Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon San Antonio

I crossed the half marathon finish line at Rock ‘N’ Roll San Antonio! My race day alarm woke me up at 5:40 am and I was up in a second. I’m already a light sleeper, but when I’m nervous or excited I wake up at the first sound of my alarm so easily. I struggle waking up at 7:20 for my 8:00 am class, but 5:40 am on race day? Piece of cake! I chilled my hydration flasks in ice and let them get cold as I ate my usual: honey nut cheerios, yogurt, banana, lots of water. Before I knew it, it was time for me to make my french braid and head out.

The Hilton I stayed at was basically 2 feet away from the start line so I walked to my corral number (4 out of 23!) and patiently waited for my wave to start. And then go time! I struggle finding a pace, so I decided to follow this woman. She was at least 60 years old and hauling a** as my brother would say. To my surprise, I kept up with her until I lost her around mile 3 (she probably knew I was following her!). I managed to hold the woman’s pace throughout the race, which was awesome! I felt physically strong, yet weak as I was overwhelmed with emotion. It is one of the most incredible things to see strangers, volunteers, families, just standing along side the course or outside their homes cheering you on. They probably only know a runner or two and are not there to cheer me on specifically, yet the crowds make me feel like a superstar!

It was so foggy when the race started and I could feel a drop here or there, but come mile 6, the rain fell so hard! Ya’ll, I was NOT prepared for this turn of events. The majority of my training is on a treadmill, so in my mind, rain was not even a possibility. I went with it (not that I had a choice) and I had so much fun running in the rain. The leaves were falling, I was in a beautiful park, and I was smiling so big, everything was perfect! My heart was so full that I couldn’t help but thank our creator for allowing me to present in that moment. Then, the moment was over and the rain stopped just as quickly as it started. I was kind of relieved since my contacts were starting to dry out, and that’s when I noticed my shoes and socks were drenched! There was not a dry spot on my body and all I could see on the road ahead of me were giant puddles of water. Somehow, I didn’t let it bother me and I kept on running the last 7 miles with heavy shoes (again, I didn’t have a choice).

The run went by SO fast, at least in comparison to all the time I spent thinking about it. Every few miles there was a mile marker saying we were at (for example) 9 miles. Well, I misunderstood those mile markers. To my understanding, the number of miles meant I was going to start mile 9, but it really meant I had already finished mile 9. I know what you’re thinking, “it’s only a mile, why does it matter?” Trust me, I agree with you! BUT, I saw mile marker 13 and I was prepared to start sprinting for the last mile but the race was over. I was so disappointed! It was so anticlimactic, and I felt so silly for misunderstanding the signs. The disappointment quickly turned into excitement as I realized I beat my personal record by 9 minutes!!! I ran 13.1 miles in 1:50 (1 hr 50 min) and I could not be more proud of myself. I LOVE running and I can’t wait for my next half marathon!

Thank you so much for reading and stopping by! I know today was a long one, but I appreciate you following along!

XO, Vivian