The LA Half Marathon

On January 13th, 2013, I ran in my first half marathon! This has been a personal goal that I've had for a long time, but I've never given much thought to you know, actually signing up for a race and all. However, for the past three years my church has partnered with Team World Vision and has encouraged members to run the race and raise support for clean water in Uganda. Our family has sponsored a little girl from Uganda through World Vision for the past three years, and the money Team World Vision was fundraising would benefit the Ugandan community that our church partners with. I've always liked the idea of doing this race, but I've either been pregnant or just too tired with a newborn to participate. This year I found myself without an excuse. So, I signed up and it really was such a win/win: fulfilling a personal goal while supporting clean water in Uganda!

I can't express how thankful I am to my family and friends that supported me on this little adventure. Many people gave financially, but the support didn't end there! I had so many folks encourage me with words, advice, and cheers from afar. And then there's my husband. He actually trained alongside of me, but didn't participate due to the fact that someone had to watch those kids of ours. Hopefully we can both run next year! Steve, as always, was my biggest supporter, coach, and cheerleader. I couldn't have done this without him.

Now, for the stats--don't laugh if you're a real runner. I met my goal of maintaining a pace of 11:30 a mile. Next year I'm hoping to be in the 10 minute range. Hey, you have to start somewhere, right? People often ask me what I listen to while running. For race day, I listened to the end of The Hobbit and a Simple Mom podcast. Not what you were expecting, right? But I like escaping into books and podcasts--it helps me to forget about my aches and pains.

Finish: 2:27:27 -- Pace: 11:15 per mile

Even though the race is over, it's not too late to support clean water in Uganda! Click here to donate.

My girls Becky and Jess getting excited on race day! 

My view at the start line. We were lined up at Venice Beach. It was cold as far as cold goes for southern California. but it made for perfect running weather.

Terrible pic--but this is mile marker 11. I was getting jazzed being so close to the finish line! 

One of my views during the race. Please forgive how fuzzy these pictures are. I was running a half marathon for goodness sakes!

One of my views towards the end of the race.

And this was me, at the end of it all! Really, I was all smiles most of the day. Seriously, it was so much fun!