I ran the half marathon for the first time!

I finished in 2 hours and 41 minutes. A little slower than I wanted...but I will take it for my first half.

I got a slow start right out of the gate because I got stuck behind a lot of walkers. They were standing shoulder to shoulder and I could not get past them!

Plus, it was cold and I had to warm up for the first three miles.

I only had to make one restroom stop...but that also took time since there was a line for that. So glad that I packed my own toilet paper!

I drank a small cup of Gatorade at each station and chewed some sports beans to refill my electrolytes. I think that this made a huge difference for me! The last few times that I had a long run I run out of energy and now I realize that I need to be refueling my body better.

The energy and atmosphere of the race was amazing! People from all over the country showed up for this race. I met a nice lady from Kansas who was running her second half marathon. She had to drive back to Kansas today after the race...she is going to be a very sore woman at the end of that drive! There was a group of guys dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and they were hysterical!

I felt really good most of the way...I walked at about mile 5 for a few minutes and then again at mile 7. I walked a bit also at mile 9ish and then a couple of small sections between mile 11 and the end of the race. I think that I walked about 15-20 minutes of the whole race.

My dh and ds were waiting for me at mile 10...it was so good to see them and get a quick hug and a kiss from them. It really lifted my spirits to know that they were rooting for me!

Mile 11...that was when I thought to myself...hey...my knees have not been bothering me. A few steps later...BAM! My right knee said "WTH!"

That was when I knew that I was going to walk/run the last couple of miles. My right knee was sore with every foot strike when I was running. It was fine when I was walking. I was able to run about a quarter of a mile at a time from mile 11 to the end.

Mile 12...my favorite running song came on and I was singing a little too loudly as others were staring at me...my fave running song is a little on the rowdy side. Crazy Bitch by Buck Cherry...note to self...do not sing that out loud in a group of runners! It has a awesome guitar sound and beat to it...that is why I like it!

I saw a spectator holding a sign that said "Tracy...run like Tiger is chasing you"...it had a pic of Tiger Woods on it. All the runners were laughing at that one.

The spectators were awesome! They were cheering for us and giving us encouragement. Part of the run is through Turtle Creek...a VERY posh part of Dallas. The rich people came out to yell for us and some even set up their own aid stations for the runners. They come out in their robes and drink their coffee while rooting for us.

I ran across the finish line and got my finisher medal! I also got a finisher shirt. I will take pics and post them tomorrow.

Then I grabbed a bagel, a glass of beer, a banana, and 2 granola bars and started eating!

It hurts still...my knees and muscles are a little pissed at me right now. But...I am so glad that I did it! I did not get any blisters or chafing...my shoes worked out great! I am so glad that I changed to a larger size shoe to deal with the increased swelling from running a longer distance. It made a huge difference in my foot comfort.

My dh...who only runs 3 miles at a time decided to come home and try to run 6 miles today. He wants to do a half marathon with me next year.

He came back in from running and said to me "That 6 miles kicked my butt...how in the world did you run 13?" My dear...I trained for it!

And lastly...I saw Tracey from the Biggest Loser at mile 8! We were on a return loop so we could see the other side of the street and the runners were facing us. She was behind me and looked like she was doing alright. She had a very intense look on her face...that girl was in the zone! She was wearing purple again...she must really like purple!

Run the Rock!

I have been training towards this for a few months and I am still as nervous as hell! I am running the rock on Sunday morning and this will be my first half marathon.

I hope to come in at 2 1/2 hours for my time...but most importantly I want to have a great adventure and take in all of the experience. I can get a measure of my time and then work on beating it in my next half marathon.

Thankfully the weather will be very cooperative!

I just can't believe how far I have come in the last 21 months. 80 pounds lost and 30% of my body fat...GONE! Twenty months ago I could not run one mile let alone 13 of them! So regardless of what my time is tomorrow...I will be incredibly proud of my accomplishment. I have exercised, trained and eaten all of the right things to get me to this point.

Life is no longer passing me by. I get to be the girl who can take on any challenge and immerse herself in this thing called life!