Mission Accomplished: 13x13x13 - 13

I have been collecting things to say for this final blog. Things I considered writing about along the way, but thought, "I'll save that until then end." I don't feel like writing any of those things now. Blogging lesson learned: just say what you want to say when you feel like saying it.

What I would like to share today is:

2 Final Times: Our last (and 13th) half marathon of 2013 was 13.6 miles and included a massive hill at the end.

Official Final Time: 2:34:00
13.1 Time: 2:26:38

I am not done running. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the concept that I am a runner. Just two years ago I ran my first 5k on Thanksgiving and it was the longest continuous distance I had ever run. So let me just get this out of the way now: if I can do it, you can do it. I don't know what my running future looks like, but I'm excited to find out! It will most likely still involve half marathons, but also other distances like 5k and 10k. I have proposed to Sadie the idea of a themed year where we only run races with ridiculous names like the Geoduck Gallop (pronounced: gooey duck gallop) or anything having to do with Sasquatch. If you have any good ideas, send them our way!

If you don't have a crazier half, get one. There's no way I would have ever run one half marathon, let alone thirteen in one year (or THREE in one month) if it wasn't for Sadie. I have pointed this out to her many times along the way. I'm a firm believer in pushing yourself as an individual if you want to learn and grow. But sometimes it takes someone else to come up with that goal so spectacularly insane that you can't resist trying. I like to think Sadie and I are each other's crazier halves. She convinces me to run distances that are best suited for driving, and I drag her across third world countries on binge eating and walking sprees. I guess this means it's my turn again?

This is all to say that (as totally insane as I thought it was at first) running 13 miles 13 times in 2013 was a total blast! It taught me a lot not only about myself, but the combined power of two crazies and a solid support team on a mission (I'm lookin' at you Tiffany, Lee, Laila, Casey, and many others). Go Team!


Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we?

We ran the LIVESTRONG Austin Half Marathon in
February 2012 - it was my first half marathon.

Casey made signs for us.

Then we did it again in 2013!

Sometimes we were scared...

...but usually we were excited.

We always worked hard.

and ONCE I beat Sadie to the finish line to take
her picture there. (this wasn't even a half marathon
though, and in her defense... she was 30 min late)

But through aches, pains, bronchitis and a whole
lot of tendinitis, we made it through!