Biggest Loser Half Marathon Recap

On Sunday, December 29, 2013, I ran my 5th half marathon, the Biggest Loser Half Marathon in Panama City, Florida.

I must say that this was a great way to cap off the year.  Not only was this my 5th half, but my son ran his first half, and I got my mom, dad, and brother out to walk their first 5K.  So proud of all of them!

The race expo was on Saturday at a conference center several miles from the actual race.  It was very small with just a few vendors.  I think the real draw of the expo was the many former Biggest Loser contestants scheduled to make appearances.  

I was so excited to go to the expo, that I rushed hubby and the kids out the door so that we could be there pretty close to when it opened at 11.  Big mistake!  I should have realized that hubby would be hungry, and that we should have stopped to eat lunch first.  Hungry became hangry in a hurry, and hubby was ready to leave as soon as we all had our bibs and shirts.  We did stop and buy a BondiBand ponytail hat that I had been wanting, a few stickers, and some socks before heading out.  I know that I need to plan better next time.

Sunday morning we were up early and drove to the start line.  This year's race was held at a local park.  We parked and headed out to look for the bathrooms. The park had a couple of small (2 stalls) ones, so we got in line as soon as we saw one.  The ladies line was decent, but there didn't appear to be a wait for the mens.  Hubby and son headed over to the men's room, and went inside to find several women who didn't want to wait in line.  Awkward!

We snapped a couple of pictures and hubby, son and I headed to the start line (the half started at 8 and the 5K at 8:20).

There were no "official" corrals, but there was a staggered start.  The race began around a park and then on to a path that ran parallel to the road.  It was a very quiet path, but there was one band, and some sponsors with music (and mascots) cheering the runners on.  There were even Biggest Loser contestants at many of the water stops, encouraging everyone.  Despite the lack of scenery, I really enjoyed every moment of this race.  I decided to use 2:1 Galloway intervals from the start.  This was only the second race that I used intervals intentionally, but the first one just happens to be my PR, so I thought it was a smart plan.

The course was flat, with the exception of the bridge just before the turnaround.  The view from the bridge was gorgeous!  And I love an out and back because I get to give a high five to hubby (and this time my son, too).

I also saw Mindy from Road Runner Girl!  I was running down the bridge and I heard my name and looked, and there she was!  I love her blog, and it was great getting to meet and talk with her after the race (though I was sad I didn't have my phone with me when we ran into each other, so no pictures).

Just before the 12 mile mark, I decided I would run the rest of the race, because I felt really good.  Not quite enough for a PR, but it was my second fastest half, with a time of 2:51:52.  One of the most amazing parts was having my whole family cheering me on.  Just after 12 miles, I got to give my son a high-five on his first ever half-marathon finish as I ran by.

Just a bit further up, my mom, dad, and brother were there cheering for me as well.  This was the first time my parents saw me cross the finish line, and it really meant a lot to me.

We were also excited to learn that hubby and son both finished 2nd in their age groups for the half, and the rest of my family also placed in the 5K Walk category - mom, brother, and daughter all were 2nd in their AG, and dad was 3rd.  

It was a great day, and I can't wait for my next half on February 8!  I definitely think this is my favorite distance.  

Thanks for reading!  Happy running!

Ready to run! Biggest Loser Half

Just a quick post to say how excited I am for half #5 tomorrow!  It just started raining here (boo!) and is supposed to continue through tomorrow morning.  I sure hope it moves a little more quickly - I would love for this race to be dry!  This is not because I mind running in the rain, but it is a first race for several of my family members.

My mom, dad, and brother are all doing their first 5K tomorrow, and my son is running his first half!  I don't want it to be a bad experience for any of them!

The first time I heard about this race series was at the RnR Chicago Expo in 2012.  Here's my daughter and I with Dan and Jackie Evans.

I'm excited for today's expo - I hope I get to meet some more BL contestants - they are such an inspiration!

I went for a short run yesterday, and am resting today in hopes that my foot pain does not return for the race.

I plan to post updates today and tomorrow to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (the links to follow are above).  And P.S. I changed to a new Instagram account so that it would be the same name as my blog (darerunshare).  I'll be posting to that account now, instead of my old one.

I hope you have a great day!

Thanksgiving is here, and a dilemma...

My Thanksgiving started at approximately 3:40 pm yesterday afternoon when my five days off officially began.   I am so thankful for the time with my family!  Over the course of the next five days, we have three Thanksgiving dinners planned with various members of our extended family, our annual Thanksgiving morning race with hubby and the kids (this is our third year), and hopefully some relaxation time.

I've been working hard to keep my food choices on track so that I don't gain weight over the holidays. I downloaded the "Lose It" app and have been using it to track my food.  I had been using "My Fitness Pal" for a long time, but sometimes, a new, fresh approach helps keep me motivated.

Yesterday at our school Thanksgiving feast, a mom who is also a runner chatted with me for a few minutes about upcoming races, and I shared with her that we were running a half marathon in December, and it would be my son's first half.  She asked me if I would be at the finish line for him, and in that moment I was stunned and felt like the most selfish person ever.

I am signed up to run the half, along with hubby and son, while my daughter will be doing the 5K with my parents and brother (it's their first 5K ever).  When we signed up, it never even crossed my mind that I would miss my son crossing the finish line, but obviously, he will run the race faster than me.  We were at the finish line of hubby's first half, and hubby, son and daughter were at my first half finish.  

I talked to my son about it yesterday, and he said it never occurred to him either and it didn't really bother him.  I told him that if he thought about it and decided that he wanted me to be there at the finish line for him, I would absolutely drop down and do the 5K.  (This race is one of the three I'm planning to use for my hopefully successful attempt to qualify as a "Half Fanatic," but my son is so much more important to me than that, and I can always find another race.)  He said he'd let me know if he wanted me to be there, but didn't seem too phased by it.

I came home and talked to hubby about it, and he thought I was making a bigger deal about it than I should.  He said that he would be there, as would our daughter, my parents, and my brother, so he would still have quite the cheering section.  I know the finish line is not the only important part - when hubby ran his first marathon, we met up with him at several points in the race, including around 23 miles, and weren't able to be at the finish line because we couldn't get all the way into the stadium by mile 26, but we met up with him right after, and he was okay with that.

I want to run the half, but I don't want my son to think that I don't care about his accomplishment.

Am I over thinking this?  What would you do?