Race Photos, Gu's and Sad News

Race photos have been posted!  I normally HATE my race photos but these aren't too bad.  I don't look like I am dying.

This picture reminded me I didn't talk about Gu's in my race recap.  I typically do the Gu chews, as I hate the thickness/sliminess of the gels.  Now mind you, I never actually TRIED a gel during a race but I had before a race and it kind of grossed me out.  But I realized the night before my race that I didn't have any chews.  But I did have some gels, so I thought I would give them a try.  And honestly I don't even think they were all actual Gu brand.  I had two strawberry bananas and one just plain strawberry which was a different brand.  Anyway, I decided to take my first gel around mile 4 (while walking up that big hill!).  Instead of sucking it down all at once, I just squeezed it and got a little out at a time and it wasn't too bad that way!  And I am not struggling to chew up a large chew while gasping for breath (and I was gasping while trying to get up that hill!).  But the downside...it was pretty thin consistency (which goes down pretty easy) and I got some on my hands and had sticky hands for a bit.  At the next water station I used my cup of water to wash it off.  Around mile 7 I took the other brand which was just plain strawberry.  It was much thicker so I didn't get it on my hands, but I still think I prefer the thinner consistency.  I took about 5 minutes to suck it down and timed it pretty well to wash it down at the next water station.  I took my 3rd gel around mile 10 ish.  I was back to the thinner one this time and did much better about not getting it all over my hand.  I think I MAY be a gel convert now.  Even if I feel like I am breathing well, eating those large chews can be a bit difficult.





I have REALLY REALLY REALLY sensitive eyes, so you wont see me running without my big sunglasses.  I am too cheap to buy a good running pair.  I get mocked for my sunglasses obsession.


As I came to the finish line, there were two gals in front of me and I cant let them beat me, so I sprinted the last 100 yards, so I got a pretty good picture of me storming the finish line.





So, our sad news.  Our pig Peppa passed away Tuesday.  I checked on her Monday afternoon and she didn't seem the best, but when I got home Monday evening, she was out and about.  I took that as a good sing.  Tuesday morning she was out of her hog hut and was walking around again, which was strange, as she hasn't been getting up much lately.  I took that as a really good sign!  Jeff went down to look at her and said that even though she was up, she was a lot more wobbly than before and he thought she looked worse.  But he is a pessimist and I am an eternal optimist, so I thought it was a good sign that she was up.  But when Jeff got home Tuesday afternoon, she was down and couldn't get up.  He tried to get her up and she wouldn't even fight it and he was able to easily pick her up (which is a bad sign).  The vet said there was nothing more to do, so we had to put her down. Luckily the girls took it okay and we are going to wait a week or so to make sure there isn't any disease in our pen and maybe get Bg a new pig. 


We were going to take our pigs to a show on Monday but there are some pig viruses going around and I don't want to expose my pigs to anything else so we aren't going. 


We are going to the lake on Friday night and will stay till Sunday evening. 


I am doing well with my macros, but still seem to have some stomach troubles so I am not seeing results this week, which is frustrating with bikini season two days away!!

Go Girl Half Marathon- Columbia Race Recap

Saturday morning was the most beautiful day for a race ever!  The sun was shining and it was a cool 50-60 degrees during the race.


Since the race was just a little over an hour away, we drove down that morning.  My friend Somer, Amanda and her sister Beth all came along.  They did the 5K while I did the half.


My stomach was NOT feeling good Saturday morning.  I was able to eat my 2 peanut butter poptarts, but I felt very crampy.  I chugged some pepto and downed the coffee hoping to get some stuff moving through me.  We made a pit stop on the way there and I finally got some stomach relief (sorry, TMI).


We got there around 6:30am.  It was downtown Columbia with several parking garages and lots, so we parked right next to the starting line (NICE!!).  We checked in and the race began!


I had my goal of 2 hours but was feeling pretty negative mentally.  My stomach was having a few issues, my left IT band was hurting and I knew this course would be a lot of hills.


And the hills delivered.  We started off going uphill for the 1st half mile.  It was rolling hills for probably the 1st half of the course.  We started off through downtown Columbia, through the University of Missouri campus (my favorite place!), around the stadiums and then hit trails and neighborhoods for the rest of the race. 


