Race #1 Complete!

Warming up in Boutwell after the race.

Cheers!!!

Thanks to the power of Rocky and some awesome headbands, we all had a great race!

We like to wear matching outfits. It's like being in the 2nd grade all over again.

All of us at the finish line. Philip had a great run too!

Keeping ourselves warm before the race started. It was a balmy 30 degrees.

At the race Expo on Saturday. Sporting our new headbands that say "I love running. I hate running" over and over.

Mercedes Half was AWESOME! All of us beat our times from the Asheville Half we ran in September. I even got a PR at 1:59:48!!! I was so pumped! The weather was perfect. Cold but sunny and no wind, which is key!! I actually got hot around mile 5 and had to shed my long sleeves.

We got up to Birmingham around lunch on Saturday, made some pit stops at the Summit, ate lunch at Newk's, went to the Expo to get our race packets, strolled around downtown Homewood then at dinner at Jacksons.

Sunday morning we got up bright and early, headed to the race, ran, enjoyed the post-race festivities (complete with free beer and BBQ sandwhiches), ate lunch at Jacksons, headed home, took showers, went to eat sushi for dinner then made our way to Eighth and Rail for their Valentine's Day celebration. By 9pm, I was pooped!! I told Philip before we left for dinner, "Man we sure do know how to cram a lot of crap into one weekend!!" But we had a blast and by Tuesday I had recovered:)

This past weekend we went back to Birmingham for a wedding shower for Tony & Britney. Philip got to ride out at Oak Mountain and I got to do some shopping and get a mani/pedi. The wedding shower was a blast and we had a great time with T & B. Sunday morning we got up and took Charlie for a little run around Edgewood and stopped at O'Henry's for some coffee. Britney cooked an amazing brunch and then we headed home. Phew! It was another busy but fun weekend!!! No pictures though:(

It begins...

3 Half Marathons in 3 months!! The first one is Mercedes Half this Sunday in Birmingham. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for good (decent) weather. Some days I feel ready and others I wonder what the hell I'm thinking. My last half marathon was a long time ago, September. We have kept up our mileage since, even through the holidays, and ran about 12.5 miles three Saturdays ago but I am still starting to feel nervous. I think this happens every time. Maybe what scares me the most is that I've got to turn around and do another one in 3 weeks (March 7th)!! Or that we (me, Lyndsay and Mary) said that after the last race in April, we will decide whether or not to go for a full marathon by the end of 2010. I can honestly say I am no where near ready to make that committment! Or that this time last year, I could barely even run one mile after months of physical therapy after my ACL repair. So far, the knee has held up pretty well. But every now and then it lets me know its not 100%, will this be the race where it gives me fits???

For this week, I'm going to try to keep my focus on Sunday. And try not to get too caught up in running a certain time (although I do have a goal in mind). I'll keep my focus on the thrill of the race. Lining up at the start line with 5,000 other people who all share the same goal as you, running 13.1 miles. I'll focus on the fact that I have two amazing friends that keep me accountable and make me get my butt out of bed on a cold, drizzly Saturday morning when all I want to do is stay snuggled up under the covers. A husband that is also a runner, and my running coach- of sorts. The feeling that you get when you cross that finish line. It's undescribable. No matter how many times you've done it. And the beer that will be waiting for me at the finish line:)