Half Marathon #5: Blue Ridge Half Marathon

I know I totally am behind on my race recaps (as well as yet ANOTHER 5K PR 3 weeks ago...), but I wanted to immediately write down my thoughts on the half marathon that I did this past Saturday, April 20, 2013: The Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon and Half in Roanoke, Virginia!

I signed up to be an official blogger for this race, which sounded like a dream race to me: to run in the Blue Ridge mountains!? Who could pass up that opportunity!! Where I live (in Savannah, GA) and where I am originally from (DC), there are no mountains, let alone hills at all in Savannah. I've always dreamed of building a house in the mountains. You can have your beaches, give me mountains!

Anyway, I signed up for the half and my husband also signed up as well. The drive up to Roanoke from Savannah was not bad at all; very scenic and took about 7 hours. We stayed at a hotel near the airport and mall (Hyatt Place), which was very convenient because there was a race weekend discount AS WELL as a free shuttle to and from the race. SCORE! Not to mention free hot breakfast and free WiFi! :) Plus Downtown Roanoke was just a quick 10 minute drive away!

The night before, we went and picked up our race shirts and bibs at the Market Building and then went and met up with my fellow Moms Run This Town members for a carb loading dinner! I had a couple beers which I probably shouldn't have, but this weekend I allowed to be a cheat weekend so I had to go a bit overboard! :)

When we got back to the hotel, we got our race clothes ready for the morning - checked the weather: mid 40s at start time (7:35am)! Burrr!! So glad I remembered to bring my running sleeves! I took a "flat mama" pic to share on various social media sites and then hit the sack.

We woke up to some WIND howling outside our window... and I was having St. Augustine Half flashbacks! LOL It wasn't too bad, though. When we got to downtown, the Market building was open. We met up with my friends and took our "before" photos - Shelli, Kelli, Katie, Natalie and me! This race was a special one for Kaite and Natalie, as it was to be their FIRST ever marathon!!!

Savannah Moms Run This Town!!

Husband and I

 After hugs and bathroom breaks, we all went out to the start line. I started my Garmin inside, but the damn satellites never synched up until after the race started! :( It was a cold, windy start and after the gun went off it took a while still to warm up. But as soon as we passed mile 1, the ascent onto Mill Mountain started!! Woohoo! I won't forget that sight of people running straight up a super steep road! At about 1.5 miles in, my Garmin FINALLY synched!

I tried my best not to walk until I absolutely needed to. Many people were walking already. I felt like I was going super slow, and I was, but I wanted to at least keep the motion of running with my legs. It was a killer uphill for the next 2 miles! I was trying to keep up with a guy that was ahead of me, but then when we got to about mile 3.75, I succumbed to the mountain and had to take my first walk break (of many to come, lol). The entire way up the mountain was absolutely GORGEOUS. The road was lined with green trees and pretty purple trees popped up to add in some spring color. That, along with the sun peeking through the leaves was just a breathtaking experience. I LOVED IT. It's what I had hoped the course would be.

After my first walk break, I continued on and what do you know, here comes mile 4 and the STAR at the top of Mill Mountain!! With such an AWESOME view of the city!! I had to stop here and take photos at the overlook. Did I just run up this mountain?!?  Hell yeah I did!!! It was such a great feeling!

"I can see my house!"

The Mill Mountain Star!

Me at the top of the mountain! It was windy!!!

After instagramming and FBing this photo, I grabbed some gummi bears at the aid station and made my merry way. I was so HAPPY to now be going DOWNHILL!! But let me tell you, this descent was no joke either! I was so afraid that with one slight slip of my foot, my injury-prone self could be rolling down the mountain!! I took it easy, yet kept a good pace. I passed a few people, but didn't let the momentum get to me too much. Plus, I knew my knees were not loving this part of the course. At least my heart rare got to go down for a bit.

We entered the city and made our way through some beautiful neighborhoods. There was an awesome Fleet Feet aid/cheer station that I remember filling up my water bottle at and high-fiving people. But honestly after that, I can't really remember where the course took us for the rest of the way. There were so many turns and hills that it kept me wondering what was coming next!! I loved it!!! So much better than the normal straightaways in the halfs I have done in the past. I like not knowing whats coming next, what could be around the next corner, etc.

