race rundown

The Spinx Half Marathon was great! The course was beautiful, the weather was chilly and the company was fantastic!

We checked into our hotel in downtown Greenville, SC and went to scout out the race course and pick up my bib and race packet. Both the start and finish were going to be near the Greenville Drive stadium and I was excited to see the layout. On our way to the stadium we heard firetruck sirens. I made some comment about how 5 o'clock traffic was so bad downtown that people better hope they never need an ambulance or firetruck because it would take forever to get there. After a quick laugh we were promptly boxed in by four firetrucks:

I did not take this as a good omen for the race.

We met my college roommate Maury and her husband John for dinner. I don't have a picture to document how I proceeded to eat my way through downtown Greenville on Saturday night, but that was because I was too busy giggling with Maury and, well, eating.

We got up bright and early, although I guess it should be called dark and early since the sun didn't actually make an appearance for much later. I loved being able to stay downtown, it was such a treat to be able to grab breakfast on the way to the start line that was only 1 mile away!

We arrived at the stadium where I made Josh take a mini photo shoot. He was a great sport.

This is the babe's second half-marathon.
I'm so proud of our little one.

The course was perfect. A few rolling hills, a few steep hills and 6ish miles next to the river. I got to see parts of Greenville that I'd never visited before and got to run through some of my favorite parts too. Its so cool to be able to run through a big city and not have to worry about traffic!

While I really enjoyed the course and weather, it was a tough race. I was able to run 10 miles without much pain, but my left knee really started to hurt miles 10-13. I had to put my pride in the back seat and start a combination of running and walking to the finish line. It was hard to think I wouldn't even be able to make a 2 hr 30 min goal pace (which is slow folks.) I reminded myself that this race wasn't about me or a time or what other people thought....it was about spending time in what the Lord has created for us, doing what the Lord has given us to enjoy with the people the Lord has blessed us with. So I settled in, talked to the babe, sang some songs (out loud....sorry to those people around me at mile 11, it was kind of tragic) and enjoyed myself.

I made some friends on those last few miles, those run/walkers are super encouraging. I was able to give Josh a big smile on mile 13:

I kind of felt like Ricky Bobby in this picture
"I don't know what to do with my hands"

BY FAR, the coolest part of the race was mile 13.1. We entered the Greenville Drive stadium and got to run on the warning track and finish on home plate!

I seriously considered sliding into home plate.
But then I thought about how I didn't really know how to slide.
And what if I ended up like three feet short of the plate or something?

Josh, my sweet husband and sag extraordinaire, took me out for brunch after the race. He is so good to me!

I'm not sure what the next six months of running will look like for me. I have a few 5ks lined up that I'd like to do, but I'm not sure if I've got another half marathon in me. I love the excitement, training and camaraderie, but it was tough this time! So, for now, I've entered into my post-race-season-recovery-plan. It envolves some strength training, Zumba, Yoga, light runs and speed work. But friends, if you've got a fun race planned, please let me know!!