Round Two

Here we are a little over a month after the Mississippi Blues Half Marathon and I am about to do my second race...the Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham, AL! I am so excited. ...wait...why did I type that? I am way more nervous than excited. I had such a great experience during my first race last month and for some reason I am worried that the Mercedes race won't treat me as well! The blues marathon was really (knock on wood) the perfect race for me. I met the sweetest lady who was my running partner for almost the whole race and she kept me inspired, I was well hydrated, I didn't have any cardio problems or cramps...it just went off without a hitch. And I finished alot more quickly than I had anticipated. I finished the blues race in 2 hours, 7 minutes and 51 seconds, which is not fast by any means, but it is pretty good for a rookie runner and a half marathon virgin. My only goal for that race was to finish without walking, and I achieved that. I have two goals for the Mercedes race...to finish without walking and to finish at or before my finishing time in the blues race.

Now in its tenth year, the Mercedes Marathon weekend of events has become a Birmingham tradition. The event has helped to raise approximately $2 million for local charities. The 2010 event included more than 9,000 runners and walkers of all ages, shapes and sizes and was used by participants to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.

My good friend Martha Ann has been training so hard this whole semester and she sticks to her running schedule like glue. I am happy to say that she will be running in Birmingham at the race this weekend also! This will be her first half marathon. We dont really have plans to stick together the whole time, but it would be really neat if we did. We are both planning on running at our own comfortable speed and if we end up running together then that would be awesome but if not, that's okay too. I am excited that we get to experience such a neat thing together! I cant wait to see her after the race and see how happy she is....the feeling that you have after completing your first half marathon is just priceless.



Me and MA. So proud of you!

Now, the logistics of planning this race weekend have been a little difficult since we have a dog. Most of our friends were out of town this weekend so no one is really here to keep her on Saturday and most of Sunday, but we also just didn't really feel comfortable dumping her on any of our friends. Sadly, after much debate, we decided that the best plan would be to board Cosmo in Starkville on Saturday night. I hate the though of her being cooped up in a little cage, but I know that the staff at the MSU vet clinic are wonderful and that they will take good care of my little girl! Plus, she is due for her booster shots anyway so she will get them while she is there and she will have some down time to recoop.

Andrew and I will be meeting my mom and dad in Birmingham tomorrow afternoon. We are going to eat and shop and relax before the race at 7am on Sunday morning. The weather is supposed to be great...sunny and a high of 61! So please keep me and all the other race participants in your thoughts and prayers...I am hoping for the best! I'll report back in my next post, hopefully with good news that I successfully accomplished my goals! Have a terrific weekend!