I ran a pretty decent pace the first 3 miles and then hit a BIG hill.  I ran the 5K at this event last year and we started on this hill and it was a struggle then.  It was even more of a struggle after running almost 4 miles of hills already.  And...I walked up half the hill.  It made me feel better that others were walking too but I hate walking within the first 4 miles!!


Once I made it to the top of the hill, everything was much easier the rest of the race.  My stomach settled down and the hills were less steep.  The trails were pretty.  It amazes me that I lived in Columbia for 4 years, less than a mile from some of these trails and had no clue they existed! 


After each hill, my left knee would about give out for a few seconds.  I could tell my IT band was super tight and I was very nervous that my knee was going to collapse on me.  But it would only last a few seconds each time and only after hard hills. 


My friends were at around mile 12.5 cheering me on.  I really needed them at that point as my feet were really starting to hurt.  The bad thing about trail races is there isn't good places for people to watch and this was a small race anyway, so not a lot of spectators.


I truly thought I was on track to beat 2 hours.  My GPS chimed at 13 miles and I was at 1:58.  But I couldn't see the finish line.  I sped up and realized I had to go around an entire block to get to the finish line.  I was so upset!  When I realized the finish line wasn't where I thought it should be, I had a major negative reaction and pretty much stopped.  Then my brain told my body not to wimp out, so I kicked it in.  I finished hard and passed two people in the last seconds. 


I actually beat my friends back to the finish line from where they were, but I had another friend there (who is very speedy) and she was at the line and cheered me on.  There were also two other Team Beef members that finished just ahead of me, so we all got a photo together.


I went and got a massage right away.  I thought my left knee was about to collapse walking away from the finish line.  I wasn't sore, but my knee was just tight tight tight.  The massage lady couldn't believe how tight my IT band was and she worked on it for quite a while- OUCH! 


After my massage, I went over to get my official results: 2:02:10.  A PR, but I was SO disappointed.  I really thought I had the 2 hours beat.  My GPS showed me going 13.34 miles, so almost an entire quarter mile further.  Not sure if that is accurate, but it really threw me off.


My feet blistered really badly during the race.  My legs (except for the IT band) felt strong and my lungs were good.  If this had been a flatter course I know I would have broke 2 hours.


After the race, we walked up to a Jamba Juice (YUM!) and then went and ate lunch at a local pizza joint, Shakespeare's Pizza.  Thankfully my stomach was feeling better at that point. 


I place 55th overall out of 352.


Age group was 13 out of 77.


If I had run the 5K, I would have placed 1st in my division- darn!


Here are my splits according to my phone:





There are a few negative splits there.  Dang mile 4 and mile 12. 


A HUGE medal:





Team Beef:





I look like a giant next to them.


Funny story.  Well, I guess it is only funny if you know my FIL.  He said to me, "I don't get why you do all these races.  You just lose them all and you aren't very fast!"  It sounds pretty harsh, but that is just the type of guy he is and it didn't hurt my feelings (b/c I do always lose).

Track and Field Day, Last Day of School and Sick Pig

Thursday was track and field day for the girls school.  I helped at the event, so I didn't get any pictures of them actually participating but hopefully some friends will share some pics!


Both girls did really well.  Chloe got 2 first places, 2 seconds and a third- she placed in all events!  I was pretty impressed that she beat all the boys in both running events!


Three legged race domination.  As you can see, they left everyone in the dust:





Top athletes and best friends!  I always think Chloe is tall until she is next to her friends.  I think she just looks taller than she is b/c she is so skinny.





Since Bg is in preschool, they don't do as many events and also didn't get individual awards.  But this competitive mama was watching and Bg did awesome and also got first place in all the running events.  They were pretty excited about the medals they received.





And not to be outdone, even I got a blue ribbon!  I had to fill in on the 3 legged race and my buddy Mathias and I creamed the competition!





Friday was the last day of school.  It was a short day with just chapel and an awards ceremony.  Preschool didn't get any awards, but Chloe got Excellence in Math, Reading and Excellent Attendance.  Her 3 best friends all got the good conduct award, but she didn't.  Great...do I have the onery one????


I tried to snap a good photo, but the girls were not making it easy.  I have no clue why Bg is making such a face!





I officially have a 2nd grader and a Kindergartener!!!


