2:25:00 – that was the goal I had set for myself. That is an average pace of 11 minutes per mile. The pace of my first long training run was 11:25 minutes / mile. But a funny thing happens when you train. You get faster. And faster I got! But I’m not going to ruin the ending of this awesome story!

It started with an amazing carb loaded, pre-race dinner made by my fabulous Knight on Saturday evening!

I actually didn’t finish the entire plate, but I came close! Knight makes some yummy spaghetti and garlic bread!

After dinner, I got ready for the morning. The less I had to do half asleep the better!

I filled up my Ironman Handheld water bottle carrier thingy, put a Mint Chocolate Gu in the pouch. Laid out my freakin’ awesome running skirt, new Moving Comfort sports bra, heart rate monitor strap, running socks and shoes with the chip timer attached. I put in a bag my Road ID, my iPhone armband, my Timex heart rate monitor and compression socks. Who knew I needed so much stuff to run? (I’m using the term “needed” very loosely here.)

My alarm went off at 5:45am. I put my hair in pig tails and decided to rock one of my new custom Bondi Bands! (want one? $10 – they say Wild Child Gone Good, very cute! Email me!) I washed my face, sunscreened up (which felt odd when it was dark out), and got dressed. We headed over to the park and got there just after 6:30.

When they called the 5 minutes to race time, we headed over to the start line while I ate half my Mint Chocolate Gu.

I had my Runkeeper ready to go. Only because it was overcast, it couldn’t find a signal. Since it failed during some of my training runs, I didn’t really care if it worked or not. The gun went off and we tried to start running, only to have to stop because of the crowd in front of us. The super cool thing about this race was that your start time didn’t start with the gun, it started when you crossed the start line. By that time, I was running!

About 3 minutes in to the race, my Runkeeper said I had gone 1.3 miles. Then immediately said I had gone 2.4 miles. It was like she (the Runkeeper voice is a female voice) had tourettes or something. I turned off Runkeeper – but the playlist played on! I decided to hit the lap button every time I reached a mile marker.

Mile 1 – 9:45

Mile 2 – 9:32

Mile 3 – 9:45

Mile 4 – 9:45

Seriously? 4 miles each under 10 minutes per mile? Yowzas! I knew I needed to be careful because I didn’t want to start out too fast and then deplete my energy.  But I felt good, so I just kept on with what I was doing.

Mile 5 – 10:14

Mile 6 – 10:03

Mile 7 – 9:56

At mile 7 I ate the other half of my Mint Chocolate Gu. I still was feeling really strong. I noticed a couple things while I was running. I honestly was enjoying myself. Instead of just running with my head down, I looked around. I was running next to beautiful vineyards. (sorry I didn’t stop to take any pictures.) The entire run was along the Santa Rosa Creek, so the scenery was just gorgeous.

Mile 8 – 10:04

Mile 9 – 10:11

Mile 10 – 10:14

At this point I realized that I only have a 5K left and I’m done. There are several points during this that I just smiled because I was so happy. Happy to be running. Happy that my training had paid off. Another thing I noticed while I was running: My Inner Mean Girl does not like to run. I was full of positive energy. I was honestly and truly proud of myself. I also started thinking about how I wanted Carlos’ Country Kitchen for breakfast. Mmmmm breakfast!

Mile 11 – 10:18

I started feeling tired about now. Not really tired, but it was just something I noticed.

Mile 12 – 10:35

Mile 13 – 10:31

I saw this mile marker and started to well up with tears. I knew I had done it. I had completed a half marathon. I begged of myself to not cry. Please just wait until I crossed the finish line. I listened.

I turned that last corner and saw the finish time clock. I wasn’t wearing my glasses (or contacts), so I didn’t really believe the time until I got closer. The clock said 2:12:31 as I crossed the finish line. As the volunteer placed the finisher’s medal around my neck I couldn’t control myself any longer and I started crying.

After I composed myself, I sat down and put on my new compression socks.

While I was waiting for my complimentary massage, I finished recording my video. Don’t worry, it’s coming… J

Man that was awesome! After this, Knight took me to Carlos’ Country Kitchen and I had a fabulous breakfast!

All the love and support I got on Twitter was amazing! I love my hookers! I can’t wait to meet all of you IRL!

I even got this super sweet picture, which made me cry!

Thank you Brook, Mendi and Bari!

My official race time was 2:11:39, which is an average pace of 10:03 minutes / mile. I am so proud of myself! This is 13 minutes faster than the goal I had set for myself. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I feel so blessed!

So, here’s the much anticipated video! Please ignore all the waiving and goofiness!