It was an amazing feeling and it still really hasn't hit me that I'm done and it's over with. I think I felt it more on my last 4 miles on Friday morning. Saturday was more a "fun run" with friends; Friday was the last morning I had to get up early and deal with the cold. It was a little emotional and bittersweet.
Saturday around 4:00, my family and friends came out to the track with me. Surprisingly, I didn't run any of the other 999 miles on a track (circles are boring), so this was new to me. It was a gorgeous day and the track was empty. I was a little nervous for the beer portions of the mile (I don't chug beer on a regular basis), but once the first beer went down the hatch and we were off, the nerves went away.
Brett and I ran the first lap together and then I told him it was a little too fast for my pace. I wanted to run a little slower than usual since I would be attempting to chug 4 beers throughout and I wasn't sure how my body would handle it.
After the 2nd lap, he ran on ahead. He finished in about 9:50 and I was about 30 seconds behind. He wanted to finish under 10 minutes and I wanted to be under 12, so we both accomplished our goals! Neither of us got sick and I actually felt great afterwards. The only problem I had was the constant belching, but it really wasn't as bad as we thought it might be. I'm so glad I had someone to do it with me though.
The entire thing was video taped by my brother and I'll post it as soon as my dad gets it on the computer.
Brett and I pre-beer mile.
My great group of guy friends who came out to watch.
My childhood friends, Jordan and Andrea. So awesome they came too (and brought baby Halle)!
(And I just realized I didn't get a picture with my family. Sad day)
Crossing the finish line...pure joy
My mom made me this shirt!
And she also got me a James Avery running shoe charm...she's the best!
I really do appreciate all of the support and encouragement I've received from so many people throughout this year. I can honestly say with 100% accuracy that not one mile was compromised and I never skimped out on any of it or made one mile up. I think that is what I'm most proud of. The physical part is easy to overcome, but the mental game is where it gets tough because it can be so easy to cheat. I was determined to finish this year with honesty and integrity, and I can proudly say that I did.
All 5 pairs of running shoes that accompanied me this year.
A few people have told me they're going to set a running goal for themselves in 2014 (which is awesome!) and they asked me how I kept track of my miles. So for anyone wondering, I used MapMyRun iPhone app to track distance/time on my runs and then I just used an excel sheet to write them down and calculate totals (there is an iPhone app version called iSpreadsheet that is free in the app store).
Stay tuned for my 2014 goals!
12/30/2013: Miles run - 1000 of 1000.
Miles remaining - ZERO!
Man it feels good to type that.
