The LONG version of my 1st half marathon

There's a lot of stuff I will never forget about last Saturday. 

I wish there was a way I could remember every second. 

From the time I woke up at 4 am in my warm comfy bed til the moment I crossed the finish line of the St. Jude Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee on April 28, 2012.

Anthony was sweet enough to be my chaffeur to Clint & Kyla's house. Since Kyla has done the half before, lives in Nashville, and has trained on the race course it just made sense to tag along with her and her chums on race day. 

When we got there, Kyla and her best pal Carlos (who had flown in from DC to run with her, how sweet!) were pretty much ret-to-go. We pinned our bibs and off we went. We picked up one more. Amy, a first timer like me. She got in the car and immediately said "This was a bad idea." I laughed.

We finally found parking and walked down to the race. Thank you Marriott for letting us use your fine facilities. No port-o-potty lines for us.

We hopped into a corral just in time to hear the national anthem and official start.

This was the scene - a throng of about 31, 000 people running the full and the half. 
We didn't all start at the same time. It's called a wave start. Pretty much the speedy folks were in the first 8-10 corrals. Every minute or two, they'd release another group of about a zillion. Well, at least that's what it seemed like. But I didn't care. I was about to mark somethin off my bucket list!

Around 7:10 or 7:15, me and my little bunch were officially running the marathon. I lost them pretty much immediately. That's okay though. I trained solo so running the race solo would be fine, just fine. It's hard to keep pace with others anyhoo.

I'm pretty sure I grinned like the cheshire cat for the first 2 miles down West End.

When we were getting ready to start, they informed us Sheryl Crow was running with us. It was her first half, too. Oddly, she didn't sing the national anthem though. 


Her sister ran with her. I didn't see em though.


Some crazy person ran in a Gumby suit. It was so HOT that day. I can't imagine!!!

I did see this guy - I reckon he juggled those three little balls the whole time he ran. 13.1 miles of juggling? Um, more power to ya buddy. I couldn't juggle for 13.1 seconds. I did see him drop em one time. He claimed he was distracted by a spectator. 

There were two men in white suits with red ties and I swear they had on dress shoes, but I can't find a picture of em online so you'll just hafta take my word for it. And again, IT WAS HOT. I can't imagine how they stood the heat in those suits. They were jogging pretty slow, but still. Suits are for church fellas. Not marathons!

Oh, and I saw two different dudes running barefoot.

There was pretty much every shape and size represented. And every age. I saw a couple boys who looked younger than 12. And some OLD folks passed me. Like retirement age. Just a gettin it.


I saw these folks run across the bridge. It was a neat sight. I heard there's a group running in several marathons across the US this year with this big ole dragon. I think they're affiliated with PF Chang (the restaurant). Super cool. 

So people had told me there'd be spectators along the route cheering you on, holding signs and high fiving, etc. 
They were right.
There were TONS OF PEOPLE everywhere. 

Probably my favorite group - the girls in the fat suits dancing to "I'm Sexy and I Know it"

Do it girls~

My friend Amy had warned me about the hilly climb on Demonbreun. She did the half in 2010. But Demonbreun wasn't as bad as 12th. Whew! It seemed like we were running up Mt. Everest. And did I mention it was really hot?! Not enough shade on the course. Humid and hot. 

Somewhere along the route, we ran through a residential kinda area. People were sitting in their yards just hangin out watching all us nuts run by. One kind lady had her water hose out and sprayed anyone who ran under it. And I headed right for it!

Thank you water hose lady!

I had a Lyndy moment on another part of the route. There was a misty spray water thingy up high like you see at Six Flags, right? I ran over toward it and it was misty til you got to a certain spot and then WHOOSH! So like half my hair was soaking. I did have sense enough to remove my prescription sunglasses before going under the mist. Of course my hair dried before my finish line photo, so all's well that ends well.

Some spectators had cowbells they played while holding signs. One little girl clanked a spoon in a metal cooking pot. I like it when people improvise. Where there's a will...

One dude yelled I've never seen so many hot ladies as a group of us ran by. It was a play on words. Cuz it was a HOT day.  

Some would yell words of encouragement, even telling you stuff like 'after this hill, you get a break, it's downhill,' etc. That was nice.

Some of the signs I saw along the way were inspiring. Some were funny. Some had inappropriateness.

Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.

One foot in front of the other

Don't stop! People are watching.

Keep going - your legs will forgive you later

You're beating all the couch potatoes.

Do one thing that scares you today - marathon   __check

Chafe now brag later

Toenails are overrated.

Run like you stole something

Your pace or mine?

Worst parade ever

Hope you don't have to pee

Shoe sale up ahead

A Star Wars sign or two - 

May the course be with you

the other one had a hand drawn Yoda on it, but I can't remember what it said

A couple Hunger Games signs - 

Run like Katniss

Run like your chariot's on fire

One from the Michael Scott repertoire (the Office) - 

Keep going, Keep going

that's what she said

The one sign that kinda made me emotional (I'm not a cryin kinda girl, but there was just a lot goin on in my head that day) - - 

You're no longer just a runner, you're a MARATHONER

I just felt SO PROUD OF MYSELF to have worked so hard for 16 weeks and to be actually doing it. Running 13.1 miles. In a race. Without puking, fainting, cramping, or dying. 

I may have been a wee bit too excited for this photographer... I look eerily like the creepy dude from KISS 

So as far as the race goes - the maneuvering around water/Gatorade stations was a little tricky. I tried to stay outta people's way, but it gets congested no matter how ya slice it. 

I took water at one station, Gatorade at a few others. Drinking and running isn't as hard as I once thought. And there's somethin cool about people handin ya water like you're a real athlete or somethin. 

Once, I took a GU (it's energy gel stuff) since my oatmeal I had eaten at 4 am was pretty much wearing off.  They were handing out bananas and apple slices at some stations, but I didn't partake. And I also passed the beer stations. 

It's funny how when you run 13.1 miles, it all kinda becomes a blur. 

There were times it was pretty easy and fun. Oh how I enjoy people watching. And there was plenty of opportunity for that. 

Then there were times when I thought just keep going - the faster you go, the quicker you get done! 

I definitely felt strong that day. And I know that's because yall were praying for me. Some of you told me so. See, I had a sinus infection the week of the race. But during the race, my nose didn't run. It didn't stop up. I didn't cough. My throat wasn't sore. I didn't even have an urge to go potty. My body felt great. 

Of course while running I also had thoughts like I'm never doing this again. Fantasies about what I was gonna eat after the race (still haven't had that milkshake). Wondering how many pics the photographers got and what pose to do as I crossed the finish line. Just everything.

As we approached the final mile I saw lots of spectators. I absolutely sprinted as hard and fast as I could that last tenth of a mile. Every ounce of energy I had left, I was gonna use it. And I finished in 2 hours 39 minutes, and 4 seconds.

My only goal was to run the whole time. No walking breaks. I wasn't really concerned with my finish time since this was my first race. I've never even run in a 5k. 

YESSS!

As you walk through (or should I say as you're herded like cattle) they gladly place a shiny (and heavy) medal on your neck. And you smile. And you thank them. 

You keep walking and they give you a colllld wet towel. uh-mazing. 

Then you get your finish pic. Red face and all.

Being such a picture person I'm slightly irritated that my finish photo is off in color. And I don't know how to fix that in Photoshop. Oh well.

They have tons of carb snacks and goodies for you post race. I had some Gatorade, some little cookies, a yogurt tube and some chocolate milk.

I was so glad when I spotted Kyla and Carlos heading toward me at our designated meeting spot. They finished just a few minutes behind me. Then Kyla's trainer's wife came, and then Amy. Kyla's trainer ran the full marathon, so we didn't wait for him. 

Here we all are, post race. 

Thanks Lisa for taking our pic since you were the only one with a working phone. So sweet of you to come out and congratulate us. See, Amy's died during the race and so did Kyla's. What luck! I had left mine back at Kyla's house. Didn't want to carry it while I was sweatin and racin and what not.

On our way back to the car we stopped for another pic with the Nashville skyline behind us. I like ! 

Clint and Anthony didn't make it out to the race. Clint had to work late, so they made it up to us by grilling for us back at the house. Grilled brats, corn on the cob and asparagus. YUM! Thanks guys!

So now I guess I can take this giant post it note off the mirror in our master bath. I put it there in January, when I started this crazy little journey.

