The Past 168 Days

Wow, 168 days since the last time I blogged. I guess there goes that goal for 2011. LOL. I swear it's not because I haven't wanted to, cause I have! The thing is, life took off like a wildfire and I'm now just getting it under control. I think. Hopefully. Let's all keep our fingers crossed for me. Haha.

These past 168 days have been a fast paced roller coaster ride! From my boys tracking off from school two different months (whoever thought it was a great idea to separate siblings and put them on different tracks should be shot. figuratively speaking.), me working full time at nights, the kids schoolwork, sports, birthday parties, trips to Tahoe, running a half marathon a month, and Adam being laid off from two different jobs. It's been crazy!!

Oh, and for some reason I didn't think I had enough on my plate so I decided to join the PTA. Yep, me, a PTA mom. You can laugh. I do every time I hear it. :)

Anyways, here are a few pictures (since my camera decided to break) of the last 168 days. I would promise to blog more but who am I kidding? How about I promise to try to promise to blog more? Does that make sense? If it doesn't, sorry; it's Friday!! Enjoy!

Bubba was impressive as a defender

Bear's first year playing

1 of many bday parties

Gobble Gobble

Our very own Star Wars Clan

Princess Leia

Baby Girl's 3rd Birthday

Isn't he handsome?

Family Tahoe trip

Ice Skating in Tahoe

Finished the Beach Cities Challenge!

10 on 10 ~ April 2011

Ten on Ten: 10 snapshots, 10 consecutive hours, on the 10th day of the month!

This month's 10 on 10 will probably go down in history as the BEST 10 on 10. Why? Because my mom made a promise to run a half marathon with me to celebrate my 30th birthday. And she did just that! I choose Santa Cruz Half Marathon for my April run -I'm punishing myself for turning 30 by running a half a month this year- because of the beautiful scenery; completely forgetting the coastal hills. Let me tell you, it was not an easy course for someone running their first half! But my mom rocked it!!! I am so very proud of her and our two girlfriends Amy and Deborah who joined. Thank you ladies for the most memorable 30th! I promise next year we can go to a spa. :)

Woke up to the most beautiful weather!

Moms first and ONLY (that's what she says) half.

My running buddy, Amy.

 Wilder Ranch

 Yes, that would be the view from the course!

 Over half way done!

Never to many ocean shots!

 Can't you tell she's having fun??

 Almost done, 12 miles.

Finished!

P.S. Thanks Amy for taking photos along the way!

Join the linky party!

Onto The Next Half Marathon

I’m slacking! Big time! I really need to get on the ball for the next half marathon before it’s to late. February 6th, 2011 is going to be here in know time. It’s time to get my running shoes on and butt in gear for Surf City Half Marathon! Wish me luck! :)

Wk	Date	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	11/1 11/7	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:19	XT	TempoRun Dist: 5 mi, Warm; 3 mi @ 12:42; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:19	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 7 mi @14:19
2	11/8 11/14	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:19	XT	Speedwork Dist: 5 mi, Warm; 2x1600 in 11:59 w/800 jogs; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:19	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 7 mi @14:19
3	11/15 11/21	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:19	XT	TempoRun Dist: 5 mi, Warm; 3 mi @ 12:42; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:19	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 8 mi @14:19
4	11/22 11/28	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:19	XT	TempoRun Dist: 6 mi, Warm; 4 mi @ 12:49; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:19	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 8 mi @14:19
5	11/29 12/5	Easy Run Dist: 5 mi @14:11	XT	Easy Run Dist: 5 mi @14:11	XT	Rest / XT	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 5 mi @14:11
6	12/6 12/12	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:11	XT	Speedwork Dist: 7 mi, Warm; 3x1600 in 11:52 w/800 jogs; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:11	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 9 mi @14:11
7	12/13 12/19	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:11	XT	TempoRun Dist: 6 mi, Warm; 4 mi @ 12:41; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:11	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 9 mi @14:11
8	12/20 12/26	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:11	XT	TempoRun Dist: 7 mi, Warm; 5 mi @ 12:48; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:11	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 10 mi @14:11
9	12/27 1/2	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:02	XT	Speedwork Dist: 8 mi, Warm; 4x1600 in 11:45 w/800 jogs; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:02	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 10 mi @14:02
10	1/3 1/9	Easy Run Dist: 5 mi @14:02	XT	Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @14:02	XT	Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @14:02	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 5 mi @14:02
11	1/10 1/16	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:02	XT	TempoRun Dist: 7 mi, Warm; 5 mi @ 12:41; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:02	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 11 mi @14:02
12	1/17 1/23	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:02	XT	TempoRun Dist: 8 mi, Warm; 6 mi @ 12:47; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:02	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 11 mi @14:02
13	1/24 1/30	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @13:54	XT	Speedwork Dist: 10 mi, Warm; 5x1600 in 11:37 w/800 jogs; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @13:54	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @13:54	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 12 mi @13:54
14	1/31 2/6	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:19	XT	TempoRun Dist: 5 mi, Warm; 3 mi @ 12:42; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:19	Rest / XT	Rest / XT	Race Day Dist: Half-Marathon @12:39 Time: 2:45:52

