13.1 miles. A half-marathon. And.... one more thing to check off the 'to-do' list. I should have a lot more to say other than that, but I just can't seem to get the words to come across the way I want. I do, first and foremost, want to thank my friend Kendall for being my own personal drill sergeant. She was an amazing support through the whole race! And, although I kinda hate that she was able to be-bop across the finish line like it was just a stroll in the park, I really do love her for being so sweet and encouraging the entire race. She was there for me every step of the way and when my calves started cramping somewhere between mile 9 & 10, she just reminded me that as long as I put one foot in front of the other, this race would be done soon. I did finish. She was right. And, I learned a lot out there yesterday. Here's my top 10 things from yesterday:

1. LeeAnn does NOT like being passed. I should be used to it by now, but there's something about being passed by idiots in tie-dye and colored sunglasses that can really bring me down.
2. I do NOT like loop courses. Nope. Not one bit. I don't want to see the same thing more than once. I'd like to just go and go and go.
3. Flat courses are NOT good for my hip-flexors. Not good at all. That repetitive motion did a number on me and they still hurt :(
4. No matter how brilliant an idea I think it is to not carry fluids on a race course, I should just duct tape the damn bottle to my hand and deal with it. No water = dehydration = cramps = suck-city.
5. I need to force myself to eat bananas (even though they are gross!), potatoes or to take potassium, especially before a race.
6. Breakfast burritos are not a good post-race food unless they wanted to make me barf chunks.
7. Kendall needs to record herself telling me to catch up so I can use that during 'off-season'.
8. Training for races is probably a much smarter idea than going out 2 weeks prior, doing 6 miles and calling it good.
9. There is nothing like the feeling of a little pre-race sing-a-long in the car to get fired up. May I suggest a little 'You might die trying' by DMB.
10. I can't wait to race again.



“The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” John Bingham