Cowtown Half Marathon

So I've been waiting for quite a long time to blog about this half marathon. I didn't want to blog about it and then end up not being able to go through with the race. So I waited up until the day of the marathon to let out my fun news. I've been training for this since the beginning of December and I just followed the training schedule that they published on the Cowtown Website so if you're ever interested in doing one you can check it out. I worked out at boot camp on my cross train days, ran on Tues/Thursday, and then had my long runs on Saturdays. Thankfully Ry got us a treadmill last year so I've been able to run while Max was napping and E got some "quiet time".

So the Cowtwon takes place in downtown Fort Worth and goes around the downtown area and then into some of the beautiful neighborhoods and parks. The weather was a little chilly in the beginning, but it ended up getting to be around 60 when I crossed the finish line. I seriously had a little sunburn on my face after that.

This year they had a record number of runners, 21,000! You could definitely tell because the festivities were buzzing! My dad drove me down there and we had to park out at a baseball field and then take a bus to the starting line. It was seriously a madhouse down there and I basically had to hop the barricade wherever I could find space so I could get in before they let people go.
So I started on my way. The first 1-3 miles are always the hardest for me and I have no idea why. I guess it just takes my mind that long to kind of relax, quiet down, and enjoy what I'm doing. I knew I'd see my dad or the boys around mile 5 or 6 so that really got me motivated and excited to see them. My mom made up a poster before they left and they were all waiting for me at mile 6. E totally had the sign upside down when I saw him and it totally made me laugh and a few other runners around me.

My dad was waiting for me at mile 8 and he jogged with me for a while. It was so hilarious because my dad was running, holding the camera, and then trying to direct my mom on his cell all at the same time. He's such a good sport about it though.

I saw the boys one last time and then they were headed to the finish line to wait for the me there. Ry told me later that when they were in the van they drove past some cheerleaders that were at one of the water stations cheering on the runners. Well, I guess Ethan was in his car seat looking at the window and blowing kisses at the cheerleaders! Later he told us he did it because he thought they were cute! Seriously guys, I'm in trouble!

Mile 9 was the worst since it was running on cobblestone/brick and it was so rough on your body. I swear I was going nowhere on that stuff! Once I hit 11 I knew I was home free and things were pretty good from there, but I was definitely getting tired.
I made it through and it was so awesome! I seriously got a little teary at the end. I think I just got a little overwhelmed with all the people and the cheering and the fact that I had finished something that I had worked so hard to accomplish. I just want to thank my family for being so supportive and cheering me on that day. It really meant a lot to me and it was such a great experience. I also have to thank all my friends for all the texts, phone calls, and hugs that I got the next day! I couldn't ask for better people in my life!