Survival of the Not-So-Fittest

I survived my half marathon in Akron, OH this weekend. I was slow as a snail, but, hey, I survived (and it actually wasn't too painful, surprisingly.) Look...I won a medal:

Don't be fooled. It was a consolation medal. Everyone who participated got one. I am a pathetic runner--in fact, I almost got lapped by the first place marathoner. As I was running my last 1/4 mile, I heard the announcer say that the top marathoners were coming up the street behind me, so I started hauling. I decided it would be a disgrace if I couldn't finish a half marathon before they finished a whole marathon. My oh-so-determined thought was, "Those crazies are not going to beat me!!" I am proud to say, they didn't! I made it in about 30 seconds before they did. Boo ya.

Here I am in the wee hours of the morning, just before the race began:

And a little video footage:

Ryan didn't know that you can't turn a camera sideways to film.

The hardest stretch was about miles 7-9. At that point, I got really grumpy and tired and started noticing the grammatical errors on fans' signs. (Sorry, I know that's not nice...)

After mile 9, I got cheerful again, and the rest of the race wasn't too bad. Here I am at about mile 10, posing for an "action-shot." (Ry never knew when I would be rounding the bend, so he was always caught unawares and without his camera ready.) In this shot, It looks more like I'm dancing a spastic ballet than running a 13 mile race! It was very awkward, especially since about 50 fans were standing there watching me pose like an idiot.

At mile 12.5, he actually got me in action:

And at the finish, I had some awesome fans waiting for me:

My old RA from BYU, Betsey, and her darling daughter, Nora.

Nora looks much cuter in my medal than I do.

My supportive husband (who did my training runs with me even when it was 11:00 pm on a school night)

It was a good experience, and I'm glad I did it.

The rest of the weekend was wonderful too. We were staying with Betsey's family, so Saturday afternoon, they showed us the sights of Cleveland, and Sunday afternoon, they showed us the sights of Kirtland (a historical place for our church).

Nora overlooking the city of Cleveland.

Nora enjoying the beautiful day at Kirtland. There is a really sweet spirit there, and I loved seeing all the historical sights and picturesque scenery.

Ryan and I also managed to get to Cedar Point amusement park on Saturday night. We got there at about 7 pm and stayed until midnight, and not too many people were there, so we hit all 17 rollarcoasters and many other rides as well. It was a fun date--although I was exhausted by the time we got to bed at 2 a.m. It had been a long day of running, sightseeing, and walking around an amusement park.

What is it with me and awkward poses?? Here I am, lounging in the Cedar Point Skyride!

After such a fun weekend, I am happy, exhausted, and SORE!