Dam Half Marathon October 13th 2012

Dam Half Marathon

One of my most special races of the year.

Running a half marathon meant I successfully attained my goal…stay healthy going into the fall season. For the last 3 years I’ve had some injury come on at the beginning of the fall. So this year I tried for another spring half marathon. I was all signed up to do the Timp Trail Half this last spring and got tendonitis in my achilles. No racing for me. I had to take 6 weeks completely off, so no riding, running or swimming. Yes, even swimming hurt my achilles.

Anyway, I signed up to do the Dam Half. It was ¾ trail ¼ road. I didn’t care about my time or results I just wanted to finish, injury free and happy.

We had just spend almost 2 weeks in NYC walking and walking and walking, but nothing was going to stop me from running this race. We got home late Thursday night, I worked on Friday and Saturday morning we were up at 5am to get me to the start.

Race started and I went sllllow. It was so much fun to not even care how fast I was going. Nor that 20 or more women were in front of me. Usually I’m much too competitive and would never let this happen if I could help it, but today I didn’t care.

My pace didn’t pick up but I started passing people. Well this is interesting I thought. I wish passing people in a mtn bike race was this effortless. No riding through bushes off the trail to get past someone, sending your heart rate into the red zone.

Kept passing more and more women. My internal dialog was ‘Crap!’

I found myself in 2^nd place. Now I have to pick up the pace I hate being passed.

Shoe laces came completely untied. Roockie I tell ya. Stopped after a quarter mile of them being untied, realizing they weren’t going to tie themselves.

Picked up the pace and Bobby gave me time check at mile 8. I was 2.5 minutes behind first.

Mile 9, 2:20 back

Mile 10, 2 minutes

Mile 11, 1:30

Mile 12, 1:05

Can I beat her???

I sure did try, but alas I came in 1 minute behind her.

I am so incredibly happy I was healthy and able to do this race. And I was stoked with 2^nd! 

And, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have the husband that I do. He is my everything!