There was so much change in the scenery that before I knew it, I was at mile 12!!!! Woohoo! The hills started to flatten out and I just put my legs in autopilot and flew to the finish line!!! I think my last mile was around a 9 minute pace, which I didn't think I could even hit because I figured my legs would have been super tired from the mountain and hills. But nope! I had so much energy left in me that when I crossed the finish line, I felt like I could keep on running!

And speaking of the finish line, I loved how they pronounced my name correctly AND they even did a shout-out to my Moms Run This Town!!! It was on my shirt! When I heard my name and my running group and had the finish line in sight, I know I have must have had the biggest smile on my face! I finished strong and felt like a badass to boot!! ;) I crossed the line with my right hand over my heart as a tribute to the Boston Marathon. I received my medal from a pretty girl with a tiara

My 5th Half Marathon Medal!!!

My official time was 2:21:28! My slowest half marathon to date, but I was not expecting to PR on this. I was glad that I finished under 2:30! I knew the mountain was going to be rough. It was certainly challenging, but I enjoy a good challenge. I am tempted to try to do it again next year or at least again in the future to see if I can improve on it. My score for the Blue Ridge Half Marathon: A!!

There are also a few important/cool details that I didn't mention:

• Race bibs had names printed on them!
• The course was marked VERY clearly - I knew where to turn even when there was no one directly in front of me!
• Instant race times displayed on a large screen at the finish line!
• The weather was BEAUTIFUL!
• Pete (the race director) and the social media team was very helpful in answering all the questions I had regarding the course before race day
• Lots of crowd support in the neighborhoods!
• Awesome water and aid stations! (Loved the gummi bears!)
• They gave out cool Boston bracelets and stickers to wear on race day to keep the Boston Marathon in our hearts as we ran the race

The only bad things I can think of (which are not even that bad) were the size of the expo/packet pick-up - it was small, not many vendors there. No swag bag, other than the cool Boston bracelets and shirts. And no free beer at the end ;)

{ EDIT: Thanks to Heather who commented that there WERE, in fact, some pretty cool swag bags with noisemakers and stuff! Darn, we got in too late and missed them! }

Thank you Pete and the city of Roanoke for the awesome race!! Hope to see you again soon!

St. Augustine Half Marathon – Nov. 18, 2012

I signed up for this race (the St. Augustine Half) a few months ago, when Jen (of Running Our Way) told me about it and the discount code for MRTT that she was able to score. I signed up even before I ran my first half, which was the RnR on Nov 3rd (15 days before the St. Augustine Half). I figured I would already be in shape for another one at that point.

Well, after the RnR, my body actually recovered quite well – I pretty much did everything "by the book" with the training plan and taper and eating, etc. I didn't even run again until the following Thursday. I had a few more runs after that to prepare for St. Augustine (SA), nothing too hard that would throw my body off (hips, knees are my main concerns). I sort of wanted to treat this run as just another long run in my unofficial training plan for any future races, such as the Bridge Run on Dec 1. So I didn't really taper - my last run before the race was I think the prior Thursday (SA was on a Sunday). I actually signed up for a 5K taking place the day before - because the price was so cheap, but ended up giving it away because I just didn't have time to do it with all the thing I had to do to prepare to get down to SA!

I invited my sister Jen, who lives in Orlando, to come along, mainly to hang out with Liam while Joel and I ran. :) She didn't mind and I am glad she was able to come! We met up with her in SA after we checked in to the hotel (which was right in FRONT of the start line and expo!). After Joel and I picked up our bibs and chips we ventured out to check out the city and get some dinner. The "expo" for this race was one of the smallest ones I've seen. Only a few booths were set up and when we got there (we got there close to closing time) only one was still open (Newton).

One of my MRTT sisters - Tina (of One Foot Out the Door) and her daughter - met up with us for some pre-race dinner at a place called Pizzalley, which was recommended by the front desk of the hotel. Man, those alleys are so confusing! haha... I'm usually great with directions and having a general idea of where to go based on a map glance, but maybe since the sun wasn't out, I wasn't able to hone my inner navigator! We eventually found it and got out eats on! I had a little bit of pasta with light red sauce, just because I didn't want to get any major issues for the race. After dinner we, said g'nite to Tina and decided to head back as well... until we passed by this awesome looking gourmet popsicle shop called The Hyppo! OMG... the flavors they had were all so delicious... I ordered a Pear Pie pop, Liam got a Strawberry one and Jen got a Avocado-Coconut one. I traded with my sister because the Avocado-Coconut one was just sooooo good and creamy and mmmmm... I am not an avocado lover, but this was just amazing. Except after I devoured it, I found out that it had DAIRY in it! Dairy and my tummy don't really get along... I was so scared that something would happen at the race!