Or I could change it to say 13.1 I DID IT! :o)

I decided to put the sticker from my swag bag on my car. It has a guitar on it, so it's kinda cool.

Anyway.

You only get to do something for your first time just once. I'm glad I had a great experience for my first half. I think I'll do it again sometime. It was pretty fun. 

And if you're still reading this... Wow! Thanks. That means you love me. Even when I'm long winded. 

Half marathon results (the brief version)

Pre-race (fresh faced & ready)

L-R Amy, Carlos, Kyla, me

I finished my first half marathon in 2 hours 39 minutes this morning shortly before 10 am.  Click here for my official running time. Posted on the internet. Like forever. 

I came in 13,684th place. 

I'm pausing to smile. So you should smile, too. Go ahead, it's okay. I'll wait. . . . 

According to my Garmin running watch, I actually ran 13.3 miles. Details. Merely details.

I really had fun. I'm so glad I did it.

More later. Time for some resty rest.  

Thanks for the memories 

Country Music Marathon

I'll never forget this day - April 28, 2012

Tomorrow is the big day - MY FIRST HALF MARATHON

Oh my goodness! ! ! Holy cow!
Tomorrow is the BIG day. 
In less than 12 hours I'll be in line with about 35,000 of my closest friends (wink, wink) to run a half marathon. Well some of the crazies will be running the full. 
Not I said the duck. Not I. 



Fun fact: Marathons started in Greece around 490 B.C. (Does this mean the apostles, scribes and Pharisees ran marathons? I can't call it....)

Why is a marathon 26.2 miles? Inquiring minds want to know. And you know you're one of em.

Well, I just happen to have your answer. 

Ya see, in the first modern Olympic games (in Athens around 1896) the Greeks were itching for a medal. The big race was their last chance. They started on Marathon Bridge and ran to the Olympic Stadium, a distance of 24.85 miles. In 1908 the London folk changed the distance to 26 miles to cover the distance from Windsor Castle to White City stadium, with 385 yards added so the race would finish right smack dab in front of the royal fam's viewing box. Nice, right? Those tea drinkin Englishsters goin and changing things. Anyway, after 16 years of heated discussion, the 26.2 mile distance was a done deal just in time for the 1924 Olympics in Paris.

Aren't ya glad for my little history lesson? Don't you feel smarter?

Enough of that.

This week I've had a roller coaster of emotions. 
:-{ Ready to be d-o-n-e, as in stick a fork in me
:-o Oh how I want my Saturdays back (i.e. wanna sleep late again)
:-\ Nervous
{:o) Excited

But I've had soooo much support from all my pals. Thanks for that! And I know it's gonna be so awesome to accomplish this personal goal. And lemme add another I'm sorry here for ever makin fun of those 13.1 stickers or for sayin stuff like "who would wanna do that?"

There've been lotsa folks sayin "good luck" and "I'm so proud of you." Aww, I feel so loved. 
Somebody said "I'll be praying for you Saturday morning." Another somebody said "I'll be rooting for you." And another somebody actually came to my desk and prayed with/over me. Presh. 

One day this week a fellow runner (a coworker) came by to get ME to encourage HER to go for her run. I was like go do it girl, you'll never regret a workout. Look at me, bein a role model & stuff. What, what?

Yesterday I went down to the convention center all by myself and picked up -

I'm racer # 20825. Watch for me on tv. ;-) 

I parked in the world's tiniest parking space between a big SUV and one of those crossover car/SUV/station wagony cars. 
I made a cabbie smile and thanked him for pointing me in the right direction. He sounded like he mighta been from Haiti. I didn't have time to chit chat and ask.
I saw lots of muscular legs. Lol And all sizes and ages of peeps.
I had no trouble getting my stuff. It was very organized. 
I made the tshirt lady smile when I told her the reason I ordered a Large was because they said the women's shirts run small and I have big... um a big chest. ;-)
I made the young folk smile when they all held swag bags out to me because I did eenie meenie miney mo... I'll take his because he's cuter than you girls. It was young African American fella and boy did he grin! Smiles all around.

Tonight we stayed home and I made some linguine with marinara, garlic toast (who can eat pasta without bread?!), and Anthony grilled us some pork tenderloin (marinated in garlic & herbs no less) and I had a baked potato, too. They say to carb load pre-race. Sir yes sir! 



YUM








                                           

and more yum !



