This weekend Landon and I went with his parents to San Antonio to do the half marathon with his dad. It was a quick trip--we drove in Saturday morning and left Sunday afternoon--but definitely a good time.
When we pulled into town we headed straight for the Expo at the Alamodome to check in and peruse all the different booths, looking for running goodies. The Expo is one of the things I look forward to about the race--I love seeing all the different people that are going to be running and feeling the energy in the room.
Then, Landon and his dad thought it would be fun to pull out the map and drive the course. I found it to be pure torture (almost worse than watching the video of the marathon course before the marathon) because I could feel every elevation and the route seemed to go on forever, haha! I managed to distract myself with my phone though as they enjoyed looking around, and before I knew it we were finally at the hotel. :)
After a quick check in we decided to go and get an early dinner because we hadn't had lunch and we were starving. So, we took a river taxi down the Riverwalk to a little italian restaurant, which was fun. We felt very touristy. :)
When we got to the restaurnat around 530pm we were so thankful that we'd decided to head to dinner earlier rather than later because when we arrived there was already over an hour wait--us and all the other 30,000 people running the marathon had apparently had the same idea!
When we finally got a seat, it was right on the river--and the weather was gorgeous and the food delicious (though I think anything would have tasted good at that point :)), so it turned out to be a really nice night.
And around 8pm, with our bellies finally full, we headed back to the hotel to lay everything out for the morning and hit the sack early, since we were having to set our alarm for 445am. We watching a little tv, got our bibs attached to our shirts, packed up the room and I got to talk to both of my brothers in the same night--it was a good way to end the day. :)
The night passed in what seemd like an hour and before I knew it Pam was dropping us off near the start of the race and we were joining the other running in walking the last half mile to the start corrals. The weather was cool but humid, even at 5am.
Once we got to the starting area, we decided to join a lot of the other runners and get out of the cold--by hanging out inside the Taco Cabana across the street. We got to just sit and relax for about an hour, which was nice. Except for the fact that I got really sleepy just sitting there--and a little anxious about the race. By 7am, when we headed out to line up, I was ready to just get started already, even though I knew it would be another hour or so before I would actually get to cross the start line.
Because I was running the 1/2 and Landon and his dad were walking it together, we were in different corrals. Around 7am we said our good-byes and went our seperate ways. I was prepared to be seperated from Landon this time, so I didn't freak out like I did when we had to split up early on the morning on the marathon.After standing in the start corral with the other people trying to finish in 2 hours and 15 minutes for about an hour, we finally were able to run through the starting line. I was feeling good as we started, but it was hot and humid. Within the first half mile I was already wiping sweat off my face, which was not a good sign--and it was SO different than my Chicago experience, where the weather was perfect.
Around mile 5 or 6, I started to get tired--probably a combination of the hills and some elevation, the humidity and the fact that I was trying to run it about a minute faster than my marathon pace. I prettty well kept my pace until about the halfway mark, but then I could feel myself fading--and the rest of the race I just had to take one mile at a time. I never let myself slow down intentionally, but I just couldn't keep up the 10:20 that I started at. And, my Garmin wasn't working right, so my pace was kind of all over the place, which was hard. So, I just kept my focus on running at a steady pace about as fast as I could maintain. I kept looking around, noticing the people out cheering us on and the things we were running by--there were some parts of the course that were beautiful--and listened to the audiobook I had on my Ipod.
And, before too long, I finally saw the sign for mile 12! I tried to start picking up my pace a little and pretty soon I could see the last hill we had to run up before we turned and ran towards the finish line. I pushed it as hard as I could as I weaved around people running towards the finish line and crossed right at 2:20:23. During the last half of the race I realized that I was not going to be able to make it at 2:15, so I changed my goal to under 2:20. So, at first I was really mad when I crossed (well, mad and also ecstatic that it was over!) because I was SO close to reaching that goal. But then I kept obsessing about it over the course of the afternoon (because that's just what I do) and decided that I was OK with my time because it was a hard fought for 2:20--there were times when I wanted to give up and slow down and even walk (not that I really would have, but the thought crossed my mind, haha), but I never did. And, I now have a new PR--15 minutes faster than our first half marathon in January!
And, I have incentive to go out there and try again next time--which is why running is so addictive! :)
Because Landon and his dad had a camera and were actually able to take pictures during the race, I'll let their pictures do the talking--which is much more interesting than just me talking!
Waiting with the other 30,000 people at the starting line
I love this picture of Landon :)
getting closer to the start line...it took them about an hour to get there after the race officially started
starting off strong
we got to run right by the Alamo in mile 2, which was super cool
Pam ran all around the course to see up and take our pictures--I never actually got to see her, but the guys did 3 times!
All along the course there were bands set up playing music--it was fun and gave us something to look forward to as we were running
One of the coolest moments for me was when I ran by the band somewhere in mile 6, when things were starting to get hard for me, and they were playing a Christian song. It surprised me and really energized me--so cool. I just thanked God for the encouragement as I ran by with a smile on my face.
And these men and women from the nursing home who were out there with our signs also made us smile.
We also got to go by the Space Needle thing, which was pretty cool too.
my cute husband :)
Elmo came out to cheer Landon and his dad on!
Mile 10 and still going strong :)
the parts of the course where there were a lot of people out cheering people on were a lot of fun
I wish I could have seen this guy out there running--too funny!
After I finished running I picked up my bag and ran over to meet Pam at Mile 12 to see the guys
We sat on the curb and cheered the other runners on as we waited--I love people watching and I love seeing all the different kinds of people who get out there and do these races. It's inspiring--and sometimes surprising, which I also like.
Finally we saw them rounding the curve, looking good with big smiles on their faces. They looked like they were having a blast :)
It was so cool to see him out there during the race--this was probably the one and only time I'll ever finish before Landon so I tried to enjoy it as much as I could, haha!
Half a mile (and one last hill!) left!
Pam and I tried to run over to watch them cross the finish line, but didn't make it in time, which I was so bummed about.
They did SO awesome!! They were going for a 3:30 finish and ended up making it in 3:19:55!! I am so impressed!! :)
When we finally met up with them, they were relaxing and enjoying the medals.
all three of us :)
Wes and Pam
another photo op :)
After the race we made our way back to the hotel to pack up and shower etc, and then ate a delicious lunch at the Alamo Cafe--yummy mexican food. And from there we hit the road, heading back to Houston. 
We finally got home around 7 that night and picked up the dogs--and I think they were just about as happy to be home as we were! It was definitley a fun weekend, but it's always so nice to be home again. And, I'm glad the half marathon is over and I can relax some without a race right on the horizon...
... at least until the Goofy Challenge in January! :) 
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