So What's Next?

I successfully ran the Half Marathon! It was an awesome experience and I'm shocked on how well I did. The weather was perfect, the company loving, and the scenery beautiful. 

A lot of numbers.
My bib was #387, I raised $1400 + my $300 contribution, and I ran 13.1 miles in 2:12:37. Under my goal of 2:20. 

I maintained close to a 10 minute pace throughout. The weather was around 60 degrees, it was neither too hot or too cold (strange for June), and sunny!

Mile 1-3: felt really hard (I was like oh crap!)
Mile 4-9: I was king of the world, in a groove
Mile 10: I hit a wall
Mile 11-12: was survival mode
Mile 13: don't die, don't get hit by cars, just finish 

I'm afraid to give you my total out of pocket cost for the whole Half and training experience, but it's probably close to $1,000.

So what's next? 

• Trying to get my weight down a little.
  Towards the end of my training, I was eating like crazy and put on some extra pounds. Even though I was highly active, my caloric intake was probably too high. It wasn't worth worrying about before, but I'd like to get back on track now. 

• New Training Plan. 
  I can be less strict now with what I'm doing and how often, but I have a general schedule outlined for the next two months.
  
  WEEKLY:
• 2 days rest / active recovery
• 2 days short runs (2-3 miles)
• 1 day long run (4-6 miles)
• 2 days CrossFit 

• Tough Mudder
  Will be doing my 3rd Annual Tough Mudder on Long Island on July 21 (want to join my team?) This is part of the reason why I put that specific activity mix together above (to be more well balanced and make sure I'm engaging all different parts of my body and mind). 

• Enjoy the Summer.
  While I have some goals, nothing compares to how strict and time consuming my running schedule was. Especially around family and work responsibilities, travel, and a screaming toddler. I'm going to enjoy being active this summer and spend as much time outdoors as possible!
  
• More Halfs?
  I thought for sure when I crossed the finish line, my first thought would be...I want to run a full marathon! Luckily, that wasn't the case. I think the Half is a good place to live for awhile. I would love to run more in the future, but likely not this year.
  

The best part of the Half Marathon was the awareness level that Little P had about running. When I would come home from runs in my gear, she would exclaim "Mamma ran!". When she saw me running, she would say "No running! Slow down!"  She now runs outside (with T-Rex jogger arms) and says "I'm running!"

And to see her at mile 5 and 7 during the Half to give me a high five and kiss was worth every second of pain.