We have a very sick show pig.  It breaks my heart.  We first noticed it getting sick last weekend.  I gave it a shot of a medicine called Ivomec on Monday.  Ivomec treats for intestinal parasites (like worms).  Since our pigs are on dirt, they tend to eat things which can cause worms.  I was hoping that would do the trick, but poor Peppa continued to decline.  The vet prescribed an antibiotic called Draxxon.  She still had some fight in her, as it was hard to get her down to get her the shot.  While giving her the shot, one of the other pigs came up and bit me on the hand!





She was still pretty lethargic so we called the vet again on Saturday.  He prescribed another antibiotic and a steroid to help her lungs.  He then gave me the bad news...if she isn't better by Monday (today), there really isn't anything else we can do.  He thinks she has pneumonia.  Last night she had perked up a bit but today doesn't look good.  We have been praying for her, but she just isn't getting better.  This is the hard part of farm life. 


Other exciting weekend things...


The girls stayed the night with friends on Friday night.  Jeff worked late, so I had several hours to myself.  So I mowed and did laundry.  Exciting stuff. 


I had my half marathon on Saturday- recap in another post.


Saturday I came home and dealt with a sick pig and a loose bull.  The bull belongs to a friend of ours who rents our neighbor's pasture.  I helped deal with him and he eventually got penned back up.


Jeff and I went to a coworkers wedding Saturday night.  She was a beautiful bride and we had a great time.


Sunday was church, I hosted a bridal luncheon at a local restaurant, had a graduation party and Chloe had softball practice.  She had a friend who goes to the same daycare stay the night last night, so it was a long day!

Weekly Recap, Gravel Road Runs and IIFYM

I don't know what it is with my running lately but the last several runs have seemed to be a struggle. 


Monday I hit the gym.  I don't remember why (yes, it was just a week ago) but I didn't have my girls with me so I actually got to do my warm up run OUTSIDE!!!  You know I hate the treadmill so this made me really giddy.  I wanted to do it fast but it is pretty hilly around the gym and I am a hill wimp, so it wasn't as fast as I liked.  I had my course mapped out but encountered barking dogs almost right away.  Barking dogs wouldn't bother normal people, but they terrify chickens like me, so I was too scared to run by their house (even though I know they have one of those invisible fences), so I had to turn around and change my route.  Speaking of invisible fences, do dogs every run through it?  I would imagine so, as our pigs and cattle used to run through electric fences sometimes.  I am not taking the chance!  So I just did a mile warm up at a 8'19 pace.  I then did my weight training.


Tuesday my MIL picked up my girls so I could do a longer run.  I didn't have a ton of time, so I figured 6 miles would be good.  It was HOT and my cute little booty shorts kept riding up (yea, I wont wear those again for a run).  My goal was faster than race pace negative splits.  I started off strong (9'00, 8'40, 8'31") but mile 4 was a little rough.  I finished mile 4 and ended up walking the last mile with Somer.  1 mile short of my goal and rather slow.


Wednesday night I hit the gym and then took the girls to church.  My niece was umpiring at a softball game so I ran over there to cheer her on (the only ump with a fan base).  It was 1.12 miles there and I ran at a 8'10 pace.  I watched her for about 15 minutes and then ran back a different way.  1.44 miles at an 8'10 pace.


Thursday night I just played ball with my girls.


Friday night I had to mow and it takes all evening so no exercise.


I am the assistant coach for Chloe's softball team, so we had a 2 hour practice on Saturday.  Not the best cardio exercise but a little exercise.  After that the girls and I did a lot of yard work and planted all my outdoor pots.  We had friends over for dinner and cards Saturday night.


Sunday was a perfect day to run.  Sunny and 65 with a slight breeze.  I didn't want to waste time by driving all the way to town and back to run, so I foolishly decided to run on my gravel road.  Bg didn't want me to leave:





She was fine 30 seconds after I left.


