I didn't pass out this year!

Last year's marathon was a bit of a learning experience for me. I obviously didn't do something right... training, nutrition, prayer... because the entire finish was one hazey cloud until I gained concsiousness surrounded by medical professionals. And it wasn't just because I ran 26 miles. I know that's what some of you are thinking. Many people run that long and are able to stay upright afterwards, so I was determined to find out what my problem was. Because I will run another marathon. And I will meet my goal time AND actually remember doing so. However, since I scared Brian witless last year, I had to tone it down a bit.

I love my husband and value his sanity, so I just committed to a half marathon (13 miles) this year. And when I say that I committed to it, I actually mean that I was talked into it by one of my best buddies. The conversation went something like this....

Some day at the end of July:

Laura: "Hey Christine! Phoenix is here.... The delivery went great..... Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good.... Hey, I have a favor to ask you..."

Me: thinking to myself while listening to her talk "You just had a baby... like 4 hours ago... Yes. Anything you need. A lung? Kidney? Blood transfusion?"

Laura: "I was wondering if you'd run a half-marthon with me in December? I really want a goal to get back in shape."

Me: "Run with you?! That's it? Sure! I was all prepared to cut an organ out of my body. I will definitely run with you."

So... the plans were made. Brian was thrilled that it was going to be less of a commitment than last year and I was just excited to run with one of my best buddies (and keep all my organs).

Laura and I go way back. I don't really remember how we became such good friends in sixth grade. I just know she was super cool. Kinda shy, and really athletic (like, I'm pretty sure she was the female athlete of the year as a freshman. And pretty much every year after that too). Since I was new at the little Christian school in sixth grade and she had been there forever and was pretty much the coolest thing around, I kinda latched on to her and never looked back. One more bonus: our last names were only one letter apart so our lockers were next to eachother pretty much every year from 6-12 grade. Unfortunately, there was one pesky boy who's last name was right in between ours, so he almost always sat in between us in class. He was pretty cool for a pesky boy, but he was totally in love with Laura and he would tell me about it. A lot. Thankfully, he turned into one of the sweetest guys around and convinced Laura to go out with him our freshman year. And they always let me hang out with them as the third wheel. It was actually the perfect setup. I got to hang out with one of my favorite girls, I got along great with her boyfriend, and I had a guy looking out for me without ever having to mess with all that silly boy stuff. And when they got married a few years after high school, it just made it even sweeter to be part of their special day. (Their oldest son is on the short list for possible marriage canditates for Mikaiah. The only hang up might be that I'm taller than Kevin and can pretty much fit Laura into my pocket. Unless feeling like the statue of liberty around her significant other wouldn't bother Mikaiah.)

But anyway, back to the race... The three of us ran it together. At least that was the plan. We were all supposed to stick together until mile six, then have the freedom to go off into our own paces. But I was going to do my best to stick with Laura. And she usually has a faster pace then Kevin (in his defense, he spends his workout time lifting like 500 lbs. rather than running long distances). So... when she stepped up her pace a bit after a mile, I just followed suit. And with 22,000 runners, it's pretty easy to get separated, so...we left poor Kevin to run the entire race solo. I felt pretty terrible, but obviously not TOO terrible because I didn't stop and look for him or anything. And Laura is a complete rockstar because she was only like 13 minutes off her personal record, five months after having a baby!!

Overall, the race was FANTASTIC! I would highly recommend doing a half-marathon to anyone who wants a reachable running goal. It was the perfect distance. A little cold in December, but other than that, awesome. And it was quite nice to remember the finish this year.

Let me just say: This picture was taken on a 30-something degree day at 7 am. Enough said. And I actually look shorter than Kevin here. Missing my heels, I guess. :)

And here are a few pictures of the kiddos. They went downtown with me and my parents to pick up my packet the day before the race and had an absolute blast riding the little tram through the parking lot.