My anti-depressant

After this past weekend I was told decided it would be best for me to take some time off from running so *fingers crossed* my shin splints heal.  I was advised, aka TOLD, I shouldn’t run for about a month or so. I’m thinking “or so” means two weeks. Yes? No?

It was just little over a year ago that I finished my first half marathon and since then I have completed a total of 4 half marathons. Last weekend being my personal best, finished in 2:51! My goal was to average a 13 min pace and I ended up averaging a 13:07 pace. I’ll take it! Funny how something I despised not so long ago has turned into a passion for me.

Actually, it’s become more like a drug to me. I never thought it could happen, but I’m addicted. The more I run, the more I push myself, the higher I get. Resulting in me feeling like I can do anything I set my mind to. The sky is the limit when I am running.

Kinda sounds like PCP minus the harmful side effects. Besides these damn shin splints, that is. You can bet money on I’ll take my natural drug any day over PCP!

Tick-tock tick-tock these next two weeks need to fly by! :)

*Long Beach International Half Marathon*

It’s Been Awhile…

OMG! I can’t believe I haven’t blogged in almost 20 days! I think that’s the longest I’ve gone since I’ve started blogging. These past few weeks have been SOOO hectic with my half marathon, multiple Mother’s Day parties, baseball, field trips, and Vegas. Yes, you read right, VEGAS! I suppose I have a lot to write about. LOL. Lets see where to start….

Parkway Half Marathon did not turn out as well as I was planning. I don’t know if I didn’t train hard enough, if it was to close in between races, the weather was warm, my knee pain, or if it was just an off day for me. All I know is this, I crossed the finish line at a time I am not proud of.

Of course I’m proud that I finished, but I am the type of person that is very hard on myself if I don’t accomplish the goals I set.  And the bottom line is, I did not accomplish my goal time. I was very upset with myself after the race. And for a few days after I kept replaying the day over to try and figure out what went wrong.

Nothing ever stuck out to me on what I needed to change or needed to add. So I guess it’s just back to running and fitting in more speed work through out the week. Perhaps next race I won’t set a certain time so I don’t feel so much pressure on race day. But then again, I’m an Aries, I’m way to competitive not to do that. ;)

MY Top 5 Reasons to Run a Half Marathon

5. Being able to say I can run 13.1 miles (HELLO, bragging rights!):

4. This AWESOME pink sticker going on the back of my car:

3. Improving my health. Not only for myself, but more importantly for these little boogers:

2. Carbohydrate overload!:

1. Supporting local charities and non-profit organizations:

Parkway Half Marathon

And marathon (half marathon in my case) season has begun! The next half I’ll be running is the Parkway Half Marathon, on May 1st 2010. The course is a gorgeous scenic route, a straight out and back loop. I slacked on my speed work for Shamrock’n and I feel that is a big part of the reason why I didn’t finish at my goal time. So this time I’m making it a MUST!

Date	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
3/15 3/21	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:53	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi Warm; 3 mi @ 13:17; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:53	Long Run Dist: 7 mi @14:53	Rest
3/22 3/28	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:53	XT	Speedwork Dist: 5 mi Warm; 2x1600 in 12:33 w/800 jogs; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:53	Long Run Dist: 7 mi @14:53	Rest
3/29 4/4	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:53	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi Warm; 3 mi @ 13:17; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:53	Long Run Dist: 8 mi @14:53	Rest
4/5 4/11	Easy Run Dist: 5 mi @14:53	XT	Easy Run Dist: 5 mi @14:53	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:53	Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @14:53	Rest
4/12 4/18	Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @14:44	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 6 mi Warm; 4 mi @ 13:17; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:44	Long Run Dist: 8 mi @14:44	Rest
4/19 4/25	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @14:44	XT	Speedwork Dist: 7 mi Warm; 3x1600 in 12:25 w/800 jogs; Cool	XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:44	Long Run Dist: 9 mi @14:44	Rest
4/26 5/2	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:44	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi Warm; 3 mi @ 13:17; Cool	Rest	Rest	Race Day Dist: Half-Marathon @13:30 Time: 2:57:12	Rest

Shamrock’n ROCKED!

