20 things I learned from my first half-marathon

1) Be sure to check the driving directions to the race start before you're on your way there.

2) When you get to the start with only ten minutes to spare, pay attention to what you are doing! That way, you won't have to sprint back up a huge hill and unlock your car with the key tied to your shoe just because you FORGOT TO TAKE OFF YOUR WARM-UP PANTS. All of that hilly sprinting, and getting to the starting line two minutes late, will not make you feel very confident and you'll already be out of breath before you even get started!

3) Running beneath Crazy H0rse Monument at sunrise is so amazing, it will get you right back on track no matter how much your start sucked.

4) It's good NOT to know beforehand that these are the kind of hills you'll be running up and down for the first three miles. Some things are just better left as a surprise.
5) It's okay to slow down when you truly think the 75ish year old man running right next to you is going to fall and hurt himself after you both lost a little equilibrium on a direct turn-around on a big hill.

6) When you get to the bottom of the hill and are stabilized, you will be really pissed that you slowed down for that old guy when he sprints ahead of you at a hundred miles an hour - and then you see that he has the body of Arn0ld Schw@rzenegger.

7) Be sure to have a really good playlist so that it allows you to quickly forget about any mildly humiliating situations (see #6).

8) You shouldn't wear rings when going long distances, because around mile 6 your hands will look like they belong to the Mich*elin Man. If you do wear a ring, occasionally check to make sure your finger isn't turning purple. It is also a good idea to skip the port-a-potty stop at mile 8 only because those hands don't work very well and it's nearly impossible to pull your shorts back up.

9) If you run with your nose really, really, really high in the air, you might worry that people think you are being snobby - but, it's easier to breathe when the wind can fly straight into your nostrils.

10) Running mostly downhill is both a blessing and a curse.

11) Perfect weather is a gift. Thank you Mother Nature!!!

12) My right knee does NOT like half-marathons. At all.

13) Neither does my right second toe.

14) I was disappointed in how much I had to walk.

15) I was proud of how much I ran.

16) Immediately following the race you'll feel great...but watch out. About an hour afterward, the nausea kicks in and you feel like you are going to hurl for the rest of your life. It only lasts about an hour, and then you'll be ready for beer and nachos.

17) Going site-seeing several hours after the race is a good idea. If you don't keep moving, there is hell to pay.
18) Making it a girls trip instead of a family vacation is really, really smart. Nobody to worry about except yourself - and if you do need something, you have someone watching out for you.

19) Support from friends and family is everything. Thank you to everyone who believed that I could do it - especially my training partner Tiffany and our biggest encourager, Nikole (who placed 1st in half my time - she rocks!) Love you guys!

20) I'm not as fit as I could be, but I can still challenge myself and do something that I never expected! My goal was to finish in 3 hours. My actual chip time was 2:41:27 (which includes the dysfunctional-hands rest stop!)

Considering this was my first official race (I've walked two 5k's), and that my training was completely pathetic, I'm very happy with how I did. I didn't rank impressively, but I don't care. I had a fabulous time and I'm even considering doing it again. I have some healing to do first, and then we'll see.

Here are my stats, if anyone is interested:
Gun time: 2:43:35
Chip time: 2:41:27
Pace (average time per mile): 12:19
Division (30-39): 20 of 24
Gender: 118 of 154
Overall: 198 of 239