We Did It!

Our very first half marathon!!

That's right...as it turned out, there was still a finish line there on Congress for us to cross! What an incredible feeling!

Here goes, the official NLBG Race Report:

Getting possessed and excited like I do, I had set the alarm for 4.30am, just to make sure we had enough time to get down there and park...which we did. We spent a few minutes sitting in the car to stay warm. It was about 40 degrees and dark, of course. The good news was that they had set up some patio heaters, so we huddled under one until just before the start. It felt pretty festive, seeing so many others in the pre-dawn cold...enjoyed chatting with a few fellow runners under the heaters.

Before we knew it, the start gun went off accompanied by a lovely fireworks display over Lady Bird Lake.

The plan, given our injuries/conditions and our somewhat belated training attempt, was, of course, to walk the entire distance. But, we do have a tendency to get possessed and carried away, as some of you know. Therefore, after walking the first three miles up South Congress, we decided to try to jog, slowly and calmly, down S. 1st back to downtown. Why stop there? We kept jogging all the way over to Mo-Pac (mile 7). I walked up a short hill and then did a mix of jog/walk the remainder of the way -- trying to jog a little on the flats and downhills, while taking the uphills slowly, walking. Finished an hour faster than expected at 2:48 (by no means brilliant or fast, but far exceeded expectations!) and that feels really good! The really amazing thing is seeing some of the full marathoners, who have just covered twice the distance, cross the finish line at the same time...I really admire anyone who undertakes that challenge...

The course was fun. The volunteers and fan support were fantastic! What a tremendous boost it is to hear music, cheers and words of encouragement along the way.

Quite the accomplishment for the NLBG! We amazed ourselves yet again...

Thanks to everyone for being supportive!