So, gravel road running kinda sucks.  Part of the gravel road has a lot of loose rock, other parts is muddy ruts and a few parts are hard as a rock.  There is a lot of shaky footing.  The first mile felt great, which should have alerted me that something was off, ha ha.  Normally I struggle in mile 1 and it takes until about mile 3-4 until I get into a groove.  I did *okay* until about mile 3 and really felt like I needed to walk, so I did for just a bit.  Funny story, but I ran into this little town by my house.  This town is tiny, has no zip code and probably 15 houses total.  It's a bit of a redneck town.  Anyway, there was a pack of cigarettes on the ground that I could see had several cigarettes still in it.  I did a loop and met a guy on a 4 wheeler cruising town in his wife beater.  He got up to the cigs and it was like he hit the jackpot.  He gave me a questioning look and I told him they weren't mine, so he happily picked them up, lit one and took off.  It made his day.


I only walked a tiny bit and took off running again.  I felt like crap but kept giving myself short goals till I could walk but everytime I reached that point, I was able to go on.  Around mile 4 my back really started hurting ( it used to hurt everytime I ran but hasn't for a long time).  I stopped to walk around mile 4.5 b/c my back was really hurting.  I decided to enjoy the scene.  As I walked, my left IT band really started cramping and I had some pretty bad knee pain.  Dang gravel tearing me up.



Something about perfect corn rows gives me such a sense of peace and calmness.  I love the straight lines. 





At a little over 5 miles, I saw my happy family throwing rocks into the creek.  But what made me really happy was seeing the 4 wheeler- my IT band was throbbing at this point.  We have a pretty cool creek close to our house.  But it is also kind of a party spot for teens so that sucks a little.





I snapped this pic of the girls throwing rocks and didn't realize until later that it is a great butt shot of Jeff, ha ha.





My paces:
1- 9'26
2- 9'41
3- 9'45
4- 10'38
5- 10'28
.5- 66'57 (oops, forgot to shut off my app!).


I went to the chiro yesterday for my monthly appointment and he could instantly tell where my back had hurt.  He said that the loose rock causes my spine to really vibrate back and forth which causes the back pain.  He then had his massage lady work out my left IT band.  OUCH!  She was shocked at how tight both bands were, even though the right one wasn't bothering me.


I have been doing Flexible Dieting, IIFYM, Counting Macros (whatever you want to call it) with a coach for two weeks now.  I feel pretty happy with how close I am getting to the numbers each day.  She adjusted my carbs and fats this week (increased carbs and lowered fats) to better match my diet so that started yesterday.  I really feel like my stomach is flatter, I have lost about 2 pounds and definitely feel like my muscles are tighter.  But I don't feel like my pictures or measurements really reflect that much.  I cant wait to see what the next two weeks brings and look forward to working with her on a longer basis.


I have two upcoming races:
Go Girl Run in Columbia this Saturday.  This will definitely be a harder course than Lincoln but the weather looks to be much better and the field wont be anywhere near as crowded.  I don't feel real confident going into this race, but since my goals are always to improve, here they are:
AA: 1:97 (aa is always my probably unrealistic goal but I hope to get in the future)
A: 2:00- I am SO close and maybe running in my college town will give me an extra kick
B: 2:03:30- To beat my current PR
C: 2:07- This is a hilly course and I have felt tired lately, so hoping to at least finish in this time.


I signed up for the Hospital Hill half on June 4 yesterday.  I know this is two halves super close to each other, but since the Mo Beef Counsel is sponsoring it, I got a free entry for working the Expo, so a free race is a free race, right?  This race has the word HILL in it, so you can imagine what it is like.  Don't plan to PR in this one.

Golf, Dreaded Phone Calls, Garage Sales and Mothers Days to forget

It's that time of year again- GOLF!!!  I love to golf, but really really suck at it.  We joined the Country Club this year so I could golf more often (and have access to a pool!).  There is a ladies league on Wednesday nights, but I just cant commit to every week, so I signed up as a sub.  I got called in to sub the first night so I was pretty excited.  And then I realized I am horrible.  But the ladies I golfed with were fun and didn't make me feel stupid.


I took Monday and Tuesday off to recover from my half and planned to run on Wednesday.  But..I golfed instead.  I hit the gym on Thursday since I didn't have a baby sitter and got in a great workout.  I had some steam to blow off and the gym helped.


