Ok, so this will also include a brief month recap. Since my last update, I have graduated from my dietetic internship, finished my kitchen cabinets, planted a garden that will soon be full of delicious veggies, and just genuinely enjoyed life.

Oh yeah, I also ran my first half marathon on Sunday at the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon.

If you had told me two years ago I would some day be able to run 13.1 miles, I would have laughed at you. But, I can now proudly say that I have trained my butt off and endured the most difficult race I’ve been in yet. I saw Mike and our friend, Jon, at mile 11 or so and they asked me  how I was doing. My answer was a thumbs down and a mumbled “this sucks” before I continued to trudge on.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the distance that did me in. It was the unexpected heat and humidity. It was 69°F at the start and HUMID. It was 85°F when I finished about 2 hours and 18 minutes later. I was bummed – I had trained for running it in 2:05 and I had successfully ran 12.5 miles at that pace during my training. I guess it was better that I run smart (and slow). The race itself was a bit scary – there were runners literally falling over around me. I ran past runners passed out in front yards with medical staff attending to them. I constantly heard ambulances. They ended up closing the course (marathon and half marathon) about 20 minutes after I had finished.

I am so thankful for the wonderful volunteers that did their best to keep everyone hydrated and I’m so grateful for the homeowners that graciously put out sprinklers for us to run through. I’m glad that I have already signed up for the Fox Cities Marathon at the end of September. Had I not already shelled out the money to do that, I probably would have never signed up for it after this one. That said, I tried to muster up enough energy to go out for my first marathon training run yesterday (a short 3 miles) but I just couldn’t do it. Every single inch of my body ached. Every inch still aches.

I guess for now I will just lay here on the couch and ice myself and look at pictures from the race on Sunday 🙂 Look below for some not-so-attractive shots of yours truly.

Me, Ashley, and Nick before the race. Please note our bib numbers 🙂

Let’s play Where’s Waldo… (hint: pink tank and purple shorts)

I don’t think I will ever look good while running. I think this was around mile 11.5 or 12?

Race to the finish!

Mike, Jon (great spectators)
Me, Ashley, Nick (tired runners)

Note: I am the only one not cool enough for sunglasses.

I think I’ll give this race another attempt next year. It is close to home, it was well-organized, there was great crowd support, and I l-o-v-e the football-shaped medals. Too bad they couldn’t control the weather!