Run, Missy, Run!

What an April it's been so far! First weekend Gators win ANOTHER National Championship! Second weekend we get MARRIED! Third weekend, I run another half marathon - and I rock it!
I was so caught up with wedding-ness that I almost totally forgot about the half marathon this past weekend. So much that I totally forgot to run at all last week to sort of "warm up" for it. Oh well. So we had to get there obnoxiously early on Sunday - the race started at 7am - and yet again, it was freezing - literally - it was 32 degrees. But at least it wasn't snowing like last year at the start of this race. :) I already knew I could finish a 1/2 marathon - I'd done it before so really had nothing to prove to myself there. I also made one in under 2 hours so I really had nothing to prove to myself there either. So I decided to be a moron and go out totally fast - much faster then I was prepared for or had trained for. I figured I'd run a few quick miles and worse case, I'd have to walk a few and it wouldn't be the end of the world - like I said, I had nothing to lose on this one. :) So I lined up with the people running 8:48 miles (yes, I can run a mile that fast - but not 13.1 of them). The first mile we ran in 8:30 and the second was about the same. Usually I'm feeling great until about mile 7 - not this one - everything after about 1/2 mile hurt - my lungs hurt, my legs hurt, I just hurt. But I pushed on, mindlessly putting one foot in front of the other staring at this group of girls in front of me. Before I knew it I had run 7 miles with them in exactly one hour. At that point I realized that even if I ran every remaining mile at 10 minutes each (slowish) then I'd still beat 2 hours. That pumped me up. But then I got a cramp and had to really bite my lip for the next three miles. Usually at mile 10 I can kick it up a notch and run fast the last three miles - not this one - it was all I could do those last three miles to keep my head up and put one foot in front of the other. It was a tough one but I kept telling myself to just push myself for 2 hours and it would all be over soon. And it was. I finished in my fastest time ever - chip time of 1:53! If you go here and type in Raffensperger as the last name (my first race as a Raffensperger!) then I pop up! Yeah me! Usually I'm not all about patting myself on the back, but this one I really feel proud of. Now I have to make the decision about the marathon or what to do next. . . .