One Hour and Fifty Six Minutes = One Happy Christmas Tree

#28 on my list of things to do this year is to run a half marathon in less than two hours. Last year I ran the Provo Halloween Half Marathon in 2:12.  Yesterday I ran that same half marathon again. I ran with my mom and my sister, as well as a couple of friends.  My mom, Ashley and I dressed up as Christmas Trees for the race. We even entered the costume contest. A lot of people loved our costumes.  It was funny to run 13.1 miles as a Christmas Tree.

Me, Ash and Mom

I was a bit nervous for the run because I didn't do a lot of training. But I really really really wanted to finish in under two hours.  I did hike a lot the past couple of months and I would say that really helped. The first five miles of the run were very downhill and I ran pretty fast those first five miles.  I ran my first mile in barely less than seven minutes!  Once we finish the down hill part we had eight miles that were pretty level, or slightly downhill. It was a BEAUTIFUL run along the Provo Canyon.

At mile nine I hit a wall and did not want to go any further. I told myself that I would go to mile 10 and then let myself walk for awhile.  I kept looking for mile 10 and it never came. I felt like mile 9 was the LONGEST mile ever!  Then, when I was about to give up and cry, all of a sudden I was at mile 11! They had not posted mile 10 and when I hit mile 11 I realized I only had two miles left.  It was a tough two miles, but I had about 25 minutes to do those two miles if I wanted to stay under two hours.  I pushed myself, told myself that I was strong and that my body could do anything, and crossed the finish line at 1:56.01!!!

Crossing that finish line felt so good. I couldn't believe I had reached my goal and I was so grateful that my body was able to accomplish what I had asked it to do. I wanted to pass out after I crossed the finish line and my legs felt like jello. I grabbed some water and a bunch of fruit and walked around for a few minutes before stopping to stretch. My dad at the finish line to cheer us on, as well as my brother and sister-in-law and my niece. It was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect for a run and I was one happy little Christmas Tree!