this was my 3rd half marathon this year and my 1st on my own. i was not sure what to expect going in to this as in my training, my runs have hovered in the 10:20/mile range. my other two half marathons were in the 10:17-10:20 pace and i was really interested in breaking 10 min miles, but really wasn't sure if i were capable at this point. so i went in with the intent that i would just run comfortably and make decisions along the way...

the crowd in the beginning wasn't too much of a beating, but it definitely took some time dancing around. craig and i split off from each other about .25 in because he was running a faster pace than me. i went left, he went right and about another .25 miles later i see dude in blue shirt/white compression socks running along side me. i say "hey hottie..." and craig turns to look at me. it was funny. he had no clue he was blowing by me. then he took off, never to be seen again til the finish line. :) right about mile 2 is where i didn't feel like i was dodging too many people anymore and could just concentrate on my pace...well, according to my garmin, i was doing a 9:10 average. i assessed my breathing and the way my legs felt and decided to just go with it. around mile 5, i hooked up with the 2:00:00 pace group. again, i felt good and was comfortable so figured i'd hang with them until the end or until i got tired...whichever came first. :) i thought about asking them if they could give me some motivation if i needed it like my sister in law/running partner/coach jenny does, but then i thought better of it. :) it's funny the thoughts that go through your head during a 2+ hour run. anyway...around the 10 mile water station is where i lost the 2:00:00 pace group. i walked through the station and they kept going and i didn't have any left in me to push to get back to them. at this point, my pace was still on track to break a 9:30/minute mile, so i just kept focusing on that. i also got a little giddy thinking of todd, jenny and craig waiting at the finish line for me and being shocked that i would come in just over 2 hours on my run. i kept picturing todd's face in my head and how shocked and excited he'd be and that kept me pushing forward, because by this time, i was ready to be done. nothing really exciting happened from 10-12.5. then around 12.75 i hear "is that her? JJ!...way to go...go jen..." it was todd and jenny. i also heard "we were just going to look for you...and here you are..." i loved it. put my hands up and slapped them high 5. when i slapped todd, my garmin fell off my wrist but figured at that point, i didn't care. i just kept going. then all of a sudden on my leftt i hear "you better take this, i can't run any more with you..." and there todd was, chasing me down to give my garmin back. funny. then i heard craig yell "go jj" and put my arms up again because i was so pleased with my time and to be done. :)

nothing. seriously, nothing. this was a great race for me. a great race. i'm very pleased with the way my breathing felt, the way my legs felt and the time i posted. i have a lot of confidence in the training i've been doing and am looking forward to continuing the training for the white rock marathon.

ha. nope. talked with todd, jenny and craig. got changed and headed to cafe brazil for some good eats. that was my warm down. :)


training. the more i do, the better i'll get. i have made great strides from january til now and will continue to train and get faster.


great race. lots of participants. lots of volunteers. lots of people on the course to cheer. was awesome.