Race Report: ING Half Marathon

I'm in love again. With running, that is.

I took a hiatus from blogging because I was burned out. That 10K took a lot out of me, and it was frustrating to miss my mark by just a few seconds. Of course, I found out a few weeks later that ALL Peachtree runners will receive a chip. So, I've decided to focus my efforts on the 10K again once I've finished the Country Music Half Marathon in April.

It's hard to believe that three weeks ago, I considered not running the ING because my training had gotten off course. A host of factors--Chattahoochee recovery, freezing cold weather, two nasty colds and little things like a wedding and honeymoon--slowed me down. Having not run more than eight miles all winter, I set out about two weeks ago for a ten mile run to see if I would be able to gut out a half marathon. I ended up doing eleven miles in the rain around at a respectable 10:30 pace and decided to run the half as just a long training run.

The morning was cold, but thankfully, not as freezing cold as it was last year. I didn't make specific plans to run with anyone, figuring I would just run into people on the course. I met up with TNT girls Mandy (pictured above) and Sarah in my corral, and they ended up being the perfect running companions! I went into the race with no time expectations, but once I started running I knew 2:15 was well within reach, so we set a goal of 2:10.

There is something magical about running a race in Atlanta. The TNT support is amazing--purple jerseys everywhere--and I saw a ton of friends on the course, as both runners and spectators. It was exhilerating and inspiring. Angela at the TNT water stop; Mallory, Sarah, Mary and countless others along the course; and my favorite--the Peachtree Tri Club, led by triathlete extraordinaire (and neighbor and trivia partner-in-crime) Sarah McKibben, cheering us along that desolate stretch of Marietta Street.

The best part? My handsome hubby running along the course for the last half mile, yelling "I love you! You can do it! You're almost there!" and motivating me across the finish line in 2:11:44--more than ten minutes faster than my previous PR! It's just so symbolic of our relationship, of how I've grown by leaps and bounds--as a runner, and as a person--with his love and support.

This race also brought me back to the reason I started running such crazy distances in the first place. At the end of the day, I don't run for PRs or personal glory. I run for people who can't. Running down the streets of Atlanta with a sea of other purple-clad people yelling "Go Team;" hearing Tommy Owens, who lost his own daughter to cancer many years ago encourage us at the start and finish; knowing that our team raised over $160,000 for this race alone--makes every step a hopeful one, propelling us all forward to a new era when blood cancers are a thing of the past.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/cmc09/lscholz