the end, or, in other words, the finish line

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Well, I did it. Today I ran my first half marathon. It was the first race I have ever signed up for, although I did later sign up to do a 5K and a 10K to help me prepare for the big half. Not sure running half marathons is really my thing. I brought my inhaler, so I never felt short of breath, and I didn't really hurt that bad during the run, but my legs started to feel like jelly, and I definitely got blisters. I also twisted my ankle about 5 times, because the course was over this prairie-long-grass-with-gopher-holes-and-deep-sand-and-mud type of turf.

I thought the course was really tough, and was really tempted to just walk (which I did for about a tenth of a mile, mainly to drink water or take my inhaler, but also just because) or just throw myself down on the ground and not get up. I did not give into the latter, even at the end. But I did promptly soak in an epsom salt bath and take a long nap.


I went with one of my good friends, Tammy, and her husband and brother-in-law. Not that I actually ran with them, because they have done half-marathons AND marathons before, so we clearly were not at the same ability level. But, they were the ones who convinced me to sign up for this ordeal. That, and the fact that I got an "End of the World Marathon" shirt were the real motivators for me.
We also got really big medals
I'd like to point out that apparently the calendars displayed on our shirts and medals are not actually Mayan or calendars, but rather an Aztec depiction of a sun god. The real Mayan calendar is a huge cog-looking thing. Oh well. I still think the shirt and medal are cool.

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