Tinkerbell Half Marathon

It’s time for a race recap!

Last weekend I ran (and walked, and hobbled) my way through the 13.1 mile course that made up the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in Anaheim. My husband was by my side the whole way. 🙂 I also ran the same race in 2012 and I remember thinking “ugh, this was a dumb idea”… and then I signed up for it again. Silly, right?

DH and I had grand plans for our training when it came to this race. We’d planned on completing Couch to 5k (AKA C25K), then Bridge to 10k, and then continue adding miles until we reached the 13 mile distance. With my depression, injuries, and lack of drive, and his injuries and illness… let’s just say training was an afterthought.

Last year I didn’t get to train for the month before the race because of the injuries I sustained during a training run. At 6:30am I tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and bounced several times on my chest, hips and head. I passed out twice. A homeless person said hello. I had no idea where I was but somehow managed to call my brother for help. Basically, I got a concussion, broke my nose, cracked a rib and scraped every bony protrusion. I ran the race anyway, even with my still cracked rib. I can be determinedly stupid sometimes.

This year I ran with no real training and with tendonitis in my ankle – again with the determinedly stupid.

Last year, the race had soooo many spectators and performers along the route. It was awesome! There were marching bands, cheerleaders, hula dancers, UPS guys, Red Hat Ladies, neighbors and more the entire way. This year? Not so much. I felt bad because I’d talked it up to DH, and this year the race didn’t provide. 😦 It wasn’t all bad, though. There was a Michael Jackson impersonator, and the Red Hat Ladies (who are totally awesome BTW) took up a whole block. And some of the neighbors even came out with their iPods and boom boxes to play music for us along the way.

I did well until about mile 7. Then it all went downhill. Running became sooo much harder. My legs were stiffening up. My ankle started hurting again. I was getting cranky and annoyed with the whole damn thing. Around Mile 10 my mood started to improve. My husband remarked on my improved speed (my jogging speed is his walking speed). I even ran for a minute or so. Then I walked again.

At mile 13 the finish line was in sight. It looked like a straight shot so I said “I’m gonna run this thing!” Then I hit the first curve and felt like crying. I walked until the finish line was truly in sight, then we jogged our way there. DH and I jumped over the finish line hand in hand at 3:28:56.

Now, I’m doctoring my toenails and left achilles. I have blisters under 4 of my toenails. It looks like I’ll probably lose 3 with all the strange colors they’re turning. Oh well… they’ll grow back. I’m also getting ready to show my finisher’s medal to my mom. She was my reason for making sure I finished this time. Before I left, she said she wanted to see my medal – so she’ll definitely see it! 🙂

I’m also planning out a new training program for our next half marathon. Maybe we’ll budget for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in Orlando this year. It all depends on if we buy a house and if I can talk my husband into it… we’ll see!

I made poor food decisions pretty much the entire weekend. So, now I’m getting back on track and working towards my weight loss goals. I’m not going to beat myself up too much about the food choices at Disneyland. It was a vacation, I didn’t go hog wild, and I know what I need to do to be healthier.

That’s all for now!