2 Half Marathons in 7 days: Check!

Over Christmas some friends and I were talking about upcoming races and deciding which ones to do.  I had not done the OKC Memorial Marathon last year and regretted it, but I had not done a Half Marathon before and it really frightened me.  I instead decided to run my first Half on post at Fort Sill  where it ended up that only about 40 people were running and by the turn around it was just you and the good Lord out there in the heat and wind.  Talk about wanting to DIE, but we made it through.

So, a group of my JAG ladies and I decided we NEEDED to run the OKC Half before we all moved away.  I am so glad we did because it ended up being a super fun weekend.  Three of our girls were about to run their first Half Marathon!!! It was really fun training with these gals and getting prepped for the race.  Four of us got a room in OKC the night before because the race started bright and early at 6:30 am.  This meant we had to get up at 4:00 am to catch the shuttle, eat, and be there in time for the race.  Of course my body  would decide not to sleep that night and the A.C. didn't work so we were all burning up! Needless to say we were bright eyed and bushy tailed the next day ready to run!

 At the Hotel waiting the the Shuttle to take us downtown at about 4:30 am

Shuttle shenanigans with these beauties! 

The services were starting and we were ready to run!!! And then the RAIN and storms came on strong.  We hung out under a tree to avoid getting soaked, but the tree happened to be next to the Porto-Potties, which is why we ended up calling that tree the "Stinky Tree."  That sounds so silly now, but in early morning deliriousness it was funny! 

JAG crew hanging out before the race!

They kept pushing the race back further and further and we weren't sure if we were actually going to get to run.  We took shelter in our friend's, neighbor's, brother in law's office.... haha.  They finally said the race would go on and we booked it to the start line.  By the time we crossed the line it was 8:30 and 4 hours since we had eaten anything or had water, etc.  It was definitely not ideal conditions considering most people really plan their food and fueling for a race.  Jaclyn was doing her first half (YAY!) so we stuck together most of the way! 

 Start line!

Me and Jaclyn at the start line and ready to run!

We were all ready to get that race over with! We were hungry, hot, and sore afterwards, but it is always so rewarding when it is over! I finished 13.1 in about 2:09:47 about 1.5 minutes better than my previous run. 

Fia and Kayci also completed their first Half!!! So glad we all did it together!

Me and Grandpa Martin after crossing the Finish Line!

Front of the OKC Bombing Memorial

The next week consisted of rest, stretching, chiropractor, carb eating, epsom salt baths, and icing.  I was determined to survive the second half marathon in Indianapolis, my home State! My friend Jennie has a goal to run a race in every State of the country, so I said why not come with me back home to the Indy Mini Marathon, and might I add the largest Half in the country!  We found cheap flights and stayed with friends while we were there! We had just enough time to show Jennie some local sites and Indy's beauty.  She probably was so annoyed with how obsessed I am with home :)  

Packet Pickup and Expo

Dinner at Napolese with friends! Yummo food and beer

Since she is such an amazing friend, she ran with me to help me PR during this race.   It was a great course and I actually really liked running on the Indy 500 track!  

It was a lively race with tons of bands and energy! I really loved every second of the race and would totally run it again!  Jennie pushed me the whole way and helped me to run my fastest time yet!  I was hoping to improve my time to about a 2:08 finish time, but with her help I was able to finish in 2:03:35! I literally teared up with happiness and excitement after the race! I wanted my free food and beer to celebrate such an improvement.  

To give you some perspective, I finished my first half marathon about a year ago in 2:24:55.  I have officially improved my time by over 20 minutes.  I say this not to brag but to encourage people because I honestly never thought I would run 13.1 miles let alone make such improvements since I started.  If you even have a little inkling to get out there an run start 1 mile at a time and build yourself up.  You will be amazed at what your body can do and what kinds of goals you can achieve.  No one ever "feels" like running, but once you get out there and get started it feels so good!  Thank you so much to Jennie Gardner for being an amazing friend these last 2.5 years and pushing all of us girls to do things we never thought we could do! You really are inspirational and have such a positive affect on all of our lives! 

Jennie gettin' that beer! 

Post race bloody mary!