Mini Marathon of Hot Hell

I don't really want to get into an in-depth recap of the 2012 Mini Marathon, but I will touch on some of the high points (or low points if you haven't already guessed from the title). The number one high point is that I finished the freaking thing. I had big dreams this year. BIG DREAMS! I really wanted to go faster than last year, which was a respectable 2:09. Not my best time, but my fastest time AK (after kids). I am not going to say that my training was perfect, but it was much better than years past. So, I felt good. Really good.

And, then. The weather had to happened. The stupid idiot hot weather, that I normally like, but not when I run. All of my training runs were done in temps below 55 degrees, some even freezing. And, that's how I like it. But the weather was 67 degrees at the start with 97% humidity.

I stupidly thought it was going to be fine, so I took off at a fast clip. (Well, fast for me, anyway.) Then, at mile 4, I hit the wall. MILE FOUR. That is not a good sign. At that point I was praying to finish. I just wanted to "hold on" for the next 9 miles. And, basically, the rest of the story is that I continued running the next 9 miles until I crossed the finish line in a heap of wet shorts and shirt and hot mess. At mile 10 I stopped looking at my watch and trying to figure out my pace, because it didn't matter. All that mattered is that I finished this thing and did not die. I seriously was a little dramatic. My time was 2:10. Which, considering the dying self talk, isn't too bad. I really think my last mile was 26 minutes. But, I really wanted to go faster. Therefore, I have signed up for another half marathon in 6 months.

Below are photos right after I finished. The first photo shows the relief on my face. The second photo shows the "WHAT THE EFF WAS THAT?" on my face.

Photographic proof that I finished and also was a hot mess.