13.1

My first half marathon went something like this:

Packet pick up Saturday, with beautiful clear skies and lots of sunshine.

Morning jitters Sunday - looks like I carbo-loaded a little too effectively, ha!

Race morning, cold and gloomy

A little Zumba to warm up....

a little waiting around under the big awning...

And we're off!  I started out behind this Handsome Pacer (holding the 11:00 sign).

Somewhere in Tetherow, I think.  The course was just beautiful.

Near the Deschutes River

Running past the Mother Ship as Ellen would say - The Deschutes Brewery

The 12:00  Handsome Pacer managed to pass me just a half mile from the finish, grrr!

Coming in for the finish - those ladies weren't in my age group so
I didn't really care about them coming in before me

Waving to Ted and Stevie

Bill catches me crossing the finish line, woo hoo!

Me and the kid (hiding a beer behind my back)

Great swag , including shirt, socks AND gloves

This was a truly fun first half marathon for me - mainly because I finished in under three hours, haha, and ran it at an average pace faster than I had run any other distance in training!  Also, the volunteers were terrific, and once the drizzle stopped, I was grateful for the cool, cloudy skies.  I just wish I knew where the heck we were most of the time, because the trails were just gorgeous.  The course map on the web site was illegible, but my Nike+ program mapped it out for me as I ran, so I should be able to figure it out.

What I learned:
(1)  Just because my training ground is very hilly, I can't expect the course to be less so.  This course was just as if not more hilly than my neighborhood.  Maybe I should actually look at the elevation change charts these race organizers send out.
(2)  I don't need music to run.  The scenery was so beautiful I didn't even put my headphones in until mile 8.
(3)  Mile 10 was my fastest, so this means I can do anything.

And of course it makes a real difference having family there to cheer me on - thanks so much for coming out on a gloomy day!

So, who wants to run my second half with me in September?