The Half

July 12th, 6 a.m. -- the start of my first half marathon -- a little recap:

Let's start off with July 11th, packet pickup day. I parked on the outskirts of downtown (I'm still not driving downtown Missoula), pulled Cash's stroller out and got him all situated. Off we went. Clear downtown, searching and searching for this big 'pavilion' where I was to pick up my packet and Heather's. Hmmm....not seeing anything. I hate downtown Missoula. We stop in at Runner's Edge where I am informed that the pavilion is less than a block from where I parked. Perfect. Back we go. I get to the packet pickup area and am instantly in awe. This is HUGE! Here I thought I was just going to run with a few people around Missoula. Turns out there was over 2000 applicants between the full, half and relay. Wow! Now I'm nervous! I grabbed mine and Heather's packet (she wasn't able to run due to an injury....bum deal -- we're planning a Whitefish 1/2 marathon in Sept) -- that was the most expensive t-shirt I've ever bought. $65 entry fee, a few papers with other races, an 'around Missoula' magazine, a postcard and a t-shirt. Okay, maybe there were a few more things in there, but that's all I remember. Ouch. Is this really going to be worth it???

Cash and I hung out at home to make sure that I wasn't too tired to run 13.1 miles. I don't know that staying home made it that much easier, but I'm sure glad I did....minus the s'mores that I ate for my prerace meal. Oops. We really can't have that stuff in our house, I have no self control at all!

Race day:

3:50 am -- get up, start the coffee (praying it'll help get things moving before the race). Think about showering....throw that idea out, I'm running 13.1 miles....all I'm going to do is sweat more, what's the point of getting cleaned up just to do it again in a few hours? Throw a little water on my face and start drinking coffee. Make a protein shake and drink more coffee. Get a text from Heather saying she's not going to make it. Darn....I don't want to ride the bus by myself. I'm a baby. Grab my music player....thought I was charging it last night, turns out I just ran the battery down to next to nothing. Hell, how am I going to run with no tunes? Make a deal with myself: tunes for the last 2 miles to get excited about finishing and maybe help pick up the pace. Deal.

4:30 am -- get in the car and back out the driveway, maybe a little reluctantly. Am I really doing this? Nobody's even up, not even Rudy (the rooster). Ugh. Okay, I can do this. Turn on the radio and drink more coffee.....sing (loudly) to Blues Brothers "Minnie the Moocher". Getting pumped up now.

5:00 am -- pull into downtown, park the old car. Run into a god awful amount of people. Wow, this is REALLY huge! Walk past a guy that's passed out, head between his knees, hat sitting askew on his head, puddle of puke. Wow, could be worse....all I'm doing is running 13.1 miles. Get on the 1/2 marathon bus, now it's serious. I'm really going to the start line. Yikes!

5:30 am -- get off the bus, still praying for the coffee to kick in. Looks like I'm going to be running on a belly of coffee and some protein shake....and no pooping. Okay, maybe this is a bit much, but I was really stressed about this. Do you know how hard it is to run when you have to poop, especially if you have 2 miles before the next aid station?!? Chatted with some friends at the start....waited and waited for the race to start.

5:55 am -- made my way to the back of the line, where the slow people start....no joke. They never made that announcement, but they did ask the faster runners to go to the front and that only leaves one spot for the slow pokes!

6:00 am -- BOOM!!! The starting cannon goes off. I stand there.....a little longer.....a little longer....okay, let's walk a little. Hmmm....I always thought the start was going to be so much more exciting, but try getting 1400 people to move at 6 am and see what happens. I finally cross the starting line and I'm stuck. I can't do anything but run behind people. All I want is my own little section to run in. I finally pass a few people and take the edge of the road. Not too bad.

What a beautiful morning! The weather was just perfect, we ran along the river, over the 1 car bridge, through the city of Missoula. I loved it! I was running 13.1 miles when most people were still sleeping. I would be done before most people rolled out of bed.....before that guy with the puke puddle even came to from his night of boozing. Hard core.

Mile 1 -- This is easy. I wish this old lady would stop passing me, then walking, then I pass her, then she passes me and walks. Okay, if this keeps up the entire time I'm going to have to kick it in high gear and get around her. Do I have a 'high gear'?

Mile 2 -- Can't shake the old lady....focus on the beauty of the run. Waiting to see a moose, some deer....nothing. Oh well, saw an eagle and some mosquitos. Still amazingly beautiful.

