Ohio River Valley Half Marathon
This weekend was absolutely jam-packed! We had so much fun—visiting the Creation Museum, meeting new friends, carb-loading, and of course, running.
On Saturday my mom, dad, brother Davy, Nate and I left bright and early and headed to the Creation Museum, near Cincinnati. We met my sister Becca and a friend of my brother’s there and spent most of the day checking out the exhibits. The Creation Museum is dedicated to sharing the Biblical view of creation in an interactive and educational setting.
Most important there were dinosaurs!!
And good company.
And hilarity.
After the Creation Museum we checked into our hotel, slept, and hung out until it was time for carb-loading at Olive Garden!! We also made a quick stop at Dick’s Sporting Goods for some blister preventative measures for my poor tootsies. And then I turned in early—wanted to get lots of sleep before the big day!
Becca and I were checking into the race at 7:15. I must also give a shout-out to the race organizers—they did an awesome job! I have worked the other side and now how hard and stressful it is to get all the pieces for a race together. Check-in was quick and easy, it started on time, there were lots of volunteers, they never ran out of water or Gatorade, there were great post-race snacks, and you got a technical shirt. And this was a $25 race!
We were ready to rock and roll at the starting line!
Our goal was to cross the finish line and have fun doing it! We were probably even a little obnoxious at times…there was random fist-bumpin’, high fives, and “get it” hollered to many…but we were having fun and hopefully encouraging other people too!
The first few miles flew by and at mile 2 we were greeted by our cheer section: Mom, Dad, Davy, Nate, and two of Becca’s friends had made us signs to cheer us on! They had some great words of encouragement like: “You’ve trained longer than Kim Kardashian’s marriage lasted” and “Run like you’re at a weight watcher’s convention and there’s only one pizza left.”
At Mile 4 or 5 Becca’s two friends Dan and Sarah joined us for a little “encouragement jog” that turned into a 7 mile run! They ran with us most of the rest of the way as our “pacers”. The first four miles were through Xenia and had some hills mixed in—we ran straight up the hills! My hill training was SO much better this time around. The rest of the run took place on a wooded trail and it was a semi out and back. Miles 7-8 were right around the turn around and they were tough! I already had blisters and both Becca and my legs were getting so tired. We caught our second wind around Mile 9. I dumped some water on my head, turned on Eminem, and got down to business: yes, I had blisters, my feet were in pain, and my legs were tired; but I had prepared for this and I was finishing.
Becca and I ran the .1 holding hands and sprinting for the finish—I didn’t know I had a sprint in me till I saw the finish line and our cheer section!
We finished!! Such a great accomplishments to do with one of my favorite people! My sister is so strong and resilient—to overcome is one thing, but to do it with a smile on your face is another. Her spirit brings joy to so many and I love being her big sissy!
Second Half Marathon was a personal best on time and a lifetime experience that I got to have with my sister. Bottom line: Amazing!!