When we got back, we set our alarm for 4:45 (race start was 6:05am). I think I actualy got up at 5, ate my Powerbar and half of a banana. Then, I tried to do my pre-race "ritual" if you know what I mean, especially after that damn delicious dairy pop the night before! I wasn't too successful, but time was running out and we had to get out there to the start. It was GO TIME! Luckily we had just a few yards to walk to the start line! And it was pretty damn windy!!

I saw minute pacers and was eyeing the '10' sign, when I saw Kim (another MRTT sister)! We chatted a bit before the anthem and then it started! I ran the first bit with Kim until her first walk break and off I went. The first part of the race was narrow getting to the main road, but it opened up quickly. The streets were lined with beautiful holiday lights and the first bridge we were crossing was also lit up with lights... awesome! After the first bridge, I was a bit more warmed up and tried to get in my groove. The first few miles were along a straightaway then turned onto another straightaway to another and then to a bigger bridge.

There was actually ONE band early on the course, which led me to believe that there would possibly be more, but then I thought, "It's friggin 6am... who would want to hear a band playing that early?" There was not much crowd support other than the water stations, cops manning the street closures and the random pedestrians that happened to be out while the race was going on. I wasn't expecting much support to begin with, especially that early, so it wasn't a big deal for me.

Anyway after the somewhat uneventful miles 2-5, I took my first Gu and walked. Then it was up the second bridge!!! This one was longer and steeper than the first one. I tried to see if I could find Tina and Joel on the other side of the bridge (on the way back). I thought I saw Tina and yelled her name, but she didn't wave back (turned out it was NOT her, haha) and I also saw Joel and waved and he waved back. The bottom of the bridge had cheerleaders and I took it upon myself give them all high fives as I passed because they were a great cheering squad! At the turnaround was the 10K point! Woohoo! almost half way done!

The second ascent of the bridge was tougher because of the wind. I thought I was going to be blown off, it was so strong! But I didn't stop, I kept going... I saw Kim on the other side and I yelled to her, which she acknowledged :) There was a lady I caught up to and ran and chatted with for a bit until I realized that my pace was getting a little too easy and I had to pick it up! I think the bridge was rough on a few people because I passed a bunch of people on the straightaway back.

The second half of the race went through a park, so it was a bit more scenic, thank goodness. A little bit of neighborhood, then cut to a park - I think it was around mile 10 where there was a straightaway along the coastline that was SUPER windy... I think it was harder than the wind on the bridge ascent! I was trying to find someone to draft off of, but no one was around to run behind. It wasn't that long and after the next water station (Snoopy-costumed volunteers!) I took my second Gu and walk break to finish up the last 5K!

This last bit went through some neighborhoods and eventually ended up back on the same straightway in the beginning, leading to the first bridge we crossed over. I was hanging behind a couple of guys who were more 'mature' (maybe 60s?), I overheard them talking about Ironmans and Tri shoes, blahblah... they were going a good pace, until they slowed to chat with another runner and I went around them.

The final mile-point-one was pretty long... as expected at the end of a race. The bridge wasn't too bad, I tried to let my momentum going down the bridge give me speed for the last straightway to the finish line... I finished pretty strong, especially when they said my name as I approached the arch... they even said it correctly (doesn't happen often)! So I was super happy... and even more happy to see a 2:12 on the clock! New PR! Faster than my RnR (2:14). I raised my hands and crossed the line, got my medal and to my surprise, Liam ran up to me! It was great to see hi after that trek through the city. :) I sat down to catch my breath and gave my medal to Liam to wear.

I saw Joel and was happy to hear that his time was MUCH better than his first at the RnR – he got his sub-2! I stretched a bit, but felt my right hip was sore. I had been having issues with my left, but now my right is acting up again. We walked back to the field to meet up with Tina, got some pics with her and she had to leave because it was really COLD. I waited for Kim and we got some food – a pretty good selection of stuff, even free beer (didn't get any, but I got a free koozie!) Then took pics with Kim and her sis-in-law Maureen, another MRTT sister! Then back to the hotel room to thaw out and shower, nap, pack up.

