short goal of 5K's and long term goal of 10K's and everything inbetween, which Ive always wanted to do, so I upped the anti, and signed us both up for the Graniteman, which was held in Sauk Rapids (St. Cloud area) this past weekend, Sept 8th.  The start of the race was a chilly 43 degrees (my hands/wrists, arms and legs were still numb halfway through) but ended in the 60's.  Yes, ended.  We survived it.  Official time was 2:17:15 and was good enough for Team Eichhorst to place 3rd in our division.  It was an amazing experience, including cheering squads, motivational signs, honks, cow bells, and high 5's along the way from complete strangers and kids.  Rush after rush after rush. What a high.  If we can do it, anyone can.  So anyone who has thought about running, do it...tie those shoelaces up because you'll never reget it. Aim high.  Sign up way in advance, nothing motivates you more.  The training sucks every ounce out of you but is totally worth it at the end (not to mention losing 20lbs while at it).  Not many people in the world that can say "I finished a half-marathon" or "a marathon", and I can proudly say that we have... and are now part of those elite groups. Mission Accomplished!
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And if the race that you're running have Pacers, don't be afraid to join in a group.  They are well trained accomplished marathoners who help you stay on pace or help you push yourself for better. They carry signs with the pace.  But they do go faster than the pace they have.  Minnesota has such a group called Minnesota Pacers Pace Team.

*Warning*...Be sure to look IN the cups at water stops along the way if your the kind of person who also pours water on your head to keep cool. You may end up with a Gatorade shower.  Stops carry BOTH Gatorade and water.  Listen wisely, cause I guess they ask which you want, which I was too busy listening to music and not them, so like any other race, I grabbed whatever I saw first.  Bad move. I poured Gatorade on me, thinking it was water.  But it was a great way to keep my mind off of running though...wondering where and what the fruity smell I kept smelling is coming from.