Whew! I did it. I finished the Half, and ran the whole thing. It wasn't my fastest pace ever, but you have to start somewhere. Race weekend was a lot of fun overall, with Haley and Rob and friends running the 5K on Friday night (Haley's first "real" race with a bib and everything!), and the Half on Saturday morning. Despite the rain and crowds, everything went smoothly and I got off to a good start. By mile 6 the runners thinned out a little and I could just focus on running instead of on avoiding the elbows and feet all around. I felt pretty strong until about mile 11, at which point I zoned out and just tried to stay ahead of the 11-minute-per-mile pace group behind me. Crossing the finish line in the Fargo Dome was an amazing experience, and I was so happy to just be done. With almost 20,000 runners participating in the events, Fargo was THE place to be and it was thrilling and inspiring to see so many runners and their families. All of us are already talking about which events we'll do next year. So I guess I'd better still Run, Mama, Run!
Above: The sign the kids made to cheer me on. Love it!
Jake was oh-so-sad that he couldn't participate in the 5K. I told him when he can cross a parking lot without complaining of being tired then he can run one! I love his pouty pout.
Haley, pre-race.
Go Haley, Go!
Half Marathon Finisher!
