No Place Like Home

On April 10, I ran my first half-marathon - 13.1 miles! My goal when Stephanie convinced me to do this back in January was to actually run the enitre time without having to stop and walk. When we started training, I was running only 3 miles 3-4 days a week. As those of you who live in this area know, it was a hard winter. However, the training had to go on! We ran in below zero weather, blowing wind, snow, on ice, and pretty much any condition you can think of. On one particular morning, it was so cold that not only did we have frost on our jackets - which happened frequently - but frost was in our hair and on Dozer's (my dog and our running partner) hair below his mouth. It was hilarious as he looked as if he had a full beard. Well, it was worth it! Not only did I run the entire race, but I did it in 2 hours 10 minutes - for an average of 10 minute miles! I am proud of that! We ran through Brown's Park and that is where my family was cheering us on. Dozer was there too - wondering why he couldn't be running with me. He did actually run that far with me once. He couldn't jump into the car afterwards because he was so worn out though! In the picture above, I am so proud that the older woman was ahead of me (thanks for capturing it Kris)! Notice she is wearing the white bib? She was running the entire marathon! Maybe I can do that someday!?

Stephanie crossed the finish line in 2 hours 6 minutes - beating the goal she had set for herself!

My big finish! My parents, Kris, kids, Kris' parents, Kris' sister and brother-in-law were all there to congratulate me!

Me with the "Becker" crew. Kyle had several family members all the way from Chicago and K.C. come down to race. He raced too - the 5K - and finished 3rd in his age division.

I have come to love running. Sure, there are still days when I don't want to go or get out of bed to run, but I always feel better after I have. We already have the next race planned: The Bolder Boulder. It's a 10K in Boulder, CO on Memorial Day weekend. My whole family is going for the weekend. I'm excited for the race and to spend my 13th anniversary with Kris in the mountains!