The Half Marathon In Which At Some Point I Should Stop Posing And Do Some Running...

This is a little late race report for The Texas Half Marathon, my first race of 2010. At some point in December when I ran my first half marathon, a fellow ninja runner was ramping up to accomplish her own awesome marathon goal and we thought it would be a good idea to enter the Texas Half. So we got to training. And training was tons of fun!

During a particularly chilly (18 degree) run, we both showed up in pink shirts and black pants and the Pink Ninja Running Club was born. (Even the boys want to join because of the very sheik pink ninja shirts.) We even stumbled into a race and photo-bombed the official race pics:

And then...I injured myself. A recurring theme in my life. Left knee (my good knee!) pain and instability during a 9 mile run. Hobbled the last three miles back to the car.

After a week I tried again, kept it slow and felt good. So on to race day I went!



Now, I don't consider myself a 'runner'. I'm a solid BOP'er. Sometimes I even border on average. So for me...one of the best things about races is photos. I am always on the lookout for the camera!!

Hello camera guy!

This race was solely about a fun run with a friend. So we kept things pretty easy. Or I should say my PNRC partner kept things easy for me! Maybe we took it a little too easy. Around mile 6 we saw another photo op and I guess we had a little energy.

Isn't this supposed to be a race?

Apparently I decided to do the chicken dance.

Now I am about to just lose it.

My Dad braved the cold and came out to support me (thanks!) so it was nice to see a familiar face waiting for me! A little after mile 10, my left knee injury had returned with a mini-revolt. The last 3.1 miles took forever. Thankfully, I was pulled through by stories of hurling at Disney. Nice. No really, a big super thanks goes out to the PNRC for a very fun race.

Finishing...and I have decided I will run for President...in Nixon style.

Time: 2:33:00.

Not a PR, but better than walking. And really it's all about the photos. Someday I shall learn the 'running' part.

One more medal for the trophy case. Ha!

Afterwards we enjoyed a de-li-cious breakfast and savored the taste of victory. But not for too long as an ice bath was calling my name!

Overall I think this is a fun little race. The course is very flat so it's a great little training run or nice first-timers course. The small field makes it easy to do your own thing and the volunteers were all great. I give it a thumbs up and hope to be back next year with a healthier joint. Although you better believe I will still be on the lookout for the photographers...