My goal was to complete the Country Music Half Marathon in under three hours. And as you can see from the title of this post, I did it with a whopping 19 seconds to spare! I’m super proud, considering how incredibly difficult the course was. Hill after endless hill. And I even made an unscheduled pit stop around mile 7. So all things considered, not bad at all! The picture above is of Lisa and me after the race. She ran the whole thing in 3:55:43. If the finish lines had been at the same location, we would have crossed at about the same time, considering I didn’t cross the start line until almost a full hour after the gun.
It was a rainy start to the day, but turned out cloudy and not too warm. It was just insane to be there with so many people – 30,000 runners and 100,000 spectators! I just cannot express to you how hard those hills were. I’m ready for my next race, but I think I’ll do it in Texas, where they are known for their lovely flat courses! The picture above is of me and Lisa in our matching CMM jackets. Ogden Street twinkies!
A quick recap of the rest of the trip: On Friday Lisa and I went out to the Opryland area, walked the hotel, shopped at the Grand Ole Opry Shop, and (of course) did some shoe shopping at Opry Mills. We lunched on the lanai at Dalts, and then relaxed on Ansley Lane until Mom and Dad arrived from Florida. We carbo-loaded with spaghetti, and then tried to sleep. Got up at 4:30 so uncle Steve could drive us up to Centennial Park for the start of the race. On Saturday afternoon, we lazed around (and hobbled if we were forced to walk around), ate a ton of food, and spent time with Liz, Charlotte, Leigh Anna, Ran, Crystelle, and Sol (and the family, of course). Here’s a super cute picture of Leigh, me, and Liz:
On Sunday it was cold and rainy, and we were still pretty crippled, so we spent the day eating and watching NASCAR (c’mon, we were in the South!). Yesterday Mom, Dad, and I drove the 14 hours home to NY. And now I’m relaxing on the couch with Chavo. I’m happy to report I only have mild aches and pains! Here’s a picture of the medal that I got. Gorgeous!
I promised Lisa this picture would go on the blog, so here’s a lovely shot of me in a cowboy hat with some guns at a shop on Second Avenue. Yee haw!
There are a ton more pictures in the Nashville 2008 album here. No pictures of us crossing the finish line or on the course yet, but as soon as I get them, I’ll post them!
