I woke up at 5:45 this morning to sheets of snow on the trees and ground, the temperature read just above 30 degrees and the snow was still coming down pretty hard. Today was my first half marathon and according to the Web site the race was still on.

I had been feeling a bit anxious all week about the race but never did I think I would be running 13.2 miles in the snow! The race started a bit after 8:30AM and I warmed up after about the first mile. I still couldn't feel my right foot but I was fine around mile 4. It wasn't too hard running in the snow and slush. We ran against the wind most of the race so I had snow blowing in my eyes and mouth for almost 2 hours! I set a nice pace for myself, listened to some good tunes and enjoyed the beautiful white scenery around me. I felt great most of the race although my right achilles hurt from the get go. I started to get a bit tired around mile 11 but once I saw mile 12 and then my coach around 12.5 I felt energized and ready to finish! My chip time as I crossed the finish line was 1 hour and 56 minutes...5th place in my age group! My shoes, socks and feet were soaking wet from all the slush and snow I kicked up while running and it hurt to walk as my achilles was hurting pretty badly. But I finished under 2 hours which was my goal and I was happy. It was great having Alex, my parents, Philip (my coach) and Kate (a teammate) all there to cheer me on. Support is always helpful after you have been running almost 2 hours!

I feel really good about my first half marathon efforts so I am giving myself a pat on the back. I am taking the week off to let my achilles recover before our next long run on Saturday. I don't want to overwork it and injure myself before the marathon.