cleveland half marathon.

the 2011 cleveland half marathon is in the books!

2 hours, 14 minutes, and 6 seconds.

the day started early, with myself waking up at 4 a.m. to prep for the race!

notice annie in the background sitting so nicely, waiting for a treat!

ready to run! the weather was less than desirable, it was a cold and misty day, which eventually turned into rain...i felt bad for the full marathoners when the rain started to come down. it reminded us of my first half marathon at disney world, but it was about 20* warmer here!

the rain pretty much held off and just stayed at a mist, and the fog was crazy!

my mom and aunt....they rarely miss a race and are always there to support me, and i am so appreciative of it. seeing a familiar face along the way or at the finish is sooooo helpful!

the race went well. my garmin was all funky, so i didn't really know my time, i had a rough estimation but was really unsure where i was at on time. when i had some rough patches in the race and felt worn down, i imagined having familiar faces at certain points in the race, and told myself, when you get up to this point, you will see a familiar face....even though i really didn't (my mom and aunt waited it out at the finish line), it helped me to get through that mile and keep going without giving up! crowd support was pretty great along the whole course, i had fun reading some of the signs. coming back into downtown across the bridge was crazy! it was so foggy you couldn't see the tops of buildings. i was able to keep my pace where i pretty much wanted it to be, and picked it up the last 2 miles of the race. i wish i could have been a bit faster throughout the race, and i could have probably pr'd, but i still came close, only a couple minutes behind my personal half marathon best. maybe next time!

that's me on the left, in the blue shirt, pink visor and black pants just before the finish line...i sprinted like it was nobodies business.

notice the fog in the background! the tops of the buildings are hidden!

i finished my first hometown half marathon in 2:14:06! Only about 2 minutes over my best half marathon time from the myrtle beach race last fall! and hey, the full marathon winner finished just about 10 minutes after i did....crazy! 26.2 miles in what it took me to do 13.1!

at the start of the race, the gun goes off, and they play "cleveland rocks" to pump you up as you cross the starting line... (theme from the drew carey show)!

we took some photos in front of the rock n roll hall of fame after the race!

it was sooo chilly after the race!

i think my favorite thing of this race, is it is the only race i have done that gives you chocolate milk afterwards....the best recovery drink after long, hard runs....it supposedly helps your muscles recover better.

i love the medal! the guitar spins around!

but can you spy the discrepancy?!

it was a good race despite the weather! i am still so sore!

special thanks to my mom and aunt for coming out to support me....it means so much to me to have you there! and especially a big thanks for standing out in the yucky weather!