Last night Anthony said "you are so by the book" (about eating what the experts suggest) 
I asked him "do you not realize who you married?" 
His reply: "do you not realize who you married?"
We're so different. Lol But that's why we fit together just right!

So Ima try to chill tonight. Watch a little tv. Maybe hop on Pinterest. And get to bed early. To rise and shine around 4 am in the mornin is gonna stink, but I know it'll be worth it! I've never crossed a real finish line ya see. 

Country Music half Marathon here I come!

A luncheon, a bday party, a Riley visit & a new boss - OH MY!

Lemme catch you up. 

Cuz I know you're dying to hear about all the shtuff I we been doin. 

~Ladies luncheon~
Last Saturday Mom, Bridgett and I attended a ladies luncheon with some church ladies. 
No, not that church lady. 


Anyway, the guest speaker was great. She lost her husband unexpectedly last year and is raising her three kids with God's help of course, and pastoring her departed husband's church. I'm not getting into the debate about whether or not women can pastor and/or preach. 
It was a nice luncheon and we were blessed by her. Pray for her. 

My favorite part of the meal was the carrot cake I had for dessert. Thought you should know that. Since I ran 10 miles that morning, I felt like I kinda earned that sugary sweetness.

~Avery's 1st birthday~
Event #2 of the ole agenda for last Saturday was for this little fella...

Since Avery turned 1 his mommy & daddy had him a birthday party. And since we're friends with em, they invited us. Even though we don't have kids.  :-P

Kyla's mom made the cake. Isn't it great? I was impressed! If you gave me a tube of icing, I'm pretty sure that brown, um it'd turn out lookin like a big pile of poo 'stead of a cute little monkey. And who'd wanna eat a birthday cake that looks like poo? Nobody. That's who.

Clint is Avery's dad. Clint's been buds with my hub since they were proly in diapers. He's good people. 

~a Riley visit~
Tuesday night at our house, there was dancin.

I probably shouldn't have, but I joined in.
Ya see, I can't dance. As in not.at.all. 
I was so bad Anthony made me go into the bedroom to watch myself in the mirror. I laughed at myself. A lot. 

We were workin on puzzles and Riley just climbed on my back. Just like that. Cuz 4 year olds are unpredictable.

After Riley left, Anthony said Riley's a happy kid, isn't he? I said yeah, he is. I think this shot kinda supports that theory, don't you?! 

 
~a new boss~
So Wednesday, my new boss started. She's an attorney. I've been working for attorneys since '97. I'm a paralegal in case ya didn't know and/or you care. That lends itself to working with attorneys. (chuckle) Anyway, the new boss seems pretty nice. I'm sure she'll soon figure out how very awesome I am. ;-)
 
Last but not least, yesterday I woke up a little sickly. Sore throat, sinus pressure, etc. so I wasn't able to make it to my friend Heather's outdoor wedding. Doggone weather and allergies. :-( 
I'm sure she got hitched just fine. I'll apologize to her once she returns from her tropical paradise honeymoon.  

Well folks that's a recap of the goings on with me and the hub for the last 7 or 8 days. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Keith Urban & Vince Gill ALL FOR THE HALL 2012

On Monday the hubs text me and asked if I'd wanna go Tuesday night to the Keith Urban "All for the Hall" concert in Nashvegas. I was iffy for a minute, then I googled it. 

So many talented artists. A good cause. I was in like a wedgie. 

We encountered no traffic probs. You think I'm lying don't you? Traffic in Nashville is always horrible. But tonight, I guess the traffic angels guided us.

We had time to dine. Er, I mean eat. Cuz I reckon when ya eat at a joint with a pig on its sign, it's not what most folk would call fine dining.

It really was good. I stuck with my standard of course - - the brisket. Hush Brandi. I <3 it. Anthony did his usual shredded. So predictable that boy. Notice my clean plate. Always. 
  
The concert was grrrreat! Keith Urban kicked it off with You're Gonna Fly and Sweet Thing, Anth's two faves. Then Vince did an old tune Amy. Keith & Vince were part of the house band for the entire night. Coo coo COOL ! 
             
I guess I've been under a rock mosta my life cuz I didn't know Vince could tear a guitar up. Good job VG. Real good job. 

