1/2 Marathon

I made it through my first 1/2 marathon! The race was in Lake Mills, WI on Sat. The day started out cold and blustrey and ended even colder. It was all of 36 degrees with a light freezing rain and blowing winds, not ideal running conditions. At least we didn't have to worry about overheating.
I felt good going into this race. All my hr numbers were in order and Coach Matt had everything clearly spelled out for me. I knew exactly what I needed to do. When we got to the race it was crazy. By the time I picked up my packet and got through the massive bathroom line it was just about start time. I couldn't find my friend and her husband that were racing too, turns out I wouldn't see them until the end because they're way faster than my slow self. My husband and 3 kids were there as well as my parents, my best friend and her fiance. Quite the cheering section! I was feeling self-induced pressure to do well.
I started off slow but my heart rate was totally jacked up which I think is pretty normal at the start. As people were blowing by me I was struggling to find my groove - the sweet spot, my stride...I felt like I was totally floundering. As soon as I'd get my heart rate back under control there would be some massive, huge hill and it shot right up again. I cycled like this for about 4 miles and relized this was a major mental thing. I had trained well for this event physically, but mentally I was a complete amatuer as well. I started thinking I have only ever ran 5K's. If this had been a 5K I would be done by now and it wouldn't have mattered if I found my stride or not.
By about mile 6 I relized I wasn't going to finish with the time I wanted, but who cares, I'm still going to finish well. I hit my stride and by mile 8 all was good. My hr was still above what I wanted but mentally I was there. I cranked out miles 11 - 13 passing people along the way and all the sudden it was over. My finish time ended up to be 2:14. Averaged a little over 10 min. miles - not great, not bad for a beginner. My cheering section was extremly proud. But I'd compare it to a figure skating routine. When the skater begins and misses the first triple axel combination and falls on her butt, she gets up and finishes the rest of the routine beautifully.