Mile 3 -- Old lady is gone, run with a girl from Fargo, ND. Her and her husband ran the 1/2 in Fargo a few months ago. She said she was trying to run it in under 2 hours and 38 minutes. I'm keeping up....I can do this. She's gone within a minute. Okay, it'll take me a little longer!

Mile 4 -- Aid station somewhere in there. Really doing just fine, not feeling bad at all and my breathing is great. I love running!

Mile 5 -- Same old, same old. Still feeling good. Did I really just run 5 miles?!? Wow. I'm a professional! Ran next to a guy that looked like he was straight out of the military. Got sick of him too.....run slow, then speed past, then run slow. Am I just a rag when I'm running? Everything is frustrating me! Just let it go and run.

Mile 6/7 -- 'Running' next to a guy that's walking. Me: "You're a really fast walker or I'm a really slow runner!" Him: "It's New York, the average American walks 4 mph and the average New Yorker walks 4.5 mph". To myself: "I'm really slow!"...as he passes me.....walking. Have I hit my 'stride', if so, I'm going to have to work on that one.

Mile 8/9 -- Starting to get tired, trying not to pick up the guy's pace behind me. He's a 'shuffler' and all I can hear is his feet hitting the pavement. It takes all I have to concentrate on my own pace! Wish I hadn't run the battery out on my tunes....it was surprisingly nice to run without tunes and enjoy the sounds of the city and of 1400 people on the run. No tunes for me today, not even the last 2 miles. Get passed by the first marathon finisher....like I'm standing still. Amazing. Someday.....

Mile 9/10 -- Pass a guy that's looking rough, tell him he's doing great, we're almost there. He scoffs and says, "we still have 3 + miles". Okay, no more encouragement for him. Maybe he'll stop at the next aid station and hitch a ride back. I wouldn't feel bad. Way to bring a person down! 3 + miles. That's a long way. Not as long as 10 miles though. I RAN 10 miles! My goal was to run the entire thing and I'm not stopping now.

Mile 11 -- Are we there yet? This is a long way! Am I crazy to run like this? My knees and my foot hurt. Should've bought those new shoes when I said I was going to (bought them 2 weeks after the race, they feel good now!). Run through sprinklers, there's people sitting on the corners cheering us on, cops out stopping traffic. I'm a runner!

Mile 12 -- I hope the boys are at the finish line, this show is almost over. A guy passes me and tells the people on the sidewalk that he's ready for a beer. It's around 8:30. No....beer's not going to do it. I want corned beef hash with pancakes and a giant orange juice. I've gotta run faster, I'm starving!

Mile 13 -- I can hear the crowd cheering, the guy on the microphone, I can see balloons. Round the corner, coming up Higgins. Pass a guy with a giant cinnamon roll. Holy God! These people just got out of bed, I've been running for over 2 and 1/2 hours. I'm a runner! Coming over the bridge....where are my boys?!? There they are!!!! Yipee!! I think there were a few tears. I hear the guy call out my name, the crowd's cheering....for me? Run over and give Cash a high five, Brent yells some words of encouragement and I cross the finish line at 2 hours and 49 minutes. That took a LONG time! Doug's there too! Some lady hands me a bag and a water and directs me to the back of the finish area. The place is packed, everyone's full of smiles and congrats. I run into 2 girls I trained with, we hug and give big pats on the back. Watch a guy get wheelchaired out, sad....glad I could do this and still function afterwards. Get my time and it's time to go eat. I'm a runner.

When's the next one?

Post race:

We went to IHOP and ate an ungodly amount of food, then went to watch Tawni ride for another hour or so and headed home. Once we were home, Brent took over as dad of the year and watched Cash so that I could sit in the hot tub and get some much needed rest. Iced my knees.....a lot. I couldn't believe how sore I was! I figured I'd be sore, but my knees were really killing me! Now here I am, 2 weeks later. I went for a few mile run this morning (5 am) and felt okay, but questioned if I ever really finished that 1/2 marathon. I'm going straight home to hold my medal, just to prove it to myself. My knees are feeling better, my foot is still sore, but getting better every day. Next 1/2 marathon (only if my foot and knees are better) will be September 13th. I sure hope I can make it -- this is a lot more fun than I could've ever imagined! Happy trails!

**Click on the highlighted words for links to pictures of the race!