My First Half Marathon- Zion National park

There are so many things I want to say about this half marathon but I really don’t know where to begin, so I guess I will start with a list…

1. The team at put on an incredible event. From the pre-race expo, to the end of race finish, there was not a detail they missed. Starting off with the pre-race expo… EVERY SINGLE VOLUNTEER knew how to answer my questions and direct me to the right place. On race day, they handled the unwelcome, rainy weather perfectly. The insane mud and cold weather was completely out of their control but they made sure we had shelter, coffee and kept us warm as long as possible. Next up was the emergency that happened on the course (a fellow runner had a medical issue.. he is fine and recovering well) the volunteers got to him extremely quickly and he was taken care of. They then sent an email thanking the other runners that helped him… Seriously? Unnecessary but completely appreciated. They also had A TON of water stations and each of the water stations had gel packets as well! Lastly, lets take a minute to talk about the finish… A beautiful arch/finish line, a HUGE medal, and a great box of post race goodies. I can’t rave about this organization enough. So much that I am hoping to do another one of their races this fall. (Just have to make sure it fits in our crazy schedule this fall)Now on to my race… It was my first half, I told people that I had no expectations but I was lying. I was trying to pretend I would be happy no matter how I finished but being the competitor I am that was truly a lie. Well, I finished better than I could have ever dreamed.. I did not walk a single step, I finished in under 2 hours an 30 minutes (2:26:08 to be exact), I finished 953 out of over 2500 racers and I finished 112 out of 271 in my age group. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. I absolutely crushed all of my goals which felt amazingMy amazing race day support system. My husband. Over this training he has never once made me feel guilty about going for a run and leaving him to watch our little lady. He has encouraged me to go for runs when I didn’t want to, pushed me to go to the gym once he got home to take care of her. He has truly been the most amazing supporter ever and to top it all off, he made me beautiful signs to help me through my race. As I was making the turn to the finish line he held up a simple sign… 6 words… “I am so proud of you” It brought me to tears as I crossed the finish line. The only thing I hope in life is for him and our daughter to be proud of me so when I saw that, a swarm of emotions came over me. Mr. Badger, I can’t thank you enough for all you do for me and our family.The views and the atmosphere. If you ever want to run a half marathon but you are worried about accomplishing it? pick somewhere beautiful, when you get bored or tired all you have to do is look up and your breath is taken away and you just keep going. Honestly, I don’t know if I will ever enjoy a “normal” half marathon again. Not to mention, I got to hike over 15 miles throughout the 3 days we were there and see some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. (A later post to come on that)What is my next challenge, you ask? I’m not 100 percent sure yet. It might be a sprint tri in August, it may be another half, but right now I am focusing on studying for my Cpt and my nutrition for the next week while I decide where to go next. Stay tuned for more adventures of Team Mommybadger!