It was a complete and total disaster. To be completely fair and honest, I did not train for a half marathon and my longest run prior to it was a 10K. Yes, I seriously thought "it is just a 10K twice...plus a little extra." I had no business running that race that day, but in a weird way, I am beyond thankful that I did. I learned a lot that day and after two year hiatus (and much better training and preparing), I returned back to the half marathon scene in 2011. After an occasional half marathon here and there, I developed a love for the distance and quickly became obsessed with them. Before I knew it, I was running 20+ half marathons a year.
After months of strategically planning, Sunday is the big one....half marathon #100!!!!! When I cross the finish line of the Publix Georgia 1/2 Marathon, I will officially become a 100 Half Marathons Finisher!
The 2015 Pittsburgh Half Marathon was the first time that I had been back 'home' to Pittsburgh in about 20 years. Not only did the race weekend allow me to visit with friends and family, I got to take a beautiful 13.1 mile tour by foot through Pittsburgh. This race has absolutely everything I wanted it to be from the course support to the scenery. It was just perfect. For that reason, I have come back each year since then and will continue to do so. My heart was so full of happiness and love for this city that day and the smile never came off of my face. It are races like these that make me love this distance more and more with each one. |
Held less than two weeks after the Boston Marathon bombings, their was much heartache in the running community as I headed to Washington, DC to run the inaugural Nike Women's Half Marathon DC. I honestly did not know what to expect, but what happened in front of my eyes is something that made me realize how amazing the running community is. We came together, ran together, hugged each other and showed that we strong and we will not live in fear. The overall experience of running through Washington DC in the Spring was beautiful, but watching the outpouring of love and support from the community that weekend was something very new to me and made me proud to be a runner. |
In 2013 I headed down to Walt Disney World for my very first runDisney race. The 2013 Princess Half Marathon was my 6th half marathon and opened this crazy world of runDisney to me. I think that this race was the one that really showed me how FUN half marathons could be. Obviously not every race you run will have Mickey Mouse at the finish line for you, but the 13.1 mile journey that day really opened my heart to this distance. I think part of the reason that I found the fun in half marathons that day was because of the running community that I met as a result of that weekend. From the events of the weekend to the social media buzz both before and after, I met more friends than I could even imagine. To this day, those people are still some of my absolute favorite people and ones that make this crazy running journey what it is to me today. |
This was my very first Rock n Roll race. I had no clue what to expect, but I quickly learned that they are hella fun! Papa J told me about the Rock n Roll Las Vegas races a few years before I actually got to run it, so I blame him for the addiction to them. Y'all! This was the most insanely fun I ever had on a race course. It is one of only two times a year that the Las Vegas Strip is shut down (the other being New Year's Eve) and thousands of runners take over Las Vegas Blvd and #StripAtNight. It was soooo windy that year (like 60mph gusts) and things were blowing everywhere - including runners. All Momma K and I could do was laugh hysterically because it was just comical. Life is what you make of it and we chose joy and laughter that night and had the BEST TIME EVER those 13.1 miles. Ever since then, the Rock n Roll races became a staple to my race calendar each year and our annual trip to Las Vegas in November is a must. |
After coming off of an injury in late 2011, this was a 'comeback' race for me. I worked very closely with my podiatrist and physical therapist to comeback smart. My doctor told me prior to toeing that start line that I would not PR this race....well, I showed him. I ended up with a PR of about 5 minutes that day. This race taught me a lot about determination and helped shape me into the runner I am today. This was my 3rd half marathon and first Publix Georgia Half Marathon which became my favorite hometown half marathon and still is today (hence it being my 100th celebration). |
...and before you ask, yes, I will still be running half marathons and I have no intentions of stopping anytime in the foreseeable future. ;-)