So, the dreaded phone call.  Usually when I get a call from the school in the middle of the day, it's b/c Chloe broke her arm again (sadly, this used to be true, knock on wood!), but this call was the bad behavior call.  Chloe sometimes gets in trouble for small things (talking, getting up when she isn't supposed to, etc) but never anything major.  Bg has been really struggling with behavior at home, but I didn't realize it was happening at school.  It turns out Bg has been throwing fits if she doesn't get her way, getting hysterical if the teacher has to leave and (hanging my mom head in shame), hitting other kids.  My sweet baby is actually a bully.  I was horrified and embarrassed.  I was a bit speechless when talking to the teacher and hung up and shed a few tears (which I NEVER EVER cry).  I texted the mom of the girl she hit (she is a good friend) to apologize and that mom called me (she has 4 girls) to let me know it was all right, we all go through this, etc etc and it really made me cry.  I had to hide in my office for quite some time waiting for ugly cry face to go away.  I then texted Bg's teacher to see how Bg was being punished at school and to ask for daily behavior reports and ideas for punishments at home.  Her teacher has 5 adult sons so she has a lot of experience.  She was so sweet in her reply. 


It's good to know that Bg hasn't been a horrible monster all year- just the past few weeks.


So, Bg's at home punishment involved writing apology letters to her teachers and the kid she hit:





She also lost electronics until I get good daily reports and her bedtime has been moved up a half hour. 


I decided at last minute to have a garage sale on Saturday.  I knew my sister was having one but I just haven't had time to put stuff together.  But when I saw my pile of garage sale boxes in the basement, I took Friday off and put everything together.  I left the house with around 9 tubs of stuff and came home with just 2.5 tubs.  Such a weight off my shoulders!!  And I made enough money to pay for my annual greenhouse trip!





So, my Mother's Day started off nice.  I slept in a bit, the girls made me beautiful cards and got useful gifts.  However, it started going downhill after that.  The girls lolly gagged, we fought over breakfast, had meltdowns over getting dressed for church and were flat out rude and whiny all morning.  We left for church and they were just so hateful.  That combined with Bg's school call had me feeling VERY down on myself as a mother.  I don't wallow in self pity too often but I was questioning my job as a parent and wondering where I went wrong.  Luckily we had about 2 hours apart at church and I was in the nursery cuddling sweet, non talking babies, so that helped my mood.


My friend Kelly invited the 4 of us to join them for lunch and golf at the Country Club.  The girls were so excited and on their best behavior.   The day was looking up.  It started raining while we were eating, so we were delayed on heading out to the course for a bit but took a good photo op:





But the day went downhill from there.  Chloe was getting mad that she wasn't doing good, Bg was loud and wouldn't quite down when we told her to, Chloe was demanding about driving the cart and we were all getting upset with each other. 


Then disaster almost struck.  It was misting so the grass was wet.  We were letting Chloe drive the cart and Jeff had hopped on the back (which I am sure is against rules).  We were going down a grassy hill when I felt the cart start to fishtail.  I was trying to hold onto Bg and grab the steering wheel.  Chloe was screaming and we started spinning.  I felt that we were going to flip for sure.  We somehow righted ourselves and started sliding backwards downhill.  I could see Jeff was no longer on the cart but didn't know where he was.  We finally stopped, the girls are hysterical and Jeff is on the ground.  He jumped off and injured his shoulder so he was mad.  The girls wouldn't stop screaming and he started in on them.  We were done.  Our friends didn't see our near crash and we just drove by them saying we were done.  We were all mad and shaken up and some words were exchanged.  We got off the course just in time for a downpour, which canceled my run which I desperately needed.  TO make matters worse, somehow the keys got locked in my car when we got home and my only spares happened to be in the car.


But things settled down when we got home.  I cleaned closets, cooked supper, the girls had baths and we worked on a chore chart and a behavior expectation rule list.  The girls were wonderful, they went to bed early and my Mothers Day ended on a much better note.


I almost didn't post this b/c it exposes a lot of my weaknesses that I like to hide: crying, self doubt, parenting fails, etc.  But it's life.  We all go through these trials.  I have had a lot of prayer time questioning myself and am thankful the Lord provides peace!


Oh, I did get a finish line photo- it looks like I am happily skipping in.

Lincoln Half Marathon Race Recap

I traveled to Lincoln, NE on Saturday with Meghan and Kristen to run the Lincoln Half on Sunday. 

But first things first.


