Heart Half Marathon Race Recap and St. Paddy's Day Weekend

   On Saturday morning, Ray and I drove to my hometown, Cincinnati, for an amazing weekend!  We parked at Newport on the Levee and walked across the Purple people bridge to downtown Cincinnati for the Heart Mini Marathon expo. It was the perfect day for a walk by the river and downtown! The weather was beautiful and Irish festivities were all over the streets in preparation for St. Paddy's Day. The energy downtown was amazing!

Ray and I on the Purple People Bridge. Yes, that's actually what it's called. Clever name! :-)

   Sunday morning, race day, arrived before the sun had a chance to rise. As usual, I hopped out of bed in anticipation, quickly changing into my laid out race gear. Ray rolled out of bed not so eagerly, and then my mom sauntered sleepily out of her room a few minutes later: I thanked them immensely for their amazing support. Seriously, they are the best!

   Unfortunately, the pleasant warm weather was replaced by bitter cold and nasty wind. Go figure. I started shivering with my teeth chattering the second we got out of the car. We walked a few blocks to the starting area, and waited inside a crowded building until close to starting time. It was just too cold to wait around out in the wind!

pre-race, trying not to freeze. Haha!

    I did my usual jumping up and down shakeout routine, waiting in the crowd for the race to start. Then "BANG!" Several of us jumped, startled. The starting gun firing gets me every time!  Haha! 

    It took quite awhile for my body temperature to finally rise, but after the first couple of miles, I could finally feel my fingers and remove the outside layer. The sight of the Ohio River and downtown Cincinnati at sunrise, as always, was gorgeous!  I was keeping a good pace, appreciating the rolling hills and excitement of the big city race for most of the time. My sinuses and asthma did not react too well with the cold though for some of the time though. I had a really rough time around miles 10-12. We crossed a bridge, ran right beside the river, and then ran back on another bridge. Normally this would've been my favorite part of the race, but the wind and cold were just too much. The last mile of the race, I got my second wind so to speak. I got some water at the last water stop, no longer had the wind in my face quite as strong, and had a huge burst of energy. I ran excitedly along the turning streets, then right around a corner, in all its glory was the finish line. The Finish Line Phenomenon, as I call it, kicked in. Everything around me became a blur, as my legs propelled my body forward, going so fast I could no longer feel them. For a moment, nothing seemed to exist except for the finish line. My time was 1:58; I could've done better and could've done worse. Having a strong finish is the most important part to me anyway.

after finishing the Heart Half Marathon 2014! :-)

   After the race, we all grabbed a delicious lunch and then Ray and I started our Macy's wedding registry. Yay for getting more wedding stuff done! After that, I spent the rest of the afternoon cuddling with my kitty. That night, My mom, Charlie (he's technically my mom's boyfriend: he's pretty much already part of the family), Ray, and I went to our favorite Chinese buffet in Lawrenceburg for dinner. For some reason I ALWAYS want Chinese food for dinner the evening after a race or a long training run.

   On Monday, Ray and I grabbed lunch with my mom and my good friend Shane (who I hadn't seen in way too long), before heading back to Athens. This was after my eye doctor appointment, the reason I was able to get the day off of work and stay an extra day in Cinci. People often ask why I don't just get an eye doctor in Athens where I live, but I just can't. I've been seeing the same eye doctor since I was in third grade and he is just awesome! And great news: my eyes are super healthy! Dr. Orso called them "110% healthy". Yay! Arriving home in Athens later in the evening, Ray and I celebrated St. Paddy's Day with whiskey and green Gatorade: I think they taste amazing together! Going to the crowded bars for the holiday and getting wasted is overrated in my opinion. And I'm actually Irish.  :-p

Enjoying my green Gatorade and whiskey. Happy St. Paddy's Day!  :-)

   That was my weekend in a nutshell. Fun times! I want to do it all again! And I wish my kitty was still in my lap!

My kitty, Twilight. And no, she is NOT named after the book or those ridiculous movies. Haha! I named her that years ago when we got her because of her grey fur and yellow eyes: I was thinking of the time of day just after sunset and thought the name sounded cool. Isn't she gorgeous?