Sunday, August 2, 2009

FINALLY, a Post-Race Report

Heeelllllooooooo! I know, I know -- where the hell have I been, right?

It's been nearly five months since I finished the Big D 1/2 Marathon with TNT ... wonder if any of you guys have stuck around? Truly did not mean to leave you hanging -- in my defense, I left for Puerto Rico the week after, have had several computer issues ... and am just downright lazy sometimes.

So, since this is a little anti-climatic as many of you have already blogged about the Big D race, I'll just share a few things. Like the fact that is was sooooo freakin' cold and windy that morning! Definitely made the days of training in frigid winds worth it. Just glad I was wearing pants and not shorts ...



J won the award for Best Supporting Husband, riding around on his mountain bike snapping photos, dodging swift winds and sketchy neighborhoods as best he could ...



I love this starting photo, reminds me of "Where's Waldo?" ...



I was bound and determined to run all 13.1 miles without stopping ... and by God I did it, with even a smile to boot ...


Remember when I was trying to set a realistic finishing time? I thought it would be around 2:55:00. And many of you said I could do better ... and I did. I finished in 2:43:41. Still plenty of room for improvement, but I was so super proud of it. You can also see our TNT group photo on the Big D Race Results page ... pretty cool!



I carried all of my donors with me during the race ... well, their names at least. Thanks to you guys, I raised over $1,800 for Team In Training to help find a cure for Leukemia!


All-in-all, it was such a wonderful experience. I encourage everyone to train for a race with TNT at least once, whether you've run a hundred marathons or you're a couch potato just getting started. It'll definitely change your life -- as well as those around you!

14 comments:

TNTcoach Ken said...

Now what???????

Anonymous said...

Great job! I love the idea of writing all the donors on your shirt. Glad you had a great experience.

Dano said...

Katie, at long last... congratulations! Go Team! Great Race!
You are now a TNT alum - hopefully all we promised at sign-up came true - now recruit your friends to sign up, too! :)
Indeed, what's next? A post-half-marathon blog chronicling your adventures considering 26.2? Dabbling with a sprint triathlon as a gateway to other endeavors?
Whatever it may be, you'll always have that Big D medal, and "a lifetime of knowing that you have." Cheers!

Katie said...

Thanks guys!! Yeah, the big question of the moment is "What's next?" Not really sure ...

o2bhiking said...

Way to go Katie! You're back! Yay! Thanks for the race report, good to hear that all is OK. Now you have to think up an encore! With your grit and your supportive husband, you can do ANYTHING!

Thanks for the comment on my blog. :) Art

That Pink Girl said...

Yay, you're back!

D.J. said...

Glad to see you had such a great time with TNT! It is definitely a worthwhile investment of time and energy. I think my next event will be the hike next spring...I believe they're going to Yosemite.

Make sure to get that TNT ALUMNI jersey next time!

Louis K said...

Keep being active. That's what I am doing.

Mohan Dutt said...

Hi Katie:
Hope to meet you at some TNT event this lifetime and run with you!
May I extend you a warm California invitation for the 2010 Nike Women's Half Marathon at San Francisco!
We'll celebrate with an awesome after party!!
Cheers,
www.onemilemore.blogspot.com

Marlene said...

WELCOME BACK!

Congrats on the race - you totally killed your goal!

Katie said...

@ Art -- thanks!!! Yes, an encore ... still pondering what that will be ...

@ D.J. -- The hike sounds very cool. And I didn't know they had an alum jersey! Will have to check that out.

@ Mohan -- San Fran, huh? The Nike Woman's marathon would be a blast ... when is it??

Katie said...

THANKS Marlene!!! :-)

Iron H said...

Congrats!! I know what you mean about being lazy!! But you wrote it up and it sounds like the race went well. Time to test the triathlon waters maybe? No pun intended.

The Boring Runner said...

Welcome back!!

2:43 is a GREAT time. Plus, I did go to the results page and you are pretty much famous now. TNT is a really good group.

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