It was a great weekend! My tummy never really bothered me, so the dairy in the pop wasn't so bad! haha My chip time ended up being 2:11:05, which is already pretty damn close to my goal time of a 2:10 half for 2013! So I'm happy. The course was good, sun never came out, windy, challenging... I really enjoyed the bridges because of the change up and the challenge. Would I do this race again? Most likely not, only because there are so many other races I'd like to do and just the logistics of what to do with Liam, what to do with the dogs, how to afford the hotel, etc gets hectic. It was nice that it was very close. The drive was not bad at all (3 hours from Savannah) and SA is a great city that I'd like to visit again to explore more.

Next half marathon??? Not sure, but the next one I am registered to do is the Blue Ridge Half on April 20, 2013!!! Woohoo!

New Goals / Shooting Stars / Running Groups [[randomness]]

After the Rock 'n' Roll, I realized I need to make new goals for myself.

For the time being, my goal is to continue to train for the half marathon distance and stay injury free!

Racing goals are to be able to run a half in 2:10 or less. Hopefully I will be able to attain that in 2013. My goal for the upcoming bridge run on December 1st is to break 30 minutes on the 5K - I have come so close, but have never done it! My fastest bridge run 5K was 30:02 in 2007. And since I'm doing the Double Pump, I'd like to beat the time I did for the bridge run 10K in 2008 - which was 1:08:19... I'm in so much better shape that I was for both of those times, so I'm sure I will be able to do it!

Long term, I would like to train for a marathon, and then run one at sub 4:30 (Oprah's marathon time - which would be the same pace I did for the RnR half).

But before I get there, I would like to be able to run a half marathon in as close to 2 hours as possible. That's a nine minute mile, for 13.1 miles. Am I near that? Hell no. I was in the low 10s for the RnR. But, I also had no idea how fast I'd be able to run 13.1 miles when I signed up for it last year. I estimated 2:30 - based on the fitness level I was at the time. When My little sister ran her first half in 2011 (the RnR in San Antonio), I was amazed by her finishing time of 2:20!! So I sort of secretly changed my goal time to that. So, If I am able to crush my original goal time by 15 minutes, what is another 15 minutes?? If I continue to train like I have been doing and keep challenging myself to get faster, I'm sure I can do that. I gave myself until my 35th birthday to get there... so, 10 years should be enough time... LOL ok, just kidding. I'll be 31 this December, so 4 years to a 2-hour half... I can do it!!

+++++

Getting up to run in the morning before dawn has it perks (just a few). Other than being able to get your workout out of the way first thing in the morning, the next best thing I love about getting up so early are the shooting stars. I'm a wanna-be stargazer: I love space and the idea of an infinite universe all around us, I just don't ever have time to sit and stare at the sky at night (I'm so tired these days). For living right next to a major interstate, my house is actually in a great area for stargazing - it gets pretty dark and you can see a ton of stars at night if it's clear. Anyway, on a number of my morning runs, especially this time, late in the year, I am sometimes greeted by a quick beam of light passing by in an instant. I saw one yesterday morning before I got in my car to run downtown - it was super long and bright too - I took that as a sign that I'd have a good run that morning (which I did). On another run (my first 12 miler), I actually saw THREE of them!! It's pretty awesome.

+++++

I just wanted to mention that joining running groups has really changed the way I run and given me so much more motivation to run. I would not be signing up and getting excited for all these races if it was not for my running buddies. I signed up for the Savannah RnR thinking that I could totally just pick a training plan and do it myself. All by myself. Running is a one person sport, after all, right? Yes, and no. True - you are your only competition in running (unless you are an elite...), but with a group, you have your support team, cheering squad, running buddies, friendly competition and coaches... it's totally not a one person sport. I honestly would not have had such a great time and finish time at my first half without being a part of my 2 running groups (MRTT and CREW). I was skeptical at first because I was used to training on my own and running by myself before this year, but having people to run with and to push you to go faster or run longer, really helps. REALLY. So if you are getting bored with running... I highly suggest joining a running group! Best decision EVAR!

FIRST Half Marathon - DONE!!! (warning: long post)

 

After all the training, hard work, early mornings, sore body parts, blood, SWEAT and tears, my FIRST half marathon is COMPLETE!!! November 3, 2012 will definitely be one of the most amazing days of my life – right up there with college graduation, my wedding day, and the birth of my son. haha I could not have asked for a more perfect day.

