I did It! 1/2 Marathon accomplished!

I always wanted one of those medals! And now I have my own!

I freakin' did it!! Painful knee and all!

Leslie and I before our run

my friend, K, did the run, too. It was great seeing her after the race!

After months of training, I actually accomplished my goal of running and completing a 1/2 marathon. Leslie and I encouraged each other during our training. At the beginning of my training, I wasn't sure if I could do it. She talked me through it and helped me along the way. I loved doing this together. She rode the train up from her home and stayed over Friday night so that we could leave early Saturday morning. We even squeezed in a pedicure on Friday night together! On Saturday, everything was so well organized with parking and shuttles. I was very impressed. It was quite windy, but it felt great out there. I loved the trail. At the beginning of my run, I felt great and was keeping my goal pace. Then, around mile 6, my knee began to give me trouble. I've been trying to nurse a sore IT band, which affects my left knee. It really slowed me down. I had to pull over to the side a few times to stretch out. It really, really disappointed me. Especially because I have worked SO hard to build up my running distance and endurance. BUT, I did run the whole 13.1 miles and I can say I DID IT!! Part of me still has a hard time believing that I did it. I remember running my first 5K and that was a big accomplishment for me. I couldn't imagine going another 10 miles! Now, here I am. I'm actually thinking of doing another 1/2 marathon. I'm hoping that I can get my IT Band healed and go for a better time. We'll see.

Thanks, Leslie, for doing this with me!!