Guest Blogger: Kita Roberts and her first half marathon

Dear Readers,

We have our fourth guest blogger here at Cuter than James Franco- Kita Roberts! About 3 years ago my friend Kita and her boyfriend Josh asked Diane and I about getting mountainbikes. As is usually the case we ended up throwing them in the deep end of the pool! Despite having not ever competed athletically previously, Kita has fallen in love with cycling, and along the way discovered that she enjoys and has an aptitude for running too! Kita won the Trail Creek Running Series in 2014 and recently ran her first half marathon. I asked her to write up the experience for me. I hope you enjoy her write up as much as I did. Kita is an accomplished food blogger, if you dig that stuff you should check her blog out here. Thanks Kita!

At the start line of a bike race, you look left and right, and in those 30 seconds before go, you see the fire in your competitor's eyes. You see the drive to be first into the winding single track. There is ambition and fear, nerves and smiles. It's adrenalin sneaking into your veins that is promising to make the next few miles amazing.

The moments before my start at the ODDyssey Half Marathon in Philly, there was still chatter and muffled conversations as I stood elbow to elbow unsure if I would even hear the start or just know when to run based on the crowd. It was hot, unexpectedly so, and the race was already a half hour delayed. My normal race nerves had come and gone. With some unexpected travel in May, I hadn't put in the hours I needed training for a race and I approached the start knowing I wasn't going to make my desired time. Wrong attitude from the start. But "Go," came over the microphone and damned if I wasn't going to try.  

Running is different from biking for me. It's so different. There's a flow with biking, even if I am not as smooth as my friends. I can still find a mental space and smile from ear to ear as I struggle to maintain a pace and keep up. It's challenging but amazingly entertaining.

Running is different. Every time one foot hits the ground it's a reminder of how many more steps there are and the tick of every mile is a long countdown to the next. My mind doesn't fog over into that euphoric state, and I am constantly going over a mental checklist of my breathing, my legs, stride, form, pace, and most of all - trying to remind myself my struggle is all in my head. The breathing is good, the legs are fine, my stride is working. Stop thinking and run.

But I don't stop thinking. Miles one through six are great. I am running faster than I need to to make my goal. A full 30 seconds faster than I should be for what I want. I cross the half way marker right on target to be ahead. I'm over thinking those seconds and everything going on around me. I notice someone has dropped a packet of pills on the pavement as I round the corner.

Then it hits me.

That extra time I had built in didn't stand a chance as the climb over a bridge wipes me, the heat and the nerves kick in. I see a runner go down and need water and I start to think. I start to calculate every half mile, counting down water stops and people. I feel a wicked blister forming on my foot and I can't see the pace runner any longer.  The next few miles are a struggle to get out of my head. I find a seasoned runner and hang on to her for a while. My grip loosens, and the rabbit, sensing me clinging, with years of experience on me, dashes off. I took a moment to recompose myself, drink some water, get a little queasy. Not at all the race I had been hoping for earlier in the season. I am left to one more climb. Under two, maybe three miles. It's a 5K at this point. I can crush a 5k. Everyone is walking.

With running, when everyone around you is moving quickly, it's easy to get caught up in the movement and hurl yourself forward. When everyone slows, I subconsciously slow with them. But, I can run a hill. I know I can. I love hills. And I'll be damned if I let this one get me. I cheer a few peers on as we muster up it and I know the finish isn't far.

Finally, at the end, my friend is waiting to cheer me on. Remind me to hustle. That one little push and I sprint all out to the finish. It was a crushing 10 minutes over my goal. But, it was my first half marathon, and I finished. It was hot, and my bike would have been so much more fun, but I loved it. Running is a welcomed challenge in every moment, a push, and so wildly different for me than my bike. Every step is a victory for myself, every time I dig a little deeper shows me that I am capable of so much more than I thought. It wasn't the finish I wanted, but it was still a finish. Now, I have something to train for.

The ODDyssey was a blast as a first time half. It was a beautiful run with awesome support and volunteers. The beer tent afterward was flowing, and the spectators were great. I give it up to everyone who finished - but those who finished in creative costumes make the whole thing even more fun. For a first half marathon, it was a great one.

Overall: 915 of 3253 / Gender: 91 of 374 / Time: 02:10:25

thanks for reading

respect
fatmarc