Salt Lake Half Marathon

1:41.45

7:46/mile average

I can't believe I just wrote that number down.

This was my time for the Salt Lake Half Marathon this last weekend! I'm still squealing about it inside. I had no idea that I was capable of a time like this for such a long run! My training runs were consistently at an 8:45-8:25 pace. I kept looking down at my watch and shaking my head in disbelief. I'm certain that the volunteers and police officers all thought I was nuts because I couldn't wipe this goofy smile off my face.

This race was awesome because:

1- I have a new PR- and it's one that I know will be tough to beat. Plus, now I'm super tempted to race again and break into the 1:30's. (I beat my last half marathon PR by 9 minutes!)

2- I achieved my goal of not walking during the half! I only walked to drink at 3 water stops. This wasn't without trial- Mile 11-12 up State Street was a beast and I wanted to stop desperately; thanks to P!nk, ADELE, and Natasha Beddingfield on the iPod, I was able to push through. I just kept thinking "You can't walk during this song! This is a good song! Make it to the next one." Luckily the good songs just kept coming.

3- Remember how worried I was about the port-a-potty situation? There was no need!

4- I didn't pee my pants. This was a huge accomplishment. If you are a woman and have had a baby (or two), then this is a pretty big deal.
I got even more stoked when I looked at the results yesterday- I was 16/501 in my age division, 88/2715 women, and 383/4444 overall (men and women). That means I was in the top 3% for women and the top 8% overall. Who knew?!

I had some awesome cheerleaders. My Mom came and brought my kids, and then my dear friend Kalie brought me some white tulips (my fave!) to the finish line. I saw them as I was rounding my last corner and it gave me the final boost I needed to finish strong (and pass two men on the way). My Mom had my camera and took pictures, unfortunately she took my camera home with her! I'll post them when I get it back next week. (Although, I don't know why- pictures of me running tend to be... scary. To say the least. That's a topic for another time).
It was a great race! BIG HUG AND THANK YOU TO ERIN PULLEY for letting me pretend I was her for the morning. Now I just need to cross my fingers that this knee pain I'm having is temporary. I guess I'll find out tonight on my 3 mile recovery run.

***Here are the pictures that my Mom took of me. The first one she took as I was rounding the corner for the home stretch. I tend to get in the zone, so I was so happy that I was able to see them!

And in case you couldn't see how excited I was, here is a closer look-

Here I am with my biggest fans. The top picture is my dear friend Kalie Chamberlain, me, Will and Annie. The bottom picture is with my Mom. I have the best fans in the world.