My goals were to complete the race without walking and to finish in less than 2 hours. Jimmy was nice enough to run with me and kept me motivated to keep going... I know I couldn't have done it without him. The first 8 miles were great; we were at about a 10 minute mile pace and Jimmy and I were talking, enjoying the scenery, and joking around. At mile 8, I started to slow down and was having a hard time. I was especially struggling during the last mile because it was uphill! I finished in 1 hour and 50 minutes and met both my goals, so I'm happy.
What I didn't expect from the race was how emotional I got. The emotions didn't come from the race itself, but from the people. We were running alongside people who were amputees, veterans (including a WWII vet!), and people running "in memory of" Soldiers who have died in the war. We even saw a couple running for SIDS and they had a picture of their baby who just passed away in August.
I nearly lost it when were were passing an amputee with his spouse by his side. She was shouting cadence to him so he could use his crutches to push forward. His leg was not yet amputated, meaning his wounds were fresh, but he had something attached to his knee, so he could walk. It was very inspiring and nearly moved me to tears while I was running.
Overall, it was a good experience though I don't think I'll do it again anytime soon ;0)
Before the run
Not my best picture, but you get the idea
Crossing the finish line
Still smiling after 10 miles ;0)
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