500 Festival Mini Marathon 2014

I have lived in Indianapolis for 13 years and I have always admired over 30 thousand people running 500 Festival Mini Marathon. Last year while sitting on my couch, drinking coffee and watching the news coverage of the Mini I decided that enough is enough and that I want to do it! I wanted to experience the thrill of running through the streets of Indianapolis and feel the goose bumps while running on the Indy 500 track. That day I signed up to take part in the largest half marathon in the US, not knowing that we will have the worst winter ever and I will be going through ICore in the Spring. I was very excited even though I did not have any time to train for 13.1 miles. This year the race took place on May 3rd and I started that day very early. I had my coffee and a bagel to give me an extra carb boost. We arrived downtown around 7 am to make sure we had a place to park.  As crowds were getting bigger my excitement and nerves were increasing also. I took my spot in the Corral T and we started walking towards the start line. At around 8:45 I crossed the start line and the race started. First 3 miles were pretty slow as it was hard to go around people because of the crowding. 5k into the race I had to take a potty break :) As we were approaching Indianapolis Motor Speedway I was very surprised to see so many spectators cheering us on. The energy and excitement was very high. Running on the track was an amazing experience. I did not kiss the bricks but I did take a picture of my shoes stepping on the brick :)

Once I hit the 10 mile marker I started feeling tired but the worse part was the last mile stretch of New York Street. So close to the finish line but it felt like forever. I finished the Mini Marathon with a time of 2 hours and 20 minutes. I guess it's not too bad for being my first half marathon but I was still a little disappointed for not finishing it sooner. Overall it was an amazing experience and I will do it again next year...oh yeah as soon as I cross the start line my hubby sent me a text message saying that he signed me up for next year :) I guess now I have to do it ;) I am a one lucky girl to have a husband that supports my healthy habit.

I did it!!!!!

Indianapolis Women's Half Marathon and 5K

Wow! What a race this was! I signed up for 5K since Ewelina was running it with me and she just now got into running. I didn't really know what to think about it at first. I am kind of skeptic when it comes to races that charge you extra for a T-shirt. Not that I really want another cotton shirt added to my collection but a lot of times when you are being charged extra for additional race accessories it kind of makes you wonder about the organization of the race itself. As the race was approaching I was getting more and more excited. This was a very unique event. Only women were allowed to race. It also felt special since Ewelina was running it with me. Sharing this special moment with my best friend made it AWESOME! We arrived downtown around 7:15 am...yes Ewelina was not very happy about it...she is not an early bird :) Half marathoners started at 7:30 and 5K started 10 minutes later. My Garmin watch did not find location until about half a mile into the race...love my Garmin don't get me wrong but if I forget to start it early sometimes it takes forever to get a signal...it's frustrating!! Ewelina kept up with me for about half a mile and after that she fell behind and found her own pace. The weather was not our friend. At 7:40 it was already humid and hot. First mile went ok but I sure was glad when I saw a water station at mile one marker. The water was warm but it tasted soooo good. I made it to mile two and achieved my goal of passing two women in front of me. Yeah I do that during any races I participate in. It helps me run faster somehow :) Mile two was also a Gatorade station which definitely tasted great! At that point I knew I have to give it my all with only one more mile left. As the sun was coming up it started burning more and more but I knew I will be able to maintain my under 9 minute a mile pace. Finally I saw a finish line...that's when you get the final boost of adrenaline and start running like a zombie was chasing you. There was a woman running right in front of me that I decided to beat to the finish line...well I think she got the same idea as soon as she saw me coming :) In the end I think she beat me by 0.3 second. When I finished I picked up my medal, rose and water of course! I hang out at the finish line waiting for Ewelina. Finally she made it! She beat her personal record and so did I. Post party was a lot of fun as well. There was a band called The Lemon Brothers Band which provided entertaiment. Those young band members were very good and fun! We had chocolate milk, fruit, sandwiches...and then free beer :) Our final official results were: Ewelina 32:12 at an average pace 10:23, I finished at 27:07 at 8:45 minute a mile pace. We were both happy with our results. We had a lot of fun and I hope we can run another race together again soon. 

I love the medal!!! It's my first one and I hope this is a beginning to a big collection :)

Shamrock Run 2013

On Saturday, March 16th I participated in my first 4 mile run Shamrock Run. I was a little scared to do it because that's a little longer distance than what I normally do. It was a cold Saturday morning in downtown Indy. We got there pretty early and had a coffee at Starbucks. There is nothing better than an extra bust of energy before the run than hot, freshly brewed cup of Starbucks coffee :)

Race was scheduled to start at 10 am. I really couldn't wait because it was really chilly ( I don't think Spring will ever come this year, it's crazy that on March 16 the temperature is 32 degrees....I want Spring!!!! ) and I wanted to start moving :)

Run finally started and I started off pretty fast. That probably was not a good idea because at mile 1 I got a cramp in my left side. Oh that was painful but I pulled it through and did not give up. I was able to regulate my breath and it got a little better. At mile 3 I had to slow down because I got a cramp on my right side. I guess my body was just not ready for this race. :( I was able to finish with a great pride because regardless of all the pain I made it to the finish line in 38 minutes and 24 seconds. That is way better than I expected.

I was so proud of myself and I am ready to participate in more races this year. I think I became addicted to running :) Next race this coming Saturday...5 mile trail run...Oh I cannot wait....