Hi, everyone!
While saying goodbye to a lifelong furry friend of mine cast a very sad overshadow over my weekend, there were bits and pieces of it that were great- the undershadow, if you will. I think about Toby everyday and it makes my heart hurt each time, but if I don’t write about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon now, the memories and experience will be forgotten.
So here we go!
On Friday I drove down to Russ’ with every intent to get some (a lot) of work done before heading home for dinner, but let’s be real. Do I ever get work done when I don’t buckle down and do it all by myself? No. Soooo, no work got done, but other tasks were accomplished! I was hungry when I got there, so Russ made me a snack while I attempted [and failed] to outline some nutrition work.
Peanut butter on toast with peach and apple slices. He sure does know the way to my heart. After a quick snack and the acceptance that nothing would get done, we headed to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fitness Expo at the Philadelphia Convention Center. It was super closer to Temple, so it was really no big deal getting down there!
This convention was so much bigger (and better!) than the Broad Street Run Expo. There were a lot of vendors, which means free samples. We all love free samples 🙂 They even had “Ride the Shoe” instead of Ride the Bull.
I was SO SCARED, but I did it and stayed on for over 50 seconds before they stopped it! They stopped it because I screamed and then one of the women that worked there asked if I was okay. Haha oops!
We walked around the expo and tried a bunch of samples. If you have never had Core Power, you need to try it! It’s like Muscle Milk, but so, so so so much better- fewer ingredients, less fat and so much better tasting. Try it.
After the expo, I headed home for dinner with my family and Toby. I went back to Russ’ that evening and had a pretty low key Saturday. Sunday, however, was fun because we ran/walked the half marathon!
We learned from the Broad Street Run NOT to leave too early because you’ll end up standing around waiting, so we left Russ’ 45 minutes before the race. By the time we checked our stuff, got through the potty lines and put on our race bibs, the race had started, but times don’t start until you cross the start…so no big deal!
Once we were off, the crowds thinned out and it was a really nice run! There is something so amazing about running through your city and staring up at City Hall as you run past all these people cheering. The race started off really well and we were going strong, but by mile four, I really started to feel some pressure in my knee. Somewhere around the fifth mile, I told Russ and Jesse to go on without me because I didn’t want to slow down their race. 
They ran ahead and I walked/ jogged/ limped and hobbled my way for the remainder of the race. The course was incredibly beautiful, running along Kelly Drive, looking at the water, trees, sunshine…and the motivational messages.
As each mile ticked by, the pain in my knee got a little bit worse, but so many of the other runners stopped to tell me I could do it with a little pat on the shoulder. That, paired with my “dedication of each mile to someone” helped me get through the passing miles. It really does make me sad to think that I didn’t actually get to RUN my first half marathon, but I did finish it. By the end, my knee was completely destroyed. Jesse and Russ lost each other at the finish, but I somehow, miraculously, managed to find Russ. They both had awesome times and I am SO proud of both of them. I just wish I could have been there with them, finishing the race!
Russ and I literally limped our way to a taxi and made our way home. I really couldn’t put any pressure on my knee or bend it, but by the next day I felt a lot better.
It was a beautiful race and we had perfect weather, but I’m not quite sure I can say I have done a half marathon. I plan to do another in the future and call that one my first- this one was just practice 🙂
I saw my doctor this morning for my knee and she suspects that it may be “runner’s knee”, which would be really unfortunate, but with some physical therapy, I should be up and running (pun intended) in no time.
Here’s to hoping.