Chloe had her season end soccer tourney on Saturday.  It started at 9 and we waited to leave until 10 so I wouldn't miss all her games.  The team she was playing they have beat before, so she was pretty sure they would move on.  However, due to a few mistakes, they lost 4-3 in the last 20 seconds of the game.  It was heartbreaking but they had a good season.  Chloe has improved so much since last year and it was a blast watching her play.  The field was soaked but I am a wimp and cant handle wet feet, so I was prepared in the latest soccer mom "must have" accessory of the year- my muck boots (+/- a little pig poop)!

Bg also had a game that I missed.  I figured she would do her normal sit on the sidelines and cry but both Jeff and another parent texted me that she played great (well, for her) and didn't cry at all.  She was goalie the 4th quarter and stopped 3 goals!  She did good the week Jeff was out of town, so maybe she can only handle one parent at a game.

Back to the race weekend.

We left Higginsville around 10:30.  Meghan had her girls with her so they could see all their family in Lincoln.  We made good time and I believe we arrived at the Expo around 3:45.  I was really excited about the Expo as I knew it was a large race so I assumed the Expo would be huge.  I was pretty disappointed.  I realize it was near the end of the expo on day 2 but it was really tight, cramped and a lot of the vendors had already left.  I had a few things on my list I wanted to buy (socks, hat and Gu Chews) and was out of luck.  Checking in for the race went smoothly though.  It was very organized.

We met up with Meghan's parents, sister and her family and decided to go out to eat.  Her nieces chose Mexican, which wasn't my idea of a good pre race supper, but I wasn't going to argue (and it turned out to be fine).  Her aunt and uncle met up with us and we had a dandy of a time.  Meagan's parents took the girls and they all went off to stay at Meghan's sisters while Meghan, Kristen and I stayed at her aunt and uncles.  They were excellent hosts and we had a very good, relaxing evening.  Best part...I got a bedroom completely to myself and we were 20 minutes from the starting line!!

We decided to leave around 6:15 for the race so I set my alarm for 5:40.  I woke before the alarm so got up around 5:30.  I had all my stuff laid out, so I got myself dressed, had my coffee and ate 1.5 peanut butter pop tarts.  We weren't going back after the race, so I also packed everything back up.

The forecast was about 45 degrees with a chance of rain during the race.  I wore a dry tek long sleeve tee, my Team Beef Jersey and a light jacket.  I also wore full length tights and for the first time compression socks from ProCompression.  When we got there, we had trouble finding a parking spot and then walked about 1/2 mile to the starting line.  The race started on the University of Nebraska campus (beautiful campus!) so we had use of indoor bathrooms (so so so nice!) and hung out inside waiting for our waves to start. 

There were 13,500 people signed up for the marathon and half.  We were assigned start times based on our expected finish but since Meghan's sister signed me up, I wasn't in the wave that I wanted to be.  I was in the expected finish time of 2:40-3:00.  Remember my goals (A- 2:05 B- 2:07 C- 2:10)?  The rules say you cant start in a faster wave, but I went ahead and snuck in.  While waiting for my wave, it started raining but I found a trash bag on the ground and made myself a poncho (it was a clean trash bag in a box, not a random used bag).  Not sure what exact time wave I started and silly me didn't even look at my watch when I crossed.  I have never run in a race anywhere near this big and it was so neat starting with so many people.  I was being a bit of a Debbie downer and was pretty sure with such a huge crowd I wouldn't be able to PR.

I didn't turn music on b/c I was told that there would be people lined the entire course with lots of music and I enjoy the crowd.  Around 1/2 mile mark, I saw Meghan's family and got high fives from her girls, but that was the last I ever saw them.  I did the first mile at 8'58.  I felt GOOD but was worried I was doing the firecracker thing again.  Mile 2 was right at 9 minutes and I still felt good.  I slowed down a bit and hit 9'20, 9'17 and 9'23 for miles 3,4 and 5.  The rain let up a bit and I was getting hot, so I took off the homemade poncho and tossed it aside.  I still felt good and my legs felt strong, so mile 6 was 9'02 (pretty good negative split!).  Mile 7 was a bit slower (9'20) as we got onto a pretty narrow trail for several miles.  The rain also picked up (dang me for getting rid of that poncho) and I got boxed in a lot.  I got kind of tangled up with some marines running in a formation with big flags and had a lot of trouble getting around them.  The flags were wet and were whipping in the wind and the path narrow, so I used up some time getting around them.  Not sure at what point I realized I was no longer getting my splits, but I passed mile 8 and realized I hadn't heard my last two splits so I went ahead and took out my headphones.