One observation: Keith wasn't as "pretty" that night. Told the hubs that. He said yeah, he's not all glammed up like he usually is for those award shows. 

This here group was my fave of the night. Oh how I <3 them.

They did Postcard from Paris and You Lie. Two great ones.  
Shoot, they could have sung the ABC's and Ida been sangin' along with em & la-la-lovin it.

I'm not a die hard country fan ya see... I recognize Little Big Town by the girl who has Chia Pet hair. I think I'd be tempted to shave my head and wear wigs if my hair was that big & curly.  
But their harmony is so tight. They did Boondocks. I was glad for that one. It's the only tune of theirs I know. :-P 

Lady A rocked the house. They did We Own the Night. And nailed it of course. Then American Honey, one of my personal faves. 

Every group did 2 songs except for Merle Haggard. He got to do like four. What the what? Not cool. Come on. Really.

The Oak Ridge Boys and Alabama were pretty cool to see. You know those fellas gotta be tired of singin Elvira, but they did her one more time. Alabama did a couple sappy ones. 

I like Thompson Square pretty good and Kiss Me or Not was good live just like on the raid-gee-oh!

Was underwhelmed by Miranda Lambert and her Pistol Annies. Not a fan of her generally though. So. . . 

Don't even get me started about Rascal Flatts. (groan) I hate Gary's nasal sounding voice. BUT I will say that their second song, Life is a Highway, was pretty cool. And they got them some fans, do you hear me? The place went crazy when they announced em. I just don't get it. Eh. Anyway.

Diamond Rio isn't my cup, but they have some nice tight harmony. Gotta give em props for that.

This guy ... 
Um, he had a little too much fun.
 
See, I'm a people watcher. And I spied him early on. He was havin himself a good ole time all right. So good in fact it got him some special attention from a couple of security guards. And away he went. Buh-bye drunk guy. I'm sure the folks sittin near ya are guh-lad you were taken away buddy. We're all here to see a show. And that show does not include you dancin around like a fool. K? Next time have a little self control. It'll probably keep ya outta the clink. 

Ok, so I stink at doing the self portrait thing. I think only tweens, teens and 20somethings are good at that. Seriously. And Anthony hates when I ask strangers to take our pic. 

So what happens? 

This...

ten kinds of terrible

and this...

When I saw this one, I laughed. For about 5 minutes. It just hit me funny. I'm glad my sweetie is silly sometimes. Life's too short to be a stick in the mud all the time. And trust me, I know some folk that are like that. 

So that's about it. I didn't wag the big camera, so these shots aren't the bestest. But we had ourselves a good ole time and I think we're gonna plan to go to this thang every year!

He's in the ARMY now

My nephew CALEB is in the ARMY now... shipped out Wednesday. Unfortunately he had to have his wisdom teeth out last week so he was a little swollen. 

Last Saturday there was a gatherin' of friends & family to send him off with lotsa love ~ 

The first set of family pics with Kerby & Kerlandy (adopted into the fam-uh-lee arriving from Haiti December 25, 2011)

the real crazy comes out once in a while. . . 

All the kids hunted eggs. Some had candy in em, some had $ in em.

takin' turns on the tractor

 :-)

A trip to the creek provided some entertainment... splashy splash, giggle ha ha 

 skippin like a stone, a stone, a stone ... 

 tuff girls rule

ever heard of the song Red Solo Cup? he he he

No we aren't drunk. 

We had sweet tea & lemonade folks.

How long has it been since you hung out around a campfire? It's a-w-e-s-o-m-e dude! And roasted marshmellows?! Yes please. Smores? Yes please. I ran 12 miles that morning so um, had the right to it. Indeed.

Good times. 

I pray Caleb ends up stationed at a computer instead of in a war zone with a gun strapped on him. Amen.

Easter...

Today is Easter Sunday. 

We went to church. 
     Lookin like this -

The preacher talked about THE REAL REASON for this here holiday and we took communion. Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection is the most powerful, moving thing - it's really the foundation for Christianity. 

It's a shame there's more focus on new dresses, bunnies, baskets and hunting eggs than the true reason we should be celebrating. 

(plop) I'll get off my soapbox now.

After church we went to Anthony's parents' for a lovely home-cooked meal. Ahhh, nice and relaxing. And it was an absolutely gorgeous day. God is goooood!