I really have to admit that tapering the last 2 weeks definitely helped - not only to recharge my body after a hard week year of miles, but to also recover from my injuries: the road rash, the sprained calves, the sore shins... I ran probably my best run ever on Saturday morning. AND, I did not have any lingering soreness, blisters or pains afterwards. It seems so magical. I did everything right the entire taper period, from resting when my body needed it and drinking water until I peed every hour... it totally paid off in the end!!!

Expo green screen fun!

The Savannah Rock 'n' Roll weekend kicked off with an awesome Expo. Joel and I went on the first day (Thursday) to pick up our numbers and race swag. I was able to change my corral from 16 to 12 (which didn't really matter, as I had come to find out). I'd never been in a huge race before, so the expo was an experience in itself! I picked up a bunch of freebies and samples, got our photos taken, signed up for free entries to other races, walked around and just took in all the energy. That night I went to a group dinner with my CREW training group - the ones who have gotten up with me every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings since June to run around dark Pooler neighborhoods and train out butts off! We have become a little tight-knit family!

Most of my Pooler CREW

Friday, the day before the race was hectic - trying to get work done, trying to get everything ready and packed up since we were spending the night at Joel's parent's house, making soup for the pre-race dinner hosted by my other wonderful running group - Moms RUN This Town (MRTT), going to the dinner (sorry no pictures... Katie's Blog has some good ones though!) and then coming back to drive to the in-laws with kid and doggies in tow. Set the alarm for 5:30am. I went to bed at my normal time (1am).

I woke before my alarm went off. Joel was awake too, I think. Took a while to get out of bed, but when I actually got up, my tummy had an urge to go. TMI, but you runners know what I mean. My day could not start off ANY better! I was worried about tummy troubles during the race, so emptying them out before the race was ideal for me. I had a glass of water, half of a banana and half of a Powerbar before we gathered our stuff and headed out. It was chilly that morning, but not cold enough that we needed our hoodies/sleeves at the start.

Newport running family!

Our BEFORE photo!

Joel's dad dropped us off as close as he could to Ellis Square, where I was to meet up with my CREW group to take a photo before we split off to our corrals. We passed MANY empty spots downtown! After the pictures, we trekked down to the bag check area, and took a few more pictures along the way. Bag check was very easy, it was just pretty far down from where we needed to line up. On the way back up to the corrals, we found the line for the Brooks VIP bathroom. The line was shorter than the port-a-pottys but still longer than I expected. Joel couldn't wait for me, so I kissed him goodbye/goodluck and off he went. I got out just in time to line up in corral 12.

I stayed up at the front of the corral and met up with Chris, a fellow CREW member, who was at the back of corral 11. As we moved up when the race started, he found others in our CREW and they called for me to come up and join them! It was nice to be able to start off my first half with the same people who I trained with for the past 6 months!

It was our turn to start and we were off! I stuck with Chris for most of the first half of the race. It was nice to have someone to chat with for those first miles. Made it easy! There was the first hill in the first mile, not so bad. After the 2nd mile, I think there was a water station. It was chaotic because the road was pretty narrow and there were people stopping right in front of you to get water. In addition to the narrow run-way, there were random cups on the ground that you had to dodge. Well I dodged them anyway - I didn't want my injury-prone ass to slip on one! The narrow water stations was probably the only bad part of my experience...

I stopped to walk for a bit after mile 4 to take my first Gu, then went back at it. We were headed back towards downtown. After we made the first left turn onto MLK (around mile 5), there was upbeat hip hop/dance music playing and it really pumped me up! Then I saw a huge line of kids with their hands held out and I made my way over to them and just ran down the line giving high fives!! WOOHOO!! That was the start of my surge!! It really got me going! The whole downtown part (miles 5-8) was just so awesome and packed with spectators!!! Especially along Oglethorpe!! I loved the bagpipers playing in front of the Cathedral (probably the best band out there on the course! haha). Around mile 8, I saw my friend and boot camp instructor, Kerrie who came out to cheer for us!

