Just what the doctor ordered...

13.1 miles on a beautiful day, on a beautiful quiet and quaint little course was just what the Dr. ordered for this little lady! I love to run. It is great medicine for my soul, and this run couldn't have come at a better time! The day was perfect. A bit on the chilly, breezy side, which is perfect running weather! The breeze gave a little resistance which added a little challenge to the course. The sun was shining and the air was crisp.

Today's run was different from the past ones in ways I can't explain. What I can say is that it was great! It was challenging and a nice escape from life for a brief moment in time. Not that life stinks or anything, but sometimes it brings its own challenges and it's just nice to not deal with reality for a moment or two. It's nice to just run and enjoy the scenery and simply focus on conquering the 13.1 mile journey ahead!

These 2 lovelies got up nice and early to cheer us on.

This is about mile 8. I smile when I see cameras;) And because I was having fun! 

Mr. Ronnie did great, setting a new PR for himself! 

Overall it was a great run! I thought surely something was off when my watch went off to show my first mile, saying 8:28 or 8:38 or something like that. I was shocked because I only run that quick when working speed with short distances. So I thought it must just be adrenaline at the start. Every time my watch beeped to mark another mile I checked my pace, expecting it to gradually get slower, but it stayed under 9:00 for all but 2 miles (my normal pace is between 9:30-10:00). I was excited that I would beat my personal best from my last race and meet my goal for this race, which was 2 hr. 10 min. 

At about mile 11 I heard two men talking behind me about the distance left and the time. One said that his goal was just to get in at under 2 hours. When I heard that I immediately began to think, if he is behind me and keeping my pace...wait a minute...I can get in at under 2 hours!!! Never did I think I could do that! I was so excited:) A little fire was lit under my feet and I took off. OK not really took off but I didn't slow down that is for sure! I made it in at about 1 hour and 56-57 min. (still waiting on official times to be posted). It was a mixture of pure excitement and a bit of "OH NO...now I have a big PR to work towards for next time!" Overall it has been a great journey leading up to this race, and I am thankful for the health and ability to run in God's beautiful creation!