A half-marathon is just a 5k race with a 10 mile warm-up.

On Sunday I completed my second half-marathon this year! Wahoo! See, sometimes I complete my resolutions.... and even blow them out of the water! The Bellingham Bay Half-Marathon brought me back to my old college stomping grounds. And boy it was great to be back! Weird.... but great! It is weird to have so many memories of a place that I really don't have many connections to anymore. Almost everyone I knew then has also moved... I guess that is one of the things that makes it so weird. All these people come together for just a short amount of time, share amazing memories from an important part of their lives, only to go there separate ways.

My Mom and I headed up to Bellingham after I got off work (hello outlet mall!) so we could spend all day Saturday hanging out.... well, eating at all my old favorite spots! The Bagelery, Mambo Italiano and of course the gelato place. I felt a little bit like I was visiting an old friend, one that seems the same but has changed too much for us to be really close anymore. The place we used to go after Intramural Softball games for beers is now an ACE Hardware, there are new buildings on campus, places have closed or changed ownership.... it doesn't seem like I've been away long enough for so much to change. But then I thought to myself.... look at how much I've changed in those few short years. 

So on to my race recap! 

I think I've mentioned before that the number one thing I hate when running is WIND. Hate it. Hate Hate Hate it. If I sense it is the least bit windy I take my running inside to the treadmill. The entire time I lived in Bellingham my number one complaint was how winding that place gets. Something about the hills, valleys and bay comes together for the perfect conditions to make wind. So of course I new that the likely hood of it being windy on race day were rather high. So although I was disappointed, I was not surprised to wake up to leaning trees and blowing leaves outside the hotel window. The only upside was that the rain held off.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn which offers a pretty great continental breakfast... but I stuck to what I knew, oatmeal. Ryan on the other hand went for biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon. I guess that just shows how unique runners can be!

We got down to the race start with plenty of time and meet up with Nicole and Gary who also ran with us.

My Mom is the best race support a girl could ask for! Those Red Vines on mile 11 were clutch.

 And the race begins! It began right next to my favorite brewery Boundary Bay then down Railroad and out of downtown and towards the neighborhoods.

One of the best things a race can have are poles with your expected times on them. This helps to weed out the runners from the walkers. In this race everyone was just in a giant blob so getting past people who were slower than you was difficult. (Out of the way old people! hehe) 

Although my training this time was not as intense as before, I felt strong during the race. Ryan and I stuck together for almost the entire race. This helped to make the time go by much quicker than it did the first time. I usually don't like running with anyone when I'm training but I think it helps on race day. It also helps that the person you're running with knows you don't like to chat when you run. I was able to get into my zone and 'run my race.' 

Ryan running with me helped me to run a little bit quicker and I helped him go a little slower, so that we both finished feeling pretty good and....

I finished with a new PR!!!! (Personal Record)

So did Ryan!!!

My time for this race was 2:23:06

as opposed to my old time of 2:24:09 

A minute may not seem like much, but every second counts when your running for over 2 hours!

The highlight of this race had to be running with great friends in a city that I love and is familiar to me. It was great to call out "Look, Big Mammas!" When we went past the restaurant with famous giant margaritas. It was also nice to have an idea of how much further we had to run.

The low point of the race was the wind.... hello giant stick that flew into my leg and leaf thing that tried to stab my eye out! I also didn't enjoy the location of the hills! So late in the race! My poor legs!

 All four of us post race! Go us! This time around I felt pretty decent post race. I was really tired and sore, but I knew what to expect. Luckily I didn't end up with any giant blisters! 

 My tradition of painted-nails-with-medal-and-bib-number shot!

Pink was my power color!

Ryan and his sign! He made fun of me for yelling "Conquer it!" during the last few miles of the Discovery Trail Half.... so of course that is now our team mantra!

My senior year of college is when I started running. I began with the couch to 5k program, but soon after graduation my calf/ lower leg issues started and I quit running for over a year. So it felt awesome to return and conquer this run and the city!

Two days after the race I felt good enough to run! I knocked out a 3 miler today. I'm hoping to keep up the training even though I haven't signed up for my next race yet.

That reminds me, next Monday is my last Physical Therapy appointment! I get to graduate! We discussed it and decided that we have come to the point in my treatment where I know pretty much what I need to do to feel good and keep running. Which is getting a training program together that allows me to get stronger and also have enough time to recover. He recommended that I take long runs slow, as this is where I'll really build up my strength and muscle endurance. 

Good news, Good news!

In other good news... I'm kicking butt in my Fantasy Football league! Still undefeated! And in first place! This week I play my brother Joe..... Should feel extra great when I beat him! :)