I have begun my quest...to run a half marathon in ALL 50 states. State # 2 COMPLETE :-)
What state did I run? My hometown state of Indiana of course! They call it " The Mini".
Well folks, there is nothing "mini" about it!
See...Welcome Mini Marathon Participants! Hey, that's me!
I just LOVE Indianapolis. It's an amazing city. The Expo was super easy to maneuver around. I was able to pick up my race day packet with NO LINES! I couldn't wait to see what was in my bag.
The usual of course:
Long-sleeve Tech shirt
Maps, coupons, etc.
Race bib and pins
Something that has never been in my bag before is a hat! I didn't wear it but it sure is a nice souvenir! Indy was awesome. Everyone was able to grab a Yellow ribbon for remembrance of Boston. I put it on my bib. Indy...YOU ROCK!
I traveled around to the area vendors and picked up the usual freebies and entered into a few drawings. I spun a wheel and actually won $13.10 off the
Chicago Half Marathon!
I sure was getting nervous. Can you tell? My friends call me CrAzY...I'm only HALF CrAzY!!!
I have been searching for some ear buds that don't KILL my ears. I've been reading up on
Yurbuds...have you heard of them? I was sized for my ear and within 4 minutes I was walking away in comfort :) Several colors to choose from! I got purple :)
After the expo, I went to my fabulous Aunt and Uncle's house for pasta! They were awesome Hosts! My cousins, Emily, Brad and Dan, were there too. This was Dan's FIRST Half-marathon! Pasta, salad, rolls and the infamous chocolate chip cookies...this girl was in <3
It was time for me to get some quiet time. I always get race day jitters. Tomorrow would be another BIG day filled with amazing memories and TONS of fun! I took my usual
Flat Momma pictures and tried to get some zzzzzz's... Tomorrow is RACE DAY! (See my yellow ribbon?)
Saturday, May 4, 2013 has arrived! 12 weeks of training...Cold, rain, snow, mud and wind. Finally, this girl is wearing shorts! I did come prepared, however. A week ago, the weather was calling for rain and mid 50's. Today, it's a fabulous 60 degrees! Check out all these people! Each person is assigned a corral. I was U...WAY in the back. The volunteers were really watching to make sure everyone was entering the correct corral. Thanks for being so cautious! Unfortunately, with the volumne of peole, I never made it back to my corral. The race was starting! I guess I didn't show up in time. The corrals were tight...something I am not used to. I did my usual jumping in place and I kept stepping and bumping into people. It took more than 16 minutes to even cross the START line. Another thing I am not used to.
And the RACE began...I kept hearing how "windy" it was. I just kept thinking that they have NO idea what wind is! I've been training in 20-30 mph wind for months :) I got excited once I crossed the START line...Finally I'm running in my home state. My cousins were ahead of me...but this was MY race. I was here to achieve my own PR.
We passed the Indianapolis Zoo and headed west towards Speedway, Indiana.
Indiana is memorable for the Indianapolis 500; the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. And today, I was going to run on the track! When we first made our turn onto the track, I could see all the runners running OUT of the track. I sure wished I was them :) But 2 1/2 miles were ahead of me...I was going to cross the infamous Brickyard. Unfortunately, I missed it. I must have been running too fast! The track went remarkably fast. I was thankful for cool weather. I couldn't begin to imagine if the weather was any hotter...that black pavement would have been brutal. I saw "our seats" and kept on running!
The "pit stops" were amazing at this race. Every mile was water, Gatorade or Gu gels. Gels weren't allowed on the track. The track had the BEST "pit stops". Indiana University cheerleaders were cheering and giving high-fives to all the runners. It was nice having our names on our bibs...every once in a while you'd hear your name and it just gave you that little needed boost!
WTHR was videotaping the entire race. I tried to do some CrAzY antics to get on television! Wonder if I ever made it???
It was time to head back into the city. Mile 10 was probably the WORST mile. There were so many twists and turns since now that Mile 10 was what I will forever call "the straightaway". This is where I slowed down. I started feeling the fatigue in my thighs but I kept trucking along.
Never Ever Quit...Mind Over Matter
Mile 11 was HOPE. Isn't Indianapolis beatufiul?!! I knew once we turned onto New York that the end was near. I even got to run through my old college campus...IUPUI. I ran past my old townhouse and saw the Sports Complex. I wished I would have taken a picture but along the last mile, checkered flags were swaying in the wind. I was near the home stretch! Danica Patrick...WATCH OUT :)
I could hear the music and the cheering. I even was able to fine Aunt Jackie, Uncle Joe and Brad! HI!! I know it's not a running song, but when you hear: Home by Phillip Phillips just ahead...it was enough of a boost to head Home! I closed my eyes and RAN.
New PR: 2:39:37...Probably could have hit my goal of 2:30...but memories will last a lifetime and I had to capture EVERY one :) And you know what...my new Yurbuds...didn't even budge! Best $30 EVER.
PROS: pit stops, volunteers, expo, hospitality, LARGEST half marathon
CONS: post race (finding my family), cell service, hard to find the chocolate milk
Isn't she beautiful?
State #2
4th Half marathon complete.
