Rock and Roll San Antonio Half Marathon! Part 1

Many of you know that I have been training hard for my very first ever half marathon.  I have blogged about my road to running on the other blog...  and maybe a bit on here but nothing in depth.  I used to be a smoker.  I smoked a minimum of a pack a day.  I smoked because I enjoyed it, I smoked because I could, I smoked because I was addicted.  I was a smoker!  If I found out that I was down to three cigarettes... come rain, snow, sleet or hail...  car or no, I was going out to get me a back up pack.  I was a smoker.  

 The thought of running to the mailbox and back was daunting.  I mean... really... who would willingly run anywhere let alone 13.1 miles.  I'm not even sure I knew what 13.1 was.  

I quit when I got pregnant with Joe.  I can never ever ever pick up another cigarette again!  Or I will be a smoker AGAIN.  

It all began with me trying to run to Joe's daycare and back.  Realizing it was about 3 miles and recognizing that I could maybe run .5 mile of that.  I set the goal to run the entire 3 miles without stopping.  The first mile starts with a step.  

I didn't follow a program I just started listening to my body and paying attention to my heart rate monitor.  I started to feel my body acclimate to the running and started to enjoy it.  Soon, Jason started getting into it.  We set our sights on the Fort Worth Zoo Fun Run 5k.  

When we crossed that finish line there was a feeling.  I decided to set my sights on a half marathon.  CRAZY!  Who would have EVER thought I... smoker Jess... would EVER run 13.1 miles.  So I started training.  

This weekend, we went to San Antonio for that dream to become a reality.  

Jason Joe and I drove down on Friday night and had dinner at Cracker Barrel and Joe charmed the waitress.  (duh)...  we checked in and went to bed.  Exciting, huh?  

Saturday we got up, had breakfast at the neatest Mexican restaurant and then went on over to the Alamodome where I was to pick up my race packet and check out the expo.  This is really where the energy began.  The music was playing.  Runners were everywhere.  I picked up my number and swag back and shirt.  It was real.  This was really happening.  

We wandered through the expo, spent too much money on items that I NEEDED...  (although the three major items I wanted I got and am sooo happy I did).  There were so many neat exhibits and I could have shopped all day with money I had no business spending.  ;-) 

I got to sign the wall... I ran for Danielle. 

We met up with my parents and Scheri and her kids.. I'll blog about that later with pictures.  :)  Then we met up with Danielle and Todd and had dinner and I was back and in bed by 9:30 pm.  

Sunday morning...  Jason and I awoke at 4:00 am.  We were going to have breakfast at Denny's.  We walked out of our hotel and they had set up the starting corrals (how we were releaased to run) right outside our door.  MY corral was literally right outside our hotel and up a half block.  And the streets were empty.  The energy was silently ready.  

As we were walking up to Denny's we came across the starting line and an empty street...

in two hours, this street would not look like this!

Jason and I ate breakfast, just the two of us and I can't tell you how much that one little breakfast meant to me.  His pride for me was just amazing and his support helped me get ready.  He, and his mom, had shirts made for me and my family to wear.  Design was made by my dear friend Meg.  She's amazing and I had so many comments on how cute they were!  Some of the Houston girls liked it so much that they, too, got shirts to wear.  They started sending me texts wearing their shirts.  

 

how cool, right?  

to be continued..........