Country Music Half Marathon, Part 2: Race Report!

So, the race is done. I feel pretty much recovered, and proud of what I accomplished.

I laid out all my stuff Friday night.

Rather than give you a narrative of all my experiences on that day, I thought I would just post the highlights.

Earliest wake-up moment: 3 am. I woke up in the middle of the night!









Most embarrassing song on playlist: Watch this video and pay attention at the end...

Grossest moment: Using the Port-o-potties before the race. Yuck.

Most Frustrating Moment: Usually the crowd dissipates after the first few miles. But the crowd was heavy almost the entire time. So there were several moments when I got stuck behind a wall of walkers and had to run in place while I looked for a hole to run through. Those were the frustrating moments. (When I took walk breaks I always checked to make sure there was no one behind me, and moved to the side, because I'm considerate. And awesome). Running on the track with inconsiderate people really helped prepare me for this, so thank you, inconsiderate track people!

Ran into some super cool people, and struck the dorkiest pose I possibly could.

Most Awkward Moment:

- When someone in the crowd yelled "Yay! P90X! Go Tony!" (I was wearing my P90X hat) and I raised my arms up to cheer, and a guy who was following me really close suddenly yelled "JESUS!" (I guess I scared him) (Or he saw Jesus).

Best Signs:

- "Chuck Norris never ran a marathon."

- "You're NOT almost there. Sorry."

- "Embrace the Suck that is this hill!"

- "Run like a cheetah is chasing you" (A bunch of Dave Ramsey folks were running and cheering!)

- "Duh. Winning!"

- "Your feet hurt because you are kicking so much ass!"

- "They said 'run', not 'rum'!"

Saddest Moment: At around Mile 7, when my phone died. No more pictures, updates, Nike +, music... but I was okay....

Cutest Moment: High fiving the kids who stood to the side cheering for us. They were so precious!

Most Important Lesson: Be very careful around the drink stops, and if there is fruit or GU being handed out. I almost slipped on water, cups, banana peels... and GU is very sticky. 

Most Awesome Moment: As I turned the last corner, I was so thrilled to almost be done. One of the folks cheering said, "I love that smile on your face!" I felt so proud at that moment!

(Second most awesome moment: When I finally found the car after the race. I think I walked at least one more mile looking for it...)

Most Hopeful Moment: When I realized at about 11 miles that I was close to the 2:30 pacer. I almost kept up with him... this is probably how I got 2:36.

Happiest Moment: Finishing. Duh.

Likelihood of doing another half: 100%. I'm already registered for the Women's Half Marathon in September, and the Murfreesboro Middle Half in October. I will PR on both :-).