I can mark another notch in my running belt, second half marathon done! YAY for me!

This was the second year the Shamrock’n Half Marathon partnered up with Team Runnin' for Rhett. Rhett Seevers, was born in 1997 with cerebral palsy and died 7 years later in 2004. The proceeds raised from this race will fund three $5,000 scholarships. Which will be awarded to three graduating Sacramento County college students that are enrolling in a Special Education teaching credential program. This wonderful group provides most of the race volunteers and trains hundreds of race participants.

The Shamrock'n Half Marathon was a pretty awesome run. It crossed the historic Tower Bridge (2x), through part of Downtown Sacramento, down along the river, back through Old Sacramento, then loop after loop through West Sacramento (i could’ve done without all the loops). For the most part it was flat, but the few hills there were kicked my butt! Along the 13.1 miles there was 12 bands. It didn’t seem like all the bands were playing when we passed, or even when we looped back by them. But there were three that I actually heard and liked; Shayna & The Bulldog, This Luxury, and The Kelps. Of course they were all rock. Nothing like some rock-n-roll to get your legs going!

In some ways I feel like I was more prepared for this run. I’m going to guess it has a lot to do with the fact this wasn’t my first half (and my COOL socks, thank you susan). I also had tested out different energy packs and found the ones I really liked. And by mile 12 I didn’t feel like I was going to die, unlike Cowtown. Even though my finish time was not what I was projected on my training program. I still finished better then my last half marathon and under 3:00. I’ve dwelled on that the past few days, but now I’m going to move on (and a lot more speed work). I still finished great and there is only room for improvement from here!

Overall Results:                                                                                               Finish time 2:59                                                                                             Pace 13:42                                                                                                          Age Group 564/618                                                                                     Total 3614/4102 

~A special thank you to my runny buddies, Amy and Susan. If I didn’t have you guys I would not be out running at the butt crack of dawn on Saturdays. You are wonderful women and I am so very proud of you and your accomplishments.

California International Marathon

Alright… I have to admit, I was NOT excited about this race. At first I was, and then I started thinking about all the things I needed to get done before Halloween, Baby Girls first birthday, and Thanksgiving dinner. How in the world was I going to find the time to stick to my training program? And then there was the weather factor. I hate being cold!!! I wear a hoodie to bed with two down comforters. During the wintertime I’ll take multiple showers a day just to stay warm. What was I thinking when I agreed to this relay?

When our relay team, “Relay Rookies” signed up, I said the only leg I would NOT run was the first one. So Amy took the first leg, then her dad Alan, myself, and Amy’s mom Susan finished. Our girlfriend Tracey was suppose to run the last leg but she decided to get knocked and developed horrible morning sickness. The miles for each leg broke down as; 5.9, 7.6, 7.0, and 5.7.

The morning of the race I was just glad to look out the window and see it not raining. And the fact I didn’t need to be to my relay point till 9am, unlike Amy who took off at 7am. The weather report from Weather.com logged 7:00am at 29f feeling like 22f and 9:00am at 37f feeling more like 28f. All in all… it was COLD!!

To be honest, I didn’t start getting excited about this race until I was actually standing in the sea of people waiting for my relay buddy Alan to arrive. The relay points were very unorganized and there was a lot of confusion amongst everyone. Amy decided to stand on the other side of the street keeping a lookout for her dad to arrive. Once she saw him and started yelling at me, that is when my heart started pounding and all the nervousness rushed over me. A quick exchanged of the timing chip and I was off.

For some odd reason I thought most of my leg and the finishing leg was down hill. Yeah, not so much. Grant it, it was nothing like the second leg (there was also a few good hills in the 1st leg). But when your in the mind set that your leg is fairly flat and you start running rolling hills with a head wind, you get thrown off your game a little. It took me the first few miles to get myself into a good running rhythm.

By mile four I hear someone shouting out pace times, 11:22. OK, no way he just said that. I must have heard him wrong. I haven’t ran a 11 minute mile in over seven years. Mile five rolls along and I listen, 11:08. Mile six 11:15. Mile seven and I’m strapping the timing chip to Susan’s ankle. Done! And I’m actually not to cold. :)

My goal for this race was to finish in 1:40 with an overall pace of 13:29 (according to my training program). I am VERY proud to say, I surpassed my goal and finished in 1:30 with an overall pace of 12:85. And yes I did cry when I called Adam to tell him my finishing time.

