I'm Big on Little Rock (Half Marathon Edition)

No really.  Call me crazy, but I love my hometown.  Sure, it's in the top 10 most dangerous cities in the country.  But I love me a good trip to the Rock Town.

We went down this past weekend because my amazing daddy was running in his first official half marathon.  He's supported me so much over my life - softball games, riding lessons, etc. - that there was no question in my mind that we needed to go support him.  He has run the distance before, almost exactly a year ago, but he did that on his own.  This time it was going to be official.

He's been struggling with some tendonitis in his heel, so I think he was a little nervous about how that would go, but he rested it pretty thoroughly leading up to the race and iced and stretched it a lot on Saturday.

Sunday morning was in the upper 20s or lower 30s, and we got up at 6:30AM to head downtown.  The race kicked off around the River Market, so we saw him off, and then headed quickly over to mile 1.  We held up the signs Alli made and cheered loudly the minute he passed.  Then we headed to Ashley's at the Capitol Hotel to eat breakfast.

Daddy spent the next portion of the race on the North Little Rock side of the river, so we wasted some time at breakfast and then went across the street to the Peabody Hotel.  The ducks weren't out yet, but Alli rode up to the 17th floor in the glass elevators no less than four times.  Mama only made it half of that time - yikes!!  Talk about queasy.

Once we had sufficiently wasted time and stayed warm, we tromped to the finish line.  We got to see one of my best friends Lara cross, and then a few minutes later - here came Daddy!!  It was so exciting to see him!!  He was exhausted after the half, understandably, and said he couldn't feel one of his feet, but he was so happy to have finished.  We found out later that his time was 2 hours, 13 minutes - I was so impressed!  One day I'll blog just about how wonderful my daddy is, but let me tell you.  You'll never find anyone more hardworking and dedicated.  I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished!!

Making signs for the Didster

Alli and Diddy before the race

Scenes from the race - doesn't he look so happy?

 Congratulations to my daddy - love you!!

I don't know at what point you're actually a "runner" but...

So I gave in to peer pressure.  I picked up a habit I said I'd never get. 

Yes, I started running.  I know, you think I'm crazy.  But everyone, and I mean EVERYONE around me runs.  All my life I have been much more of a walker.  I like to walk the dogs, I like to walk to the fridge, I like to walk at the mall.  However, come spring, the elliptical was not cutting it in my quest to get swimsuit ready for the annual family trek to the beach.

So I very quietly began running.  I started very slowly, 1.5 miles was my long run.  My average pace was about 12 minutes.  And I hated every living second.  I really only talked to close friends and my dad about it.  Through my running, my dad, who used to run a bit when I was younger, picked the habit back up as well.

It all started really slow.  I ran in my regular old tennis shoes, my old softball shorts, and t-shirts.  And then I discovered a new type of shopping:

A whole world of pink I never even knew existed!!  One pair of hot pink Nike Tempo shorts and I was hooked.  Pretty soon I was at Fleet Feet getting fitted for shoes and running in 5ks.  And the weight started falling off.  And so did my bank account as I kept adding Nike gear - one pair of shorts isn't enough when you run 4 times a week.  Or like pink this much. 

And no matter what anyone tells you, the clothes and shoes make a huge difference.  You cotton t-shirt wearers can tell me mockingly that I "look like a pro" as much as you want, but I promise you wish you had on Dri-Fit. 

And now I'm up to nearly 6 miles a week in my long runs, am about 10 lbs lighter (YES!), and am training with Ryan for the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon in December.  And as for my dad?  He's lost over 20 lbs and is still going strong.  We all plan to run the Little Rock Half together next March. 

Your key takeaway from this post should be that anyone, and I mean anyone can start running if I can.  There are definitely days I hate it, but I love the results and the way it makes me feel.  I'll keep you all updated on my progress - hopefully in December I'll have a victory post!  Or I'll confirm that I am actually crazy for thinking I can run for two hours straight.