Enjoying the Journey...

It has been over a month and here I am, embarrassingly, providing my recap from the race. Actually yesterday was one month exactly since the race. No, it hasn't taken me this long to recover. It did take a few days however to get through that soreness and thaw out from the cold snap that hit Nashville that weekend. As you might have already read from Samantha and Toni, you know about the fun friends that the weather brought with it for the weekend- Rainy and Cold. I won't linger on those guys... Just know it was really cold and really rainy.

So what is my opinion/recap of the race? It was fabulous! And I'm not just saying that. This was my second half-marathon. I ran the 2012 Rock-N-Roll in New Orleans as well. Which was better? Despite the weather, Nashville was so much more enjoyable- mentally and physically for me. I loved the race in NOLA and it was amazing because it was my first half, but I felt so much confident and prepared for Nashville. Yes, I was a little worried about the hills and probably over thought them during the training, but in all honesty, the race and course was great! As Toni stated, our motto/thought was "Charge the hills" and that's what we did. I was really excited to set a new personal record (even with those dreaded hills) shaving 10 minutes off my NOLA time. 2012 finish time: 2:26:55. 2013 finish time: 2:16:21. Makes me wonder what I could have done without the hills...

I think everyone has different favorites about the race, but my favorite (both times) has to be the people. It's a pretty amazing sight to see THOUSANDS of people from all different backgrounds and lifestyles coming together to run- whatever their reason, we were running (get that imagine of Forest Gump out your mind). Many worked hard to raise money for St. Jude's. Some showed up to achieve PRs (which everyone in our group of 5 completed-- yay us!). Others came to win. Some just wanted to prove they could do it and finish. Others ran because they have been affected by cancer in some form or fashion or know someone who has. Some were checking items off the bucket list of their life. Many probably completed a lifetime goal. Some used it as a qualifier for another race. Regardless, running was the common denominator. The support from the city is also awe-inspiring. The support from spectators makes running through the streets of Nashville pretty spectacular. Encouragement from strangers, to me, is touching. It's quite obvious that running a half-marathon is physically demanding, but what I forget is how emotionally rewarding it is as well.

Our true colors shining through...

Now that we have finished this goal of running together, who knows what the next challenge will be. Perhaps we didn't get enough of the wet from the rain in Nashville because a training schedule for a triathlon sprint has been spread, and we can now be found splashing in the pool occasionally.... Hmm... we will see.

What's fun is now I can ask "Remember the time we all ran that half-marathon together?', and NOT have to do any convincing. That doesn't mean there won't be other challenges/adventures along the road.

One major take-away from this experience (can you tell I'm in education with that??) is to appreciate the training required to get to the finish line. I don't think I fully appreciated the training for my first half. This time around I really enjoyed the actual training and miss it already. I'm ready for the next goal, for the next thing on tap- whatever it may be... Triathlon? Biking through Ireland? Those are definitely happening. And this time, I know to appreciate the time it takes to get to the end.