Mpls 1/2 Marathon

The Minneapolis Half Marathon was the morning of June 6th. I stayed at the Depot Hotel because the race was to start nearby, and boy was it! I walked out the front door of the hotel, followed runner's to the corner, and there was my pace group sign! For those of you who haven't done a race like this, pre-race time is all about going to the bathroom. Running with a full bladder is no fun, so you go before the gun whenever you can. So I had the handy opportunity of going back up to my room instead of joining the long lines at the porta potties outside! Just as I walked back outside for the second time, the gun went off. It was a chip timed event, so I just got into line and started walking! What I'm not quite saying is that I was pretty mellow for this race start. It's normal to have some sort of nerves before a race, but I felt pretty confident (after having already done 2 this year) that I'd be just fine. So I took off.

I ran the first few miles at a slower pace to ease into things, then picked up my pace. Negative splits, baby!

It was a beautiful course that took us up and down the river in Minneapolis. I think the best view was when the Stone Arch Bridge came into sight with a ribbon of runners ahead of me!

My only complaint was that the food tables were nowhere in sight at the finish line. People were dispersing in different directions and I followed the right group which led to unusually low trafficked tables. Maybe they had other stations down other blocks? Anyhow, I snapped some photos and sat down for some well earned chips and cookies!

I had forgotten to set my watch at the start line, so I was guessing my finish time and wondering where to find results. Once I walked back to the Depot I found that they had results posted but they weren't updated with my time. So I went back to the room, got cleaned up and packed up, and went back to check. I cut more time off of my PR and am so proud to share that I ran a 2:35:55!!!!!!!!

Next up is Molly on the other side of the finish line. It's my turn to put on a Race Director's hat and organize the Morton Firecracker 4 Mile Run and 2 Mile Fun Run/Walk. More on that in an upcoming post!!!!!