Fort Worth Half Marathon 2014 – Final Thoughts

I am writing this post lying on my bed sore with both legs raised but I am pretty proud of running the Fort Worth Half Marathon 2014, a journey that began about 14 weeks ago. It was quite an experience- I confessed my love for running with you guys, then faced challenges along the way but as of today, I am a third time half marathon runner (official time: 2:20 ish) which is not what I wanted but half way through the training I knew it was going to be around that mark which I am okay with. It’s not always about the numbers – it’s about the journey and feeling accomplished!!It was a cold but beautiful, 40-ish degree weather when we lined up at 8 am. Our course was at a park, a flat with not so very exciting views and only a few shaded areas along the way but overall it was a very laid back run compared to my previous experiences. Here are a few things I’d like to share to give my overall race day experience.
pre-race feeling :  I was a ball of anxiety and felt nervous/heart burn one day prior to the race day but once I was at the course, the feeling slowly faded away.

pre-race meal : believe it or not, I had breakfast tacos (2) with eggs and potatoes from taco cabana an hour before the race. And drank 3 glasses of water between 5 am-7:30 am.

bathroom stops : none

runners high: it kicked in right around 5 mile mark and lasted until 10 mile mark. The last 3 miles were the longest miles ever.

water breaks: thank God for hydration stations at each mile. I drank water or gatorade at every mile which really helped me (i think). Also, I started eating GU energy gel (strawberry banana) around 7 mile mark.

music: pandora dance cardio

favorite race signs: Go Random Stranger!  Blisters are braille for ‘awesome’

post race thoughts: can’t wait to sign up for another race but that’s just runner high talking. post-post race feeling tells me I am sore, my stomach is a bottomless pit, and someone needs to please carry me everywhere.

post-race meal: french toast, potatoes, fruits. Napped for two hours and had a big bowl of instant noodle soup with chicken.

recovery: hot bath, legs raised, massage, plenty of water and food!

Before I leave I’d like to reiterate few things that I think helped me successfully finish this race without any injuries – train but give your body plenty of rest and focus but don’t get too hung up on numbers.

Thank you so much everyone for cheering/texting/following me throughout this journey – I really appreciate your words of encouragement and inspiration. If you guys have any other questions or anything else you’d like to know more about my half marathon training – feel free to email me or leave a comment below.

Here are the recaps from Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 week 4: didn’t do very good with running…boooo, week 5.week 6, week 7, week 8.week 9 & 10.

PS. nepaliaustralian has nominated me as “best food blog 2014″. I’d really appreciate your vote, please click on this link and under the comments section write Best Food Blog 2014 : Food, Pleasure, and Health.