Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Update

I'm not creative enough tonight to think of a good title. Update will have to do.

A Personal Record

This past Sunday if you were in Maryland, you would have known that it was pouring rain all morning. It was also the day of the Parks Half Marathon, a race I've been anticipating for months or you could say two years. I was supposed to run it last year, but didn't make it, which is unusual for me especially considering the fact that I already signed up for it!  

So back to the race.  With the crazy rain, I was hoping to just finish under 2:00 which is a decent and consistent time for me.  I had been wearing glasses all week because of an eye injury and didn't have high hopes for this race since I thought I might have to run with my glasses (ugh) or drop out so basically just finishing under 2:00 would have made me happy.  

My friend, Andrea, and I woke up bright and early that morning and before we left to the race, we prayed in the car for God to give us mercy.  You'd understand if you saw us running to the car under a poncho!  We're runners man and tough, but I did NOT want to run two full hours in rain!  I've done it before and it can make you feel 20 lbs heavier.   I tend to pray before races and before anxious and dreading moments because I really think God can hear my prayers. And hear he did!  When we got to the race, the rain had stopped and it was only raining on and off throughout the run. I didn't mind the mud, nor the temporary rain falls. In fact, the rain made it quite cool. 

Although I felt like I could have run faster at the end, if it weren't for a cramp in my side, I finished the race right behind Andrea in 1:53:39, much better than I could have imagined!  That's a PR for me baby! The last time I ran anything close to this time was literally FOUR years ago when I ran with a speedy friend of mine. She literally pulled me through the race and the only reason I didn't stop was because I didn't want to be left behind in a random street in Baltimore city.   I love having a good run and I won't lie. I am disciplined in training not to finish, but I train to be fast!    

Here's my muddy shoes and some shots after the race to prove my PR!  Andrea PRed as well!  


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