GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!

It took 3 hours and 14 minutes, but I did it. I completed the VA Beach Rock and Roll Half Marathon.

When the challenge was first issued to me I thought I was insane for accepting. Then running 3 miles a few times a week became much easier as did increasing my long runs on the weekends. But trouble for the training program hit. With being out for a few weeks recovering from surgery and an injured knee/ankle I did not know if I would be able to resume my training program, let alone complete the half marathon.

Two weeks before the race I was back out again training running and walking intervals. Five miles was the most I could do....not good. The weekend prior to the race I went out and attempted a 9-10 mile run/walk to see how I would do and what the time looked liked.

It was fair.

Then came race day...so I was out there ready to do my best with two goals in mind: completing the race, and not being the last person across the finish line.

So me and 20,000 of my closest friends lined up in different corals with a few Kenyans and other elite runners we started Sunday morning bright and early 6 AM at the start line! The race officially started at 7AM.

I was going to try and run the first mile or two with the two other guys I new running...but they were just going to fast for me. So I kept my own pace and quickly noticed a guy running just a bit in front of me carrying an American Flag.

Running behind him and seeing the flag really kept me motivated. I walked through each water station, and had to stop once at a port-a-jon they had set up along the race.

My legs would start to get tired and I would want to walk but with everyone around me still running I knew I could go just a bit farther. I would still add in a minute or two of walking to help me keep up the running I wanted to do, and that helped considerably.

Then I realized I made it to mile 7 withough a full on walk (only a minute here and there of walking) This was the furthest I have ever done running!

Around mile 8 or 9 trouble hit.

My left knee started buckling and giving out. I wasn't able to keep up the running. By the 15K point there was nothing else I could do but walk.

Even walking my knee would give out and shooting pain would errupt. There were many times I did not think that I would be able to finish the race. Even with less than 4 miles to go. But I was not going to give up.

I kept pushing through and the race took us onto the VA Beach boardwalk for the last two miles. I could see where the finish line was ... getting to it proved to be a challenge. One foot in front of the other was all I could do.

The two guys I started racing with were there cheering me on just before the 13 mile marker. And once I hit that 13 mile marker I knew that I had to finish the race by running across the finish line.

Toughing it out was a thing I grew up doing playing sports. You get knocked down...you get right back up again ... that's what I did.

I toughed it out, kicked up my legs and ran across the finish line.

I DID IT!

Now I really need to get my head checked. I have it in my mind to get my body healthy again. Lose about 20 lbs of excess weight and start training again for the next half marathon. This time having the goals of running the entire race and completing it in under 3 hours - I would also like to be in the top 50 percentile of finishers.

With this race just over 16,000 people completed. I was about 14,000. But I finished, and I wasn't the last one across the finish line.

Goal Accomplished.