Great North Run - my first half marathon!

Yes, my first half-marathon is done!.. Sunday, September 19^th 2010, was a brilliant day, with fantastic energy! I had so much adrenaline I couldn't believe it.. Hehehe :)

Andy (the sweetest boyfriend anyone could have) drove me and a friend near the town moor, from where we reached the gathering area to start the half marathon.. 2 hours before we actually started running! ;) The number of people was amazing.. 56.000 of us running the same distance at the same event! It was a fantastic experience, really was! :) Some people were taking it a little more serious, aiming for a defined time, some people were taking it as dedicated to someone they lost, some others taking it as “just for fun” or simply aiming to help a charity, like we did! My friend was on the last “starting area” and we wanted to run together, so I had to step back to her area – where most people just wanted to walk the whole thing, wearing customs and being playful. It was a really slow start, but we managed to have fun in the middle of it!!! And the warm up was very “compact and tight” too!!..

Some parts of the half marathon were easier, some others were a little more challenging – when the tiredness was trying to knock us out, when there was less cheering up after mile 6 or 7, when there were no water stations for a long time.. – but we did the whole 21kms (13.1 miles) in 2 hours 35 minutes and 1 second!! Not bad, for a 2.5 months training, but we have already decided.. we’ll do better next year! ;) And I do promise you – I managed to smile most of the time! Even when my friend was insisting on “I can’t continue, you go without me!”… Hehehe.. obviously not knowing me very well! ;) Would I ever leave her behind and continue?!? No. Of course not. She had to cope with me for the rest of the race – and at mile 12 actually gave me a smile and said “Thank you for staying beside me!” ;) Lourdes, I’m a pain in the back.. I would never leave you, girl!!

The only bit where I almost forgot about her was when I saw the finishing line… hehehe.. I got so excited and had so much energy still left that I just wanted to go!!! But we did finish together, it was great!!

It was amazing to feel the encouragement, the energy, the support that my friends gave me! They’re all a great family on this side of the ocean, no questions about it! :) And I did thank even more all those who sponsored me to help CICRA, the fantastic charity that helps children with Crohn’s disease and colitis! Check my page at: www.justgiving.com/CristinaAlmeida-GreatNorthRun

I’ll try to add photos of the day here too.. the cruel evidence of the rain, but also the big smile and tons of energy still left after the 21km run!! ;))) Who wants to join me next year?!?