The Race

Woohoo!! I did my 1/2 marathon! We had a ton of fun this weekend and the race was a blast! Details: It was a stormy and rainy morning. Tricia and I spent a couple of hours hanging out at Centennial Park in Nashville trying to stay dry before the race started. We were pretty tired. I had woken up at 3:45 that morning and it was still dark when we arrived at the park to wait for the race to start. About 20 minutes til 7:00 we went to line up in the race. We were in the very back and it was a little past 8am before we actually past the starting line. The race started off fun and I was full of energy. Around mile 8 or 9 my toes were really starting to hurt and it got worse from there. I could have sworn that the latter miles were twice as long and the first few. The race got harder and more grueling and I was having to dig deeper and deeper to run at all. It wasn't aerobic exhaustion that I was fighting more than the sheer pain that my feet were in. Most of the people around us were walking the entire race so it was a little difficult to stay motivated. I was very glad to have Tricia there to keep me going. We were very happy when we saw the 13 mile marker and we sprinted as fast as we could for that last .1 mile. The finish line made it all worth it. I seriously thought that my toes were no longer attached to my feet or that I would be bleeding when I took off my shoes, but everything was intact. I was very stiff the rest of the day, but yesterday was better and today I just have some dull pain, not bad. I thought I would have a more difficult recovery. So, the big question is "Would I do it again?". During the race, I thought that there was no way that I would ever sign up for a 1/2 again, but by the next day I was already tossing the idea around. Now, I am seriously considering it. I want to do it again. I want to beat my time. I actually want to keep running. So, anyone up for Nashville 2009? Let me know! You won't regret it!!

Also, a BIG thanks to all of you who cheered me on, called, left messages, emailed, etc. to show me your support. It meant a lot!

Results:

Laura and Tricia 1/2 marathon- 3:40 with a 5 minute porto break

Kristina Plauche 1/2 marathon- 2:30 with a 10 minute porto break and 15 weeks pregnant.

Tom Plauche full marathon- 5:30 and my inspiration.

Karen- could not run because of painful arthritic knees. Still had a much needed break form the kiddos.

The final sprint to the finish.

Me and my running buddy. Tricia became a new person at mile 9 when she was full of engery and starting singing while she ran. Relaxing after the race.

See you all next year!