My First Half Marathon!
Columbus in October is a pretty exciting time. Not only are the leaves changing color and the holidays near, it is a time where over 18,000 people gather together to run at least 13.1 miles before lunch. The Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon just completed its 12th annual run; however, for me, this would be my start.
So, you might ask, why in the world did I want to spend my morning running 13.1 miles around downtown Columbus and through different suburbs (click here for the course
map)? Well, to be brief, essentially my mom. My mom, about three years ago, decided to pick up running as her new form of exercise and I thought she was crazy. She was not a runner in high school or college, but at the old age of 25 (she may or may not be lying about this) she decided it was time to change her exercise ways and find a new outlet. So, slowly, she would increase her walking to running as her goal was to complete a half marathon by the following year. Well, not only did she complete her first half marathon in less than a year, she then went on and signed herself up for another one, and another one, and another one after that.
My mom is what led me to pick up running myself, as it is a fantastic form of exercise and I know I can get a fantastic workout from it. I cannot tell you what great motivation my mom was in initially starting, as I could barely go over two miles without feeling like I was going to die. It takes time, but I now cannot fathom going even a couple days without this routine in my life. My mom then wondered why I wouldn't sign myself up for a half marathon (as she completed about 6 already) and I told her there’s no way I could run that much.
Well, finally, after two years of running consistently, my mom forced me to run this half marathon with her and a couple of my siblings. Looking back, I cannot thank her enough as seeing that finish line was such an exhilarating experience for me. I am now signed up for another half in May and hopefully my family will run it with me. Oh, and the best part? I beat my brother (whose doesn’t train) by a couple minutes.