13.1

I'm officially a half marathoner!

Last Saturday, I completed all 13.1 miles of the Camp Chingachgook Half Marathon at Lake George, New York. The route runs from the south end of the lake up along the eastern edge, with beautiful scenic views and rolling hills the entire length. Growing up, we visited my grandparents at their home on Lake George almost every summer and Christmas break. Since I graduated from college, my trips have been less frequent but more treasured each time. When I discovered the Camp Chingachgook Half Marathon happened to coincide with our short lake vacation this year, I was thrilled! I'd be running at one of my favorite places on earth, and my family would be there to cheer me on!

The race course was along a road that remained open to traffic for the whole event. Although it was mildly annoying to keep an eye out for cars, it was very convenient for my adoring fans. My mom and dad followed in their rental car, cheering each time they passed and stopping a little ahead of me several times to hop out and cheer me on with their colorful posters. I particularly loved the acrostic poem of my name where they added a new word at each of their cheering spots along the route! Dan also followed along and staggered his stops so I had someone cheering for me almost every mile! Here's a little recap of my race:

Mile 1: Feeling great! All my anxiety about getting injured and not making it to this day is already melting away. The weather is bright and beautiful, but a little warmer than I'd like. Spotting a bald eagle overhead energized me for the first of many, many hills.

Miles 2-5: Feeling good! Hanging out near the back of the pack. Slowly picking off people one by one on the uphills. Glad I trained on the hills at home!

Miles 6-9: Feeling okay. A little tired, and a little overheated. Survived the biggest hill! Gramma and Grampa and all my siblings popped up at mile 8 to cheer me on!

Miles 10-12: Ugh. So many hills. Slowing down a bit and walking here and there. I thought it would be downhill/flat after mile 11.5. It was not. Hills the ENTIRE time!

Mile 13: The longest mile of my LIFE! Running purely on willpower; still passing people!

Mile 13.1: AAAARRRRGHHHH!!!! Finished! Total time 2:26:39, for an average pace of 11:11 minutes/mile. Almost collapsed at the finish line, but I DID IT! I used up all my energy, and left nothing on the course. So proud to have finished and so happy to be done!

I was feeling pretty crummy at the end and shakily climbed down into the refreshingly cool lake. After a few touch-and-go moments from drinking too much water too fast, my stomach settled out and I was able to nibble a hot dog at the post-race cookout in the camp shelter. I donned my medal (a bright pink Camp Chingachgook cowbell) and took a photo with my fan club and their posters.

Crossing the finish line was the completion of my 300th mile since I started training in April. Since 300 miles is approximately the distance from my house to The Windy City, my family even made a poster for the end of the race saying, "Welcome to Chicago!" (which hopefully didn't confuse the other runners too much).

That evening back at the condo, my family threw a little party with streamers and cupcakes to celebrate my race and my cousin Matthew's birthday. My parents gave me a card and a little silver necklace stamped with 13.1 that has been repurposed into a charm for my collection! Even Charlie was excited for me; My friend Kathy who was taking care of him this week texted this photo Saturday evening. Probably one of my all-time favorite texts!

Finally, because I am an engineer and I like data, here's some graphs detailing my training and race:

I have lots more to share from our trip, but will save that for another day. I'll have plenty of time to spend sorting and editing my photos as I recover and reduce my training schedule!