Photo courtesy of Jessica Evans
Yesterday, I woke up at 4:45 a.m. and saw the sun rise in College Park.
Why in heavens would I be up that early?
I was on my way to run the Nike Women’s Half Marathon for my second time. By the way, the sunrise in College Park is quite pretty if I do say so myself. I arrived at the metro station to see other runners gathering on the platform, anxiously waiting the race. I got there with plenty of time to warm up and mentally prepare myself, which was better than last year, when I arrived 10 minutes before the race.
Around 7:20 a.m., with my fanny pack and Boston Strong hat, my race pace group began to run and I was ready to conquer. How does one mentally prepare themselves you ask? You tell yourself to take one mile at a time. That’s all it is, one mile after another until you find a comfortable pace where you feel unstoppable. It also helped that it was a beautiful day out and you’re running around the Nation’s Capital.
As I stated above, this was my second time running the half marathon. My experience was better than it was last year, both physically and emotionally. This year I was able to run the entire race without stopping, I decreased my time by 15 minutes and felt as comfortable as one could feel while running a half marathon. I was able to do this because the Nike Women’s Half Marathon makes you feel empowered.
There is nothing more inspiring than running 13.1 miles alongside others who have also worked so hard to run the race. Unlike other races, the Nike Women’s Half is a celebration of women’s empowerment, not a competition. It doesn’t matter who beats who in the end, all that matters is that we raised thousands of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The half marathon was an incredible experience, and I encourage all women who want to feel truly empowered to take part in this amazing event. And while you all aspire to feel empowered, I’m going to ice my legs and eat Chipotle.
