Half Marathon?  Seriously?

I did it!  5 times actually! 

After I completed a couple of shorter runs I decided that the ultimate success would be to complete a Half Marathon. Again, I knew it needed to be fun and then I found DISNEY! After running more distance than I thought I was capable of, I finished my very first HALF MARATHON!

Always late but worth the wait. I may not be the speediest of runners, but I did it and I was ecstatic!

Disneyland Half Marathon - September 2009!
Finish - 2:48:17



 

Carlsbad Half Marathon - January 2010
Finish - 2:54:04

After Disney I thought I would be satisfied, but I wasn't.  I wanted to do another one so I signed up for Carlsbad.  The only problem was that it was in January and that meant I would need to train over the Holiday's.  Are you kidding me?  Get up early, run in the cold, pass up on cookies and egg nog?  Well, let's just say I didn't have the discipline to train, but I ran/walked it anyway.  Misery!  The only thing I liked about the Half Marathon in Carlsbad was that I ran a second Half Marathon with Lindsay and that I brought a new victim (friend) Kalliegh to join in the misery!



Las Vegas Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon - December 2011
Finish - 2:46:44

I had given up on running!  Carlsbad was miserable!  I never wanted to run again, but I also couldn't let my last run be the worst run.  I also couldn't let all of 2011 escape me without having run at least one Half Marathon.  The annual Half Marathon was becoming a thing!  My thing.  So there you have it, I signed up for the Las Vegas Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon!  This time I trained, well, as much training as you can get from a wannabe runner who would rather sleep in than train. 

The race fell on the same weekend as a friend's wedding at Planet Hollywood!  I had discipline for the first time in Sin City!  Go Me!  As a reward, I got sick the morning of the race.  Las Vegas is a little bit unique.  You get to run the Vegas Strip at night all the way to Old Fremont and back.  This all would have been much more exciting if I wasn't busy popping Tums!  I successfully completed the run and proceeded to be sick the remainder of the evening as did many of the runners a Vegas news source reported.




Fresno Eye Q Half Marathon - May 2012
Finish - 2:40:51

After beating both my Disney and Carlsbad Half Marathon times all while feeling sick, I got inspired to sign up for another race to see what would happen.  I started seeing a Trainer for strength training in January 2012.  I was already going to the gym, but strength training just wasn't something I could bring myself to do seriousy.  He had me doing walking lunges across the gym, pushups, squats, stair and rowing machines.  I actually started to like waking up at 5:30 AM!  The best part, it actually helped!  I dropped 6 minutes from my Vegas time!  This is the first and so far only Half Marathon I've run solo.  It was the first Half Marathon I haven't run with Lindsay!  In her honor I took this photo (the only photo I have from the race) of me sticking my tongue out at her and holding my medal in hopes I could intimidate her into running the next one with me!  ...yes, you heard me right, next one!  I've become addicted and plan to run San Diego just 2 weeks later!




San Diego Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon - June 2012
Finish - 2:35:14

And then there was San Diego!  My 5th Half Marathon and last of 2012!  I did it!  Just 2 weeks after the Fresno Half Marathon I dropped another 5 minutes off my time!  I was also finally satisfied to take a break from racing against myself and my times.  At least until next year!