A special thank you to Amy for pushing me bound my boundaries. A thank you to Alan for running the hilliest part of the race. And thank you Susan for having us finish 26.2 miles under 5 hours. For a bunch of rookies (other then Alan) I think we did pretty damn good!

P.S. Congrats Tracey and Jay on baby number 2!

Shamrock’n Half Marathon

Here it is, my training program for the next half marathon; Shamrock'n March 14, 2010!!!

Date	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
11/30 12/6	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:58	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 5mi Warm; 3 mi @ 13:22; Cool	XT	Rest	Long Run Dist: 6mi @14:58	Rest /Walk
12/7 12/13	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:58	XT	Speedwork Dist: 5mi Warm; 2x1600 in 12:37 w/800 jogs; Cool	XT	Rest	Long Run Dist: 6mi @14:58	Rest /Walk
12/14 12/20	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:58	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 5mi Warm; 3 mi @ 13:22; Cool	XT	Rest	Long Run Dist: 7mi @14:58	Rest /Walk
12/21 12/27	Easy Run Dist: 4mi @14:58	XT	Easy Run Dist: 3mi @14:58	XT	Rest	Easy Run Dist: 3mi @14:58	Rest /Walk
12/28 1/3	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:49	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 6mi Warm; 4 mi @ 13:21; Cool	XT	Rest	Long Run Dist: 7mi @14:49	Rest /Walk
1/4 1/10	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:49	XT	Speedwork Dist: 7mi Warm; 3x1600 in 12:29 w/800 jogs; Cool	XT	Rest	Long Run Dist: 8mi @14:49	Rest /Walk
1/11 1/17	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:49	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 6mi Warm; 4 mi @ 13:21; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:49	Rest	Long Run Dist: 8mi @14:49	Rest /Walk
1/18 1/24	Easy Run Dist: 4mi @14:49	XT	Easy Run Dist: 4mi @14:49	XT	Rest	Easy Run Dist: 4mi @14:49	Rest /Walk
1/25 1/31	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:40	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 7mi Warm; 5 mi @ 13:21; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:40	Rest	Long Run Dist: 9mi @14:40	Rest /Walk
2/1 2/7	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:40	XT	Speedwork Dist: 8mi Warm; 4x1600 in 12:22 w/800 jogs; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:40	Rest	Long Run Dist: 9mi @14:40	Rest /Walk
2/8 2/14	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:40	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 7mi Warm; 5 mi @ 13:21; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:40	Rest	Long Run Dist: 10mi @14:40	Rest /Walk
2/15 2/21	Easy Run Dist: 5mi @14:40	XT	Easy Run Dist: 5mi @14:40	XT	Rest	Easy Run Dist: 5mi @14:40	Rest /Walk
2/22 2/28	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:31	XT	Tempo Run Dist: 8mi Warm; 6 mi @ 13:20; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:31	Rest	Long Run Dist: 10mi @14:31	Rest /Walk
3/1 3/7	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:31	XT	Speedwork Dist: 10mi Warm; 5x1600 in 12:14 w/800 jogs; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @14:31	Rest	Long Run Dist: 11mi @14:31	Rest /Walk
3/8 3/14	Rest	Easy Run Dist: 2mi @14:58	Rest	Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi Warm; 3 mi @ 13:22; Cool	Rest	Rest	Race Day Dist: Half @13:18 Time: 2:54:35

6 Weeks till CIM

Our team is set and ready to go! Amy (my running buddy from Cowtown), Alan (Amy’s rockstar dad), Tracey (Amy’s BFF), and myself our running the California International Marathon Relay. I’ve decided for this event I would really like to work on my finish time. To do this I’m actually going to follow a running plan, unlike Cowtown were I  ran throughout the week  and did a long run on the weekends. Runner's World has a great program called SmartCoach where you plug in what you are training for, how much you wish to train, how many weeks you have to train, and how hard you want to train. It then calculates a training program for you. This might sound a little crazy (actually a lot crazy to most) but after looking over the program I’m excited to start working on my speed work. If I stick to the program it is giving me an average 13.29 mile, which I would be very happy with! The only thing that freaks me out about this race is the fact it’s in December and the last time I checked it’s pretty damn cold outside at 6am.  I’ll just have to remind myself it’s only 7 miles, if I can do 13.1 then I can do 7 in the cold. Gloves and ear muffs here I come!!

