Provo City Half Marathon

Last summer I ran my first ever Half Marathon. I loved it so much I resolved to run 2 half marathons a year as long as I was healthy enough to do so. I ran through the winter then signed up to run my second half marathon in May. My running partner, Leslie, had been recovering from a car accident and was ready to run it with me! She ordered me a Runner's World magazine subscription for extra motivation and we ran diligently for three months as part of our training. 

The morning of the race, we were bussed up to the starting point way before the sun came up. It was COLD up the canyon, and we had to take off our layers to be sent to the finish line almost an hour before the race started! I shivered and jumped around to stay warm, then was able to channel the rest of that energy into my running. We had run several long runs in the weeks leading up to the race: some seemed never-ending and some were enjoyable. This race went by SO QUICKLY! Every time we passed another mile marker, I could not believe we were passing it. I was able to sprint the last 1.5 miles to finish with a time of 1:51:42 and a pace of 8:29/mile. My goal was to finish with 8:45/mile pace or better. I was so happy to accomplish that!

The best part was seeing these faces waiting just before the finish line. I was sure they wouldn't make it, so when I saw them I cried and ran as fast as I could to the end. I grabbed my medal and something to drink then took this picture. It's the best part of my race experience.