Weekend Update! 

What a weekend y’all! It definitely started with a bang when I signed up for the Houston Marathon! That’s 26.2 miles. Oh my word!

So how did I get here? Well, this year has been SUCH a whirlwind. I feel like I’ve been continuing to improve and become a better and stronger runner. I feel confident in my skills and the race is still far out enough that I can adjust my training and continue to build mileage after my half marathon in November. And, I’m also crazy and love pushing myself so I figured, why not?! Haha!

All my medals with the most recent on the left!

So my first marathon will be in January! The fact that it is about 17 weeks away makes it seem so close yet so far. I’m definitely nervous and I may cry but I know that I can do it! Visualization is key!

The tech shirt for the race.

Saturday was a relaxing day because I had a 10k on Sunday. Went to packet pickup at the local running store. We had a quick stop at Goodwill right next door. I tried on a dress and it was perfect except it had a not so modest neckline that I hadn’t noticed before trying it on, haha. Oh well, Goodwill trips are always fun.

The rest of the day was spent watching The Office and sitting on the couch with the hubby. He told me of his plan to build a medal rack that takes up one side of our living room! He’s being silly but it was sweet. Y’all this guy is my number one fan and always encourages me to follow my dreams. He even had a count of how many medals I’ve earned so far. I’m so glad I have a husband who supports my crazy habit. He is even getting a road bike so he can pace me in my long runs. I definitely consider myself a lucky girl!

Sunday was race day! It was the first race of the Texas Bridge Series. It was a 10k with four passes over a bridge. I’ve driven this bridge multiple times and it definitely looks steep. So race morning came and I wasn’t too nervous. Of course when I got there I had to use the bathroom so that was an adventure in and of itself.

I started feeling a bit warm as it got closer to race time. It was about 80 degrees and I knew the water would make it feel toasty. The first time over the bridge wasn’t too bad. My goal was try to stay around 10:35 pace because I knew that going up the hill would slow me down.

I didn’t stop running up until mile 5. My lungs started burning, I was really hot, and the bridge was so STEEP. I knew I had to complete another pass but I was also sweating profusely and just not feeling too great. I texted Jordan and he kept me motivated. Other runners on the course cheered me on and it was enough to keep going. After the last pass over the bridge, I was so glad to run to the finish line.

Overall I finished in 1:11. I kept a decent pace but honestly I’m so proud of myself. Going over the bridge four times was killer. My booty was on fire, haha. I managed to sprint to the finish line and that made me feel awesome.

Excuse the face, I was exhausted!

After the race, I ate some tacos and took a nap. The heat really got to me and I felt seriously dehydrated. There were some unfortunate runners who had to go to the hospital because the heat got to them. The rest of my Sunday was spent sipping water and foam rolling. Ready for my rest day and to continue marathon training!

How was your weekend?