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10.20.2010

again? yes. again.


i honestly don't know why i started running.
ok, that's a lie.
i started running to lose weight.
and because when i lived in china, a foreigner running the streets (many times in long underwear under shorts) elicited some of the most classic stares EVER.

last may i did my first half marathon
and i kinda got hooked.
there's really nothing like accomplishing a goal...seeing a dream become reality.
and the cheering fans make you feel on top of the world.
all is right in the world when you're running across a finish line powered by the sheer noise of hundreds of fans.

hence my decision to sign up for another race.
the first rock and roll half/full marathon in denver.
i, of course, went for the half.
the big enchilada is in my near further though:)

myself, my favorite guy, his cousin, and my friend rachel decided to dominate the course together.

here's a recap of the weekend for ya:

friday night: rock and roll expo
a.k.a. pick up your packet, get your free t-shirt/goody bag, and walk around sampling more energy bars/goo's/drinks etc. then i new existed.

oh, and take pictures like this.

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saturday night it was carb loading time with some of my favorites.
heather and jason live in america!
(it's almost too good to be true)

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we ate way. too. much.
yikes.

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sunday morning= the moment of truth.
i met rachel and her hubby and scrambled to get everyone together and into our "corral."
it was basically organized chaos.
and it was d.a.r.k.

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since i don't have any pictures of me running...
just picture a beautiful gazelle sprinting through the african plains
and that's basically what i looked like.

i will, however, give you the high points of the run:
-almost crying multiple times whenever i saw someone's tag say "survivor" or "in memory of."
there is nothing more inspiring than a race...nothing.
-listening to "in america." something about country songs just gets me, and it was amazing to look around at everyone running and think to myself, "yes. i live in the best country on the planet."
-playing "break your heart" by taio cruz. it's my hip hop guilty pleasure song and got me through the low points.
-thinking of people like: stephanie zibell, kara blain, and crystal spelic. they were my inspiration. they are strong.
-seeing my friends/family cheering me on at the end. they made the pain worth it.
-getting a visual of the "great cloud of witnesses" from hebrews 12

after the race, the boys had to take advantage of the free mgd 64.
healthy beer?
no thank you.

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as i was looking around at everyone's shoes i realized how ridiculous mine looked.
don't expect me to follow written directions at 5 a.m.

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then it was photo shoot time...

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oh yeah, i wore silly bands from my kiddos as part of my running garb.
thinking of my students gave me that extra push.

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we finished off the morning with a little brunch/lunch action.
we played the emotion/photo game.
these were my favorites.

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this is the face one of our favorite students always makes.
love it.

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we ate.
we talked.
we laughed.
and calley burned her fingers.

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what a great way to celebrate 13.1 miles!

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until the next race where i beat my body into submission...

xoxo

3 comments:

  1. hannah your photos are looking excellent! nice work!

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  2. A few things:

    1. I LOVE YOUR HEADBAND. Polka dots mean business.
    2. I wish I were cheering you on the sidelines.
    3. I've got to meet this "Nick". Preferable when I can convince Shaun to come to Denver. Of course you could always come back to Austin and bring him with you. Plenty of room in our house... It's a really good idea.
    4. I'm really going to try to start blogging again. As of today. You're my inspiration.

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  3. I'm sure the locals here would be honored to know they inspired your training back in the day.

    you're incredible, friend.

    wish I was running right beside you....

    ReplyDelete