This past weekend we trekked to Philadelphia to support Sara and her 1st attempt at a 1/2 marathon. We rolled out of Baltimore late Saturday AM with our crazy kids in tow. Originally we thought it would just be the two of us, but as we got closer to race day, we thought it would be fun to have them along.
I second guessed that decision a few times throughout the trip :) We took the car to stay lean and mean...but that also pulls the kiddos much closer together....creating all sorts of havoc and shenanigans in the back seat. To the outsider it's harmless and cute. For someone like me looking for a peaceful drive...it's quite the contrary. Needless to say, I survived.
We arrived and got checked into our hotel right away...then we were off to the convention center to pick up Sara's race packet. We grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel and took a stroll down the road to a local park...which was truly great to stumble upon. It was packed full of a great mix of people, soaking in a spectacular day. For Sara's race dinner, I popped out to Luke's Lobster and picked up a couple of lobster rolls. We still have our Maine trip on the brain :)
Race day arrived early. 6 AM. It was chilly outside and I could tell Sara was focused on the race. I think the kids were a nice distraction for the nerves that I'm sure were building inside her.
When we arrived, it was about 25 minutes prior to the race and Sara had to use the restroom. The line was crazy long....and as we waited and the start time loomed.....20....15.....10 minutes.....she took a cue from a few others that decided that some bushes across the street provided the perfect cover to take care of business. That's my girl!
From there, we did our best to see Sara off to her corral/queue, but that kind of crowd doesn't provide for quick maneuvering for a family of 4. We said our goodbyes, wished her luck....and started back to the hotel. Our job from there was to grab breakfast, clear out the room, load up the car....then head back to the finish line.
Getting back to the hotel was a challenge. We needed to cross through race traffic to get there. We picked our moment and darted (on a diagonal) to the other side of the road. As luck would have it, an Irish pub, Con Murphy's, stood in front of us....so our breakfast choice was made. Slainte!
We finished breakfast, took care of everything and made our way back to cheer Sara on at the finish. Sara called to give us a head's up that she was at the 12 mile marker. How she could do that and still keep running, I'll never know. We were able to spot her at the finish line and could not have been prouder of her. She was drained and hurting...but her accomplishment was written all over her.
Sara trained for this race for 6 months. The week prior to the race both she and I came down with a summer cold and she still fought through it and completed her goal in a just over 2.5 hours. I have an incredible wife.....who when she puts her mind to something...allows nothing to stand in her way. Focused. Driven. Passionate. Dedicated. A runner through and through.
Great job love! I love you no matter how many toe nails fall off :)
