Norfolk Freedom Half Marathon

I had a great weekend in Norfolk. Got there late Friday, exhausted, but so happy to see my friend Furb (a nickname she got from a yearbook snafu in elementary school). We've know each other since kindergarten! We've got the kind of history that makes it feel like we haven't been apart every time we get together.

Saturday morning, we got up to do an easy run- part of her pre-race ritual, and something I felt like I needed after being cooped up on planes the day before. I wish I had taken pictures of where we ran, because it was pretty and so different than where I usually run, but we were so busy chatting as we ran I never thought of it.

We spent the rest of the day basically running errands, but I'm odd and like that kind of thing sometimes. Plus, who doesn't love grocery shopping? And then it was off to bed to try to get some sleep (though I failed miserably for the second night in a row- I never sleep well away from home).

We got up bright and early and got ready. I was pretty excited and feeling good. Plus, I couldn't wait to play with my new Garmin (thanks, Husbeast!)

 We ran to the start since it was kind of close (1.5 miles away- she thought it was less). The race itself was a good course- well marked, mostly flat, fun- but I battled some severe internal pain from a biopsy I had done 12 days prior. I had been maintaining a great pace (average of 8:30) for the first half, but then had to take 2 walk breaks, one of which lasted about 5 minutes. But, thanks in part to the nagging beeping of the pace function on my Garmin, I sucked it up and resumed a pretty good pace (anywhere from 8:45 to 9:45, depending on how much was twinging).

I had wanted to PR. That was my main goal. But I also really wanted to break 2 hours. Given that when I saw Furb waiting for me at the last turn (she's a speed demon and ran sub 1:40) I used a big 4 letter word to describe my level of pain, I'm pretty darn happy with my time- somewhere around 2:02.

I mean, come on, my last PR was 2:13. I had gallbladder surgery and 2 other procedures that impeded my running last month, the most recent of which is still causing pain.

So I'm pretty.darn.happy.

 Sub-2 hour half marathon, I will get you, just like Furb got the gingerbread village that wouldn't stay together!

All in all, a pretty awesome way to celebrate my pre-birthday weekend.

Anyone else do something fun this weekend?