13.1 Going on 30!!!

Saturday, October 4... A day to remember forever...

The Goal...
For my 30th birthday, I wanted to train for and run a half marathon

 I followed Hal Higdon's Intermediate Half Marathon training program, beginning the first week in July. The program lasted 12 weeks with moderate runs and training during the week and long runs on the weekends, increasing by one mile each week..

 I got two crazies... I mean... friends... to run the half marathon with me:

Rebecca Severson! Mother of three, beautiful, brilliant... and very fast... 

Jenny: sister of my sister in law...
(sorry I don't actually know your last name...)
Mother of two beautiful blondies, hailing from Merced, CA!
She jumped in the game only six weeks before race day, and ran an impressive race!!

Here we are at the start... looking anxious and chipper in the morning sun...

And then, the race began... 

The Pain...

A Half Marathon is a long, Long,LONG way to run! (At least for me it is) My training took me up to 12 miles on the longest run and I felt perfectly confident that I could at least finish with no walking. For time, my goal was to finish in 2:20 or less and hopefully get a 10 min mile pace. 

I was really lucky to have great help all along the way...

 Here'a a recipe for an excellent race crew:

1 Supportive Husband

2 Affable Brothers-in-law

1 Adorable Nephew

1 Big Sister

Mix well in a mini van and sprinkle generously across the race course. Then the pain of the half marathon dissipates into camera clicks, whoops and hollers from the road, water bottle deliveries, and an entire entourage of runners helping you keep moving when you hit that mile 12 wall...  

A great crew like I had would help anyone be able to do a cartwheel at mile 11.5 :)

 The Glory!

Most of me is a grown up mom who pays bills, changes diapers, packs lunches, does laundry, and makes dinner... but deep inside there is a little part of me that is still an egocentric kid... who loves the attention you get when you cross a finish line and have a medal handed to you while you name is announced over a loud speaker! Makes you feel like you accomplished something great! (If there were medals and announcers for laundry... more might get done...) 

 This is the "That was fun; glad it's done" face...

 Looking a little haggard, but happy with my medal and car magnet! I worked hard for those, dang it!
I ended up finishing in 2:13 (making my time goal) but didn't quite make my pace goal... Will there be a next time to try again? We're not sure yet...

I finished 80th out of 193 female runners; 23rd out of 51 in my age category.  I know those aren't super impressive numbers to brag about, but I feel good knowing I'm just about average :)

 PS: Here is ZS demonstrating that there is nothing more delicious than Nesquik ice cold chocolate milk at the end of a half marathon! Heavenly!

Many thanks to Joe and Cheryl for watching our kids that morning; many thanks to my crew boys: Lynn, Weston, and Kobin for keeping it fun; special thanks to Heather for coming 800 miles to see me complete my 13.1; and warmest loving thanks to Jon for encouraging me through training, knowing what to do when the long runs got me down, and for loving me into doing more than I ever thought I was capable of...

I RAN A HALF MARATHON!!!
Now... what will I do with my next 30 years?