Monday, November 14, 2011

My First Half Marathon - I Run for the Party!!

Just a short diversion from my regular food posts to share what I did this past weekend! Stay tuned for more yummy food to come!

I did it! I did it! I did it! I completed my first half marathon!

This was downtown Nashville about 7:00 am this past Saturday morning November 12. I'm somewhere in this sea of people, nervous but excited about what lay ahead!

We awakened early, about 5:30 local time after not so much sleep. But it was okay, we were pumped up and ready to go! My oldest son and daughter-in-law were running with me. My husband and brother-in-law came along for support and picture taking!


I started the race strong and felt really good. Unfortunately, because of a long wait, I was unable to take restroom break before the race started, so around mile 6 I finally stopped at one that didn't have a line! The hills were fairly manageable, with the exception of mile 10 which presented a challenging incline! The above picture was taken shortly after that, around mile 11.


I crossed the finish line and I was happy with my time which was 2:14 and 8 seconds! My only goal was to run the whole thing and be able to finish! When I was almost to the finish line I was screaming "I did it, I did it!! What an incredible feeling of relief and accomplishment. All those miles and hours of training and now I'm crossing the finish line. I was elated!! Even some tears of joy? Yes, it felt so good!

My husband didn't get back in time to see me cross the finish line (bummer), so he took the above picture shortly after I had crossed.


My son and daughter-in-law were elated too! They crossed the finish line and immediately started talking about what half they would do next!

We were celebrating and high fiving and having the best time right next to the Hard Rock! Since I'm a city girl, I was thrilled to run through the streets of Nashville and take it all in!



Anyone who finished received this medal. We thought they were really cool. The guitar actually spins around!

If you are thinking about running a half, I strongly encourage you to do it! It was a great experience and I'm already getting the itch to plan for another one.

2 comments:

  1. Joyce, Congrats on the Half! That's an amazing accomplishment. I hope I can do one someday too. Have you ever thought of doing a marathon?! :-)

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  2. Thank you! It was absolutely incredible crossing the finish line. You SHOULD do it someday! I'm not sure if I would ever do a full marathon. Who knows, maybe :)

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