I figure if I keep writing about my running (and life) I'll actually keep running!
In May of 2012, my running buddy and I (along with her hubby - he's part of our running trio!) ran the Run for the Achievable Dream 8k in Williamsburg. It was after that race that my running buddy got a crazy idea that we should train (at the Y) and run the Rock and Roll Half Marathon. I thought she had LOST HER MIND! I was ok with running 5k's and 8k's since I was pretty new to the whole running thing - maybe I'd even challenge myself to a 10k. But a HALF MARATHON??! No way!! Never in my wildest dreams thought it would happen!! That I could actually consider myself to be that good of a runner. But I agreed to sign up, and off went another running adventure.
Fast forward. Rock and Roll was a disaster (TOO HOT! TOO HUMID!) but we all finished. We then figured we needed to give ourselves another opportunity for success and signed up for the Inaugural Crawlin Crab Half in Hampton VA. Another disaster of cold, and wet. The rain was so bad that by mile 10 I could literally hear the water sloshing in my sneakers after every step! I had just about given up on Half Marathons altogether till the Princess. With a renewed sense of "I can do this" we signed up for the Crawlin Crab Half in Hampton again.
This time around for the most part I had put in the work and felt really confident about my ability to complete the race. I managed to sweet talk that handsome boyfriend of mine into running it with us too. After all, he had been the one doing most of the training runs with me - he might as well get a medal and t-shirt for all his trouble. So he was about to take on his first half marathon.
Race weekend came and OH BOY!! It was the complete opposite of what it was the previous year. Instead of cold and rain, we had hot and humid. Not the best race conditions. I felt like I just couldn't catch a break!! Regardless, I was confident in my ability to get through this race (or at least a good chunk of it before switching to run/walk method), as well as motivate my friend who's faith in her running was wavering.
It was a hot one, but I was determined. That wasn't so much the case for my friend. Somewhere around mile 5-6, she lost her mo-jo. We switched to a run/walk combo, but it was still a struggle for her. There was a lot more walking, and me bouncing along ahead of her. Every time I'd stop to wait for her to catch up, she'd tell me to go ahead.....nope...not my style. Yes, I was hoping for a PR, but making sure she got across the finish line was way more important to me.
By mile 11, my boyfriend (who had been done for almost an hour) was texting me wanting to know when we were arriving. This race had an entourage of people waiting for us. Mom, Dad, Janet, Drew and Donnie.
We slowly made our way to the finish line.
As we came to the last 100ft of the race we see John, Gineff's hubby waiting there for us. We were thinking that he had already finished and was just going to run in with us for moral support. Nope - he waited over 30mins at the finish line so that he could cross the finish line with his wife (and me too!) Now if that's not love I don't know what is!!!
Needless to say by the time we finished we were exhausted!! It was hot, we were tired, and everything hurt!!
I would have liked to have gotten a family picture but by then even my entourage wanted to head indoors to some AC! I didn't blame them at all.
So we finished, but it wasn't pretty. I'm not sure if I'll run it again next year as I am trying to broaden my race horizons and venture to new places to run - but its a great course and I'm sure it will continue to grow in popularity as most J&A races do.
I know this is totally illegal...but I screen shotted my pics. I just can't see spending $60 on 15 pics of me looking like a hot mess!!
Josh, me, Gineff and John - pre race and ready to go!
Gineff and I in our matching outfits. My motto is - I may not run fast or look pretty but I'm going to look good while I'm doing it!!
Plus I've put my sister's sewing skills to work and she makes me my fun skirts!
Just about at the finish. That's my Dad and Donnie behind me, running me in the last few feet! The race volunteers even gave Donnie one of the kids medals since he was such a trooper out there waiting for Aunt Liz.
And we're done!! A hard earned big fancy medal!
Most of J&A's medals double as bottle openers....I think they're trying to tell us something....
Next Up.......Wicked 10k!
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