Half Marathon: check.....
What a great few days....Again...it's the support around you that helps get you through...Rich (my brother in law) and Alex Eld (the infamous comm ave shoe manager) ran the event as well and gave me tips..advice..and support as I got ready for my first half marathon....
Maggie and my nieces got together on Saturday to make t-shirts to wear on race day so they could cheer us on with inspiration and motivation...puffy paint style....they came out adorable!!!
Maggie was a trooper!!!! She woke up at 5am with me to see us off at the start....she roughed the rain and windy conditions and met me at mile 9 to offer support!! And WOW I needed it at that point....that was actually my slowest mile of the 13...I heard her about 200 yards away and she helped me push on....She then met me down by the finish line with a sprint ahead of me and gave me the energy I needed to sprint to the finish!!! She was the best...and I am sooo sooo thankful I have her cheering me on as I continue my journey to Boston 2010!
The race was fun...and hard...and WET...what a day for my first long race...40-50 mph winds, the ocean surging over the wall...and rain...lots of rain...We were soaked before we even started...it made it a tougher run...but kept it fun and exciting for sure...If I can race in those conditions...bring on Boston!!!!
My mom..sister...and niece Alyssa met us at the finish as well...So exciting to see them at the finish even in the rain...My mom has always been my biggest fan throughout my athletic career..and it was great to see her just as excited about this crazy endeavor...and believe me...she certainly thinks I am crazy...but already making plans for crashing on our couch for Marathon Monday....
I got my first race medal and the bib # collection is getting bigger..they are all posted on the fridge!! Today was uplifting and has me more excited about what I am doing...I am high on running and I am just getting started...I have had a lot of athletic achievements thus far...but for me this is my biggest accomplishment yet...I never liked running...It was always my least favorite aspect of basketball preseason...I decided to do this and went for it...I not only finished but improved my pace and finished faster and stronger than I anticipated...I felt great and my training came through...I finished around 2:20...official times will be out later this week....and hopefully some killer pics of the flood we ran through!!
Me sporting my new medal!!!:
Next up: Nike Human Race 10k on Saturday...check back mid week for pics and official time from my First Half Marathon!!!
~Keli
Boo we are so proud of you and Rich is more than happy to offer support and advice...we can't wait to see you race in Boston either! Maybe it will motivate Rich to do one...i keep telling him to.
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