Half Marathon!

We did it! On Sunday, we ran the 2009 Lynn Electric Half-Marathon. It was cold and rainy, but the rain cleared up just before we started. There was, however plenty of wind in some spots which made us feel right at home. This photo, from the start of the race, shows our Tribune "Scuttlebutts" team plus a couple with Tribune connections. Brent is from Tribune and came up from Texas to join us. Then there's the Scuttlebutts: Rechelle, Jonathan, Robyn, and Lesa. And on the right end is Kinsey, also from Tribune and now studying in Lawrence. (We had a couple others who unfortunately weren't able to make it.)

It was a nice route through Lawrence and very well organized. There were a ton of volunteers and signs to point the way, lots of water stations, and road traffic was diverted or stopped to let runners go by. Our only complaint was that it ended at the Lied Center, which is on a hill. Let me tell you, the last thing you want for your last mile of a half-marathon is to run uphill into the wind!

Still, everyone in our group finished the marathon in under 3 hours, and though we're all still quite sore from it, we feel good. I finished in two hours and two minutes, and Robyn came in at about two hours 43 minutes. Ridley and Hania ran the last few yards to the finish line with Mommy. It's pretty cool to go from not being able to run for more than 30 seconds at a time to finishing a half marathon. I don't know that we're going to shoot for a full marathon anytime soon, but we're trying to set short-term goals to keep us in shape. There's a "Full Moon in June" night-time run coming up here in Tribune, and Robyn and I are hoping we can run in the Space Coast Half-Marathon at Thanksgiving if we can swing a trip to Florida then.

Long Time Coming

Well, this post was a long time in coming. I realize it's been too long since we gave an update! But the real piece de resistance is our half-marathon! After more of a year of trying to become runners, and 5 months of direct training, the race is coming in a mere 6 days.

There have definitely been some imperfections, but by and large we have stuck to the schedule we set ourselves. Jonathan is in terrific shape and will have NO problem finishing the half-marathon. He's a natural runner, leggy and nimble.

I on the other hand am going in an injured pony. About 3 weeks ago we did our first 8-mile run on a Sunday afternoon. I had been marveling that very morning on my healthy joints! Over 13 months of running and never a single injury. I always warmed up and stretched, but never made a huge deal about it so I didn't give it a lot of credit. That afternoon we were going out with a couple other people and had gotten a babysitter. For some reason I was slow getting ready, then forgot my water, then had to use the restroom.... I was holding everyone up! So when I finally got outside we just took off and ran. Those 8 miles were some of the longest, slowest, most difficult of my whole running career. Afterward, my left knee felt a little stiff. The next day, more stiff. I immediately started an aggressive regimen of ice, stretching, and anti-inflammatories. For the last 3 weeks I have kept it up, and each time I run the knee gets a little more stiff. I've had it looked at by our physical therapist and had an ultrasound exam (they found just a little fluid on it). It has never really been painful per se, just very stiff. After yesterday's 10-mile run, our last long training run before the big day, it hurt less than I thought it would. Today after clinic, though, it was the stiffest ever. I'm going to need to rest it all week and keep up the icing. I'm very confident I'll still be able to finish the half marathon although I will be thrilled to do it in less than 3 hours.

Wish us luck! For info on the race, check out: http://www.kansasmarathon.com.