My 6 Week Training Program:

Date	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
10/2611/1	EasyRun Dist: 2mi @15:27	Rest / XT	TempoRun Dist: 5mi Warm, 3mi @ 13:53, Cool	Rest / XT	Rest	LongRun Dist: 6mi @15:27	Rest / XT
11/2 11/8	EasyRun Dist: 2mi @15:27	Rest / XT	Speedwork Dist: 5 mi Warm, 3x800 in 6:13 w/400 jogs, Cool	Rest / XT	Rest	LongRun Dist: 6mi @15:27	Rest / XT
11/9 11/15	EasyRun Dist: 2mi @15:27	Rest / XT	TempoRun Dist: 5mi Warm, 3mi @ 13:53, Cool	Rest / XT	Rest	LongRun Dist: 7mi @15:27	Rest / XT
11/16 11/22	EasyRun Dist: 2mi @15:27	Rest / XT	TempoRun Dist: 6mi Warm, 4mi @ 14:01, Cool	Rest / XT	Rest	LongRun Dist: 7mi @15:27	Rest / XT
11/23 11/29	EasyRun Dist: 2mi @15:18	Rest / XT	Speedwork Dist: 5mi Warm, 4x800 in 6:10 w/400 jogs, Cool	Rest / XT	Rest	LongRun Dist:  8mi @15:18	Rest / XT
11/30 12/6	Rest / XT	EasyRun Dist: 2mi @15:27	Rest / XT	TempoRun Dist: 5mi Warm, 3mi @ 13:53; Cool	Rest	Rest / XT	Race Day Dist: 12K @13:29 Time: 1:40

Ready, Set, Moooo

I did it! I can official call myself a half marathoner! Sunday, October 4th 2009, I ran in the Sacramento Cowtown Marathon.

The night before the race I decided (actually my mom decided, cause mommies know best) to stay the night at my mom’s house. This way I could actually get a good nights rest and I wouldn’t have to wake up earlier to head out to William Land Park. I was in shock when I climbed into bed at 9pm; we all know this would NEVER have happened if I stayed at home!

Even though I’m not a morning person, when 6am rolled around I did feel refreshed and ready to take on my first half marathon. I kept my breakfast light with a banana and cup of orange juice. My mom’s friend Deborah, who’s a masseuse, came over and rubbed my legs down and did a little stretching with me. Then we were out the door and on our way.

Not once before getting out of the car and walking over to the starting line did I get nervous. But, as soon as I meet up with my running buddy Amy and we positioned ourselves in the MASS group of people my stomach started to turn. All I could think was what the hell did I get myself into? Before I could change my mind the horn blew and there was no turning back.

I was surprised how long it took for the crowd of people to disperse so we could actually get to a good running pace. I guess this happens when there are 5,000 people! The first five miles seemed to go by pretty quick. The neighborhood is nice to run in and I think it helped that Amy and I ran the route a few times prier to race day. I was excited to see my mom and Deborah at the five mile mark. Not only for the moral support and a photo opt, but I was starting to get hot in my jacket.

By mile 9 my left calf started cramping and my nose was draining from my cold. I couldn’t completely breathe in because I thought I might choke on my snot. From mile 9 to mile 11 I contemplated attempting my first snot rocket but decided not to since I thought it wasn’t ladylike. Even though I don’t think all the spitting I was doing was quite ladylike either. At 11 miles, the aid station not only had water and Cytomax but different types of chocolate candies. Of course I couldn’t pass on the m&m’s, I wish I had. All it made me want was more water to wash the hot chocolate taste out of my mouth. On the bright side, it gave me something to think about till the next station since my c-section incision was burning and I thought I was going to have to carry my intestines across the finish line.

Then there it was; the sign, MILE 12. I couldn’t believe I was almost there! Hands down, that was the longest and most emotional filled mile of my life. Amy’s grandma and daughter where on the side near 12.5 and gave us each a kleenex. By this point my ab muscles were done working and I couldn’t even blow my nose. I just wanted to finish. With every step the crowd of cheers grew louder and louder, then I could finally see the ballooned finish line. I don’t know where the strength came from, but some how I ran my heart out the last .10th of a mile. It was the best feeling (other then the birth of my kids, and I guess my wedding day) to see my family and parents at the finish line.

When I first decided I wanted to run in this event I made 3 goals for myself; to finish, not to hurt myself, and not to come in last. I am glad to say I accomplished all three! I average a 14 minute mile, finish 2538 out of 2898 runners (half marathon), and only one sore hip flexor. And it didn’t hurt that my boys told me I won the race. Now I’m going out and buying my 13.1 sticker and slapping that bad boy on the back of my car. Can you tell I’m proud of myself? Sign me up for the next one!