A Rose Between Two Thorns: Kentucky Derby Festival Mini-Marthon

I've never really don't a race recap before, but I see lots of people that do. I thought I'd give it a go...

A little background...
This past weekend I ran a race that was pretty important to me. It was my 10th 1/2 marathon and second completed in the past 5 months. I began running for the second time about 8 months ago. I've had a few bumps, but I am really proud of the progress I've made. I've lost a little weight, but I'm still struggling in the food category. With long days and a few crazy weeks it's easier to grab something quick or to skip breakfast. This is an on-going battle that I will continue to work on! When I ran before (2008-2011) I battled with shin splints and not training to the best of my ability. This time around I have done a good job of easing into it. That has been a huge help with keeping shin splints at bay. I've set small attainable goals to keep motivation up. I've enlisted my sister-in-law (not sure she is aware) as my "coach." I talk about running with people. I keep a calendar hanging in my kitchen that I record all of my runs on. I overall feel like all of these things are holding me accountable and keeping my motivation up. Plus, I set a goal to run 650 miles this year. I'm determined to blow that on out of the water! It's also been a huge outlet for this tough school year. This race helped signify where I've been in my running journey and where I want to go...

The theme this year was "I Run Because..."

Who doesn't love race "swag?"

My tweet made the board!

Day: Saturday April 25, 2015

Time: 7:30am

Weather: 55 degrees and rainy (A range of misting to a few downpours.)

Total Participants: I don't know, I couldn't count that high. 16,000 maybe.

Oranges cut by the Weiter's: 4 cases with about 100 oranges each. Cut into 8 slices each makes about 3,200 oranges!!

Goal Time: 2:39:36
Finished Time: 2:48:20

The good, the bad, and the ugly...and a few funnies.

Good/ I finished.

Good/The temperature.

Good/I dressed perfectly.

Good/Vaseline works wonders on your toes and heals.

Good/I earned a pedicure. It was heaven.

Good/I slept well the night before.

Good/I wasn't stressed about time because I never knew what it was.

Good/Hearing all of the out-of-towners talk about our amazing city while running .It was so fun hearing about things they wanted to see and do.

Good/The two people dressed as ninja turtles.

Good/I felt comfortable most of the race.

Good/The support from my family.

Good/Running through Churchill Downs. So fun!

Good/Oranges right before mile 11 provided by the best family in the world.

Good/I added another awesome medal to my collection.

Good/Feeling confident in my abilities.

Good/The high school band playing around mile 4.

Good/The amazing spectators and awesome signs. Louisville doesn't disappoint even in the rain.

Funny/I totally missed the signs for miles 5 and 7.

Funny/A woman marathoner passed me TWICE!

Bad/I didn't have a watch on.

Bad/My Nike+ app didn't start.

Bad/I never knew what time I was at because of not having a watch and not having my app start. I had no clue as to when I crossed the start line either.

Bad/I missed my goal, but I blame it on mile 12 stomach issues and the fact that I missed two long runs leading up to this day.

Bad/RV music didn't make it.

Bad/Michelle and I didn't get to meet up before OR after to celebrate!

Ugly/the way my stomach felt at mile 12.

Ugly/crowd after the finish under the expressway.

Really...those "bads" are not that bad, but I really didn't like the way my stomach felt (thank God it passed) and I really didn't like the crowd either. Everyone was at a stand still. It wasn't bad running in the rain at all, but when I finished I was just ready to go home and it was the most difficult path to get out of the finish line area.

Michelle and I met up on Sunday at the park. We walked a little to stretch out our muscles. (It's key to keeping any soreness at bay and it really helps). I am a big nerd and totally made her bring her medal for a post-race selfie. I mean technically it was post race...who cares if it was 24 hours post race.