Birthday Half Marathon

If you have a birthday coming up, you may be thinking of what wonderful way you can spoil yourself and enjoy the day but I urge you to throw that aside, make a birthday shirt and run a race!  I may only be saying this because I want others to make silly decisions like I do!  This all seemed like a great idea 4 months ago but last Saturday when I woke up and heard the pouring rain there was one thing I wanted to do to celebrate launching into the last year of my twenties, and it was not go run a half marathon.

Running for cake and champagne!

Nevertheless I am stubborn so that is what I did.  I got my fantastic birthday shirt ready as well as my rain jacket and off I went to run Mayors Half Marathon to hear people wishing me a happy birthday for 13 miles.  The race started off like any other, wet and fast.  It was a large race with a lot of out of town folks so there was lots of puddle jumping (its cute they thought they would stay dry on this lovely summer solstice in Alaska) and picture taking.  We ran out on the coastal trail and I was feeling pretty good. Even after a couple hills I was really starting to think, "I got this running thing, I may not be fast, but I get it...finally"  Well its nothing some awesome weather to knock your ego back into check.  After about mile 4 we turned onto a road out by our airport and directly into the wind.  It had to be 30-40mph, it was nuts.  The wind made the rain hurt when it smacked you in the face so we all became hunched runners in garbage bags.  It was a sight!  I am sure I was not the only one relieved when we finally turned onto the connector trail that was to link the road running to the paved trail running, but this trail had its own fun to come.

Fun in the mud

Along with a lot of rain, this train had already experienced about 1300 people before me.  It was a mud pit!  I was really surprised, some people were ticked, others just laughed, many more slid down the huge mud hills while their friends climbed through the devils club along the trails edge.  If the name didn't explain it, you don't want to touch devils club....ever.  It was crazy! As soon as I got out of there and hollered a happy cheer to be on paved trail the running mass stopped again for a moose.  Slightly concerned by the fact people were taking selfies with the animal from very close proximities I ran on. 

I have no idea how those people ran the whole race in ponchos!

At this point around mile 8 I started to feel the nagging pain from my 12 mile blister turned injured hip situation from a couple weeks before but overall I was still going strong.  I made it all the way until mile 11 when my body decided it was done.  I then spent two miles thinking things like, "should I go to a physical therapist?  Crap I signed up for another one of these next month!  I hate hills.  Crap I signed up for a mountain race in August, what was I thinking?"  Then the best thought of all - "who are these happy people running by me at mile 12?  Whey do they look so refreshed?"  It took me a few to realize that these are the marathoners who have run 25 miles in just over three hours, damn them for looking so peppy on this freaking hill! 

Thank goodness I can stop running and eat cake!

As I ended the half - on a hill because all races end on hills, sadistic race directors - I seriously wanted to cry.  I'm not sure if it was relief or pain or what, but I just hugged my husband and bit my lip because nobody wants a sobbing birthday girl!  The race for the most part a lot of fun.  I received many birthday wishes, some songs, and a few people who asked me what the hell I was thinking when I signed up for this race.  Since I don't learn lessons well I am making the public declaration that next year, the day before my 30th birthday it will be me and 26 miles of fun.  Yes I am ready to do a full.  By the end of this season I will have run 5 half marathons, a 16 mile trail race and 5 triathlons, I think its time for the full experience.  So next year I will be out there crying it out over 26 miles of moose, trails and hopefully not rain!

Finishers!