After the hustle and bustle of downtown, it was back to the neighborhood streets... after mile 9 we passed under the legs of a huge inflated Brooks rocker dude. Then I decided to take my second walk break to consume my 2nd Gu before entering the Gordonston neighborhoods, where I would be on the look out for Joel's parents and Liam! For some reason this part seemed pretty long to me. Maybe because I was searching and anticipating seeing my son. I knew we'd see them in between miles 10 and 11, but as we kept making turns and not seeing them, I thought they might have left already.... until I finally caught sight of them near the end of the 10th mile. I briefly stopped to give Liam a kiss. Then he says, "I want to go run with you mommy!" I didn't tear up like you'd think I would - instead I just said, "I'll be right back! We'll see you later! Love you!!!" and continued my journey. Then I hear some really sad weeping... that just kept getting louder even as I jogged away!! :( I felt like a bad mom... one lady runner came up and said, "Oh it just breaks your heart doesn't it?" And it did, but I just had to laugh. He does that every time I leave him! Apparently he did that with Joel too, so I'm sure seeing his other parent run away from him earlier didn't help me! LOL

After that little ordeal, I saw the 11 mile sign and knew that I was SO CLOSE to the end!! A couple miles to go!!! It started to split off to where the marathoners left for their 2nd half... it was very clearly marked and they had people along the course telling people as well. After the split, was mile 12!!! AHHHH just 1 more mile!!! This last mile was the longest mile EVER. First of all, there were a couple little hills on this stupid road. It was rough. My toes had become numb and my feet were just getting beat. I made myself walk a little bit before trying to finish strong. I wish there was as many spectators on this final mile like there were on Oglethorpe! I was trying to remember the succession of streets before Drayton (the LAST turn), but I just kept seeing a mass of people still lining the street ahead of me. Ugh. But it came up by surprise because I think there might have been a hill and then right after the hill was the final turn! WOOHOO!!! Just .1 mile left!!!

Where's that finish line?

The last .1 was a blur. There were tons of people lined up on the sides cheering people in! I tried to sprint, but I don't think I had much left in me. I went as fast as I could, even slowed a bit to make sure my finish line photo was cute by posing. LOL I crossed under the gate and yelled out, "WOOHOOOOOOO!!!" I didn't cry like I thought I might (especially because just I started my period, haha - sorry TMI). I was just so HAPPY and overwhelmed and proud of myself!!! Especially when I looked down at my watch to see my time: 2:14:36!!!!!!! Holy $hit! I beat my goal (2:15)!

Finishing up strong!

Pumped up at the finish!!!

I went and got my medal and saw Joel! He waited for me, which I am glad he did because we got our finishers photo taken together! He didn't do as well as he would have liked due to an injury, but I am proud of him for finishing!! I met a girl who recognized me from Daily Mile, which was pretty awesome that we finished around the same time. I also saw my old Crossfit instructor, Kim at the end handing out medals and gave her a high five!

Finisher's photo with my man!

After the photos and crowded finish line craziness, we walked straight down to the bag check area and got our bag. Bag checks are awesome! I changed out of my shoes and into my FitFlops... ahhh... my feet needed those! Got my phone and took an "after" photo of Joel and I and checked my texts and FB... although it was nearly impossible to get a good signal out there with all the people trying to do the same exact thing.

Our AFTER photo!

We got our free beer and then headed over to the CREW tent for post-race congrats to my CREWmates and photos. Then we went over to the MRTT tent to catch up with the other MRTT runners from Savannah, ATL and other chapters, as well as rest, stretch, ice, drink more beer, and just enjoy the beautiful afternoon... We stayed and got updates on Jen - who was doing the Full (a first for her, too!) It was really awesome to watch her come in and finish strong - well above her expected goal!!!

Morgan and Jen... both big achievements at the RnR!

This race was so unbelievable. I knew it would be a great time, but it really exceeded my expectations of a half marathon. I wore a custom-made Wonder Woman running costume (from the wonderfully talented Helen of This Princess Runs) which got me lots of comments and "GO WONDER WOMAN" cheers along the way! Whenever I heard someone say it, I'd yell out "WOOOHOOO YEAH!!!!" and try to make eye contact with them as a thank you to let them know I heard it and it is keeping me going!!! The race support and volunteers were just so phenomenal. I would love to do this again next year!!! 

My splits. I wanted to see those 9s at the end of the race, but I guess I started off faster than I should have. Oh well! I still ran a fabulous race!

(Thanks marathonfoto.com for the pics! I will be purchasing them soon!)