Earth Day 1/2 marathon

Okay, I am back in the saddle. Even though I don’t ride. Horses are scary and have big poop. 

Moving on. Last week, on Tuesday, I decided to run a ½ marathon race about an hour from home. Coincidentally, it was in the town where Corey and I lived for 7 years before moving where we are now. I miss that town.

I was nervous! My husband and friends couldn’t figure out why, because I run that much all the time, but it is different on a race day.
1- You run no matter the weather. And I am a fair weather gal.
2- EARLY!! I am NOT a morning person. Just ask Core who usually pulls me out of bed by my ankles in the morning
3- Caffeine- how do you pump enough in me to keep me awake, yet not having to go to the bathroom every mile?

However, it went great! It was COLD- about 45 degrees at the start line with a nice, brisk stupid wind to refresh me on my way.
The start line was packed, and my first mile was about a 10 min as we rode through the pack. Actually, for the first 4 miles, it was pretty hard to find a pace. They had some crazy turns, and at a few points, had us running on short space while cars zipped by. You were stuck trying to keep a pace, and unable to move because of the traffic. At another spot, you were running on the sidewalk, so it was hard to move as well.
Once it thinned out a bit, I was able to catch a pace. I think I ended my first hour at about a 9:15 pace, and then for my second hour, I picked it up quite a bit. (read- a few seconds, I am not speedy gonzales)
With water stops and tight spots, I finished in 1:57:57, which was perfect for me. I wanted to finish in under 2 hours, and I did it.
One super encouraging thing for me was the amount of daddy’s and children cheering on their wives and mothers. It was exciting to see so many women pushing for a goal. Elijah told me I was his hero! Asher? Asked if he could have my cookie.

When I told my dad later, he said, "Good job sweetie." and Corey said, "Yeah, she did it in under 2 hours." My dad just smiled, so I elaborated, "Yes, that is about a 9 min/mile, which is good for me." His response? "That's great! (insert pause) Actually,  I don't know what that means."  Gotta love him! 

I am so thankful for my boys (all of them) for being so supportive of me and my goals. I am one lucky lady!