Mile 9 was a hill.  It wasn't a horrible hill but it was long.  The crowd was great on this hill and they really offered a lot of encouragement.  I run up the hill with another lady and we had a nice conversation.  We passed a lot of people and when my legs felt fatigued, I remembered to use my arms and pumped myself up.  I was still feeling pretty good.  I had no clue what my time was, but I knew based on my first 7 miles I was doing great and since I wasn't slowing down to walk, I knew a PR was in sight. 

I was pretty much in awe of how good I felt.  The last few weeks of running have been a struggle.  I was pretty wet and my feet were cold but my breathing was great and my legs were tired but still had life.  At mile 10, I knew there was no way in heck I would walk- I was determined to say I ran the entire thing.  I was counting backwards in my head.  30 more minutes, 20 more minutes, 15, 10, etc.  

We finished in the stadium on the 50 year line.  Right when we entered the stadium, a chick charged past me and I though, "my legs still have life" and I took off and finished stronger than I have ever finished!  It was awesome!  I didn't even look at the clock as I crossed, as I had no clue when I started so I knew it wouldn't mean anything to me.  There was a bottle neck to get into the food area, so I pulled out my phone and my FitBit app had crashed at mile 7.25.  I am getting really frustrated with the app, as it has crashed multiple times in my last few long runs. 

I got my chocolate milk, cinnamon donut hole, half banana and blanket and headed upstairs to the massage room.  I felt good, but a free massage is a free massage and I knew I had plenty of time to kill.  Luckily the massage area was heated, but I doubt it was much warmer than 60 degrees.  My sweat got really cold and I could not stop shivering.  My neck/back hurt worse than my legs due to the shivering.  I got my massage and went back downstairs.  I instantly turned back around and went back up.  It may have been cold up there, but it was dry and out of the wind!  A volunteer gave me a 2nd blanket and I hunkered down in a corner.  Another runner joined me who was waiting on her MIL and she told me I could track my friends.  I pulled it up and saw their anticipated finish time was still about 45 minutes off, so I stayed put, shivering.

But, I also found my time........drumroll......2:03:39!!!!  I knew it was going to be a PR, but I didn't realize how fast I did it.  I was so excited!!  2:00 still seemed like so far off, but now I believe I can get there!

Around 11, I made my way out of the stadium and stood outside at the entrance to the stadium to watch for my girls.  The wind was COLD but I wanted to see them finish.  The estimated time of arrival was pretty close, so I got to cheer them on.  Runners were not supposed to be able to get back into the stadium but I just walked back like I knew what I was doing and they didn't say a word.  I met up with the girls and then met up with Meghan's family outside.

Here is a picture of my medal.  I am not in the picture as I looked like crap.  I was soaked, cold and my hair was doing some weird things (it literally started to lock up- it took me forever to comb out my dreads, ha ha).  It was nasty.

Group picture of all the finishers:

I will definitely be back for this race.  The course was awesome, the crowd was great (even though they say the bad weather really kept people away) and the finish sprint in the stadium was inspiring.

I have never felt this strong after a race either.  My legs didn't cramp, I wasn't sore and probably could have run further.  I didn't like the almost 2 hour cold wet wait but that was just due to the weather.  I don't know if it was the compression socks that made a difference but my legs never felt this good before.

I also love the stats the race gave us.  I love seeing how many people I passed!

We went to Valentinos, a local pizza buffet after the race.  It was so nice to have on dry shoes and socks and eat a warm Italian meal.  I completely over ate but I needed it.  The food was honestly sub-par but I didn't really car.

We started our trip home and about 45 minutes into it, I had to have Kristen stop so I could get a coke.  I was about to fall asleep and was craving one.  It hit the spot.  We made another stop a few hours later and I got the biggest ice tea they had (it was like 50 ounce or something crazy) and it hit the spot.  You could tell I was dehydrated from the race, as if I drank that much on the way down Saturday we would have stopped 5 or more times!

It was a great race.  2 hours is in sight.  Next race is May 21st.