#21. Run a half marathon. DONE!

After quite a few months of obsessing about it, I finally did it. This Saturday, I woke up not-so-bright and early, to join a group of eager runners at Queens for a half marathon! And it was amazing. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have doubts. Even as I stood with the crowds, on what seemed like the coldest day of, ahem, spring, I wondered why I was doing this. 'I could be snuggled up in bed right now,' I thought. But then I looked around me, and it hit me. I was running my first half marathon. And that moment was pure joy.

So off we went when the start was announced. They always say one should start slow, and conserve one's energy at the start of a race. But when you're enveloped in the excitement of it all, that can be an easy tip to overlook. I ran pretty fast in the first couple of miles, then slowly made my way back. The crowds around me started to dwindle, but hey, I had more breathing space. I will look at the positives.

Around mile 8, I felt like giving up. As much as I tried not to, I calculated how much distance I had left, and felt like I couldn't do it. Then, I looked ahead and saw my sister holding a board and cheering. And that was just the motivation I needed, and I kept going. I also saw her at mile 11, where again she helped me move faster. Mile 13 seemed like the longest mile ever. But a friend (who ran his first full marathon last weekend, and did really well) ran with me, which made all the difference. Did I mention he has a website of his own? You can check it out here.

My sister and another friend were waiting for me at the finish line, and it felt great to see them as I crossed it. And that medal, oh how I'd dreamed of that medal! And now it's mine and I'm wearing it as I write this post. It seems to go with every outfit I own!

We ended the outing with a nice lunch with friends. Training aside, what pushed me throughout this event was the love and support I got from family and friends. All the warm wishes and optimistic cheers; it's all very overwhelming and I am forever thankful. I didn't have the most impressive finishing time (it took me 3 hours and 3 minutes), but that really doesn't bother me. I did it, and that's all that counts. It also feels good to cross one more item off the 25 before 25 list.

Now if you'll excuse me, I will continue to float on this happy little cloud of mine.