Houston Half Marathon

We did it! 12 weeks of training and 48 separate runs enabled us to complete our second half marathon this past weekend. We ran with Don and Jamie and 22,000 others to complete 13.1 miles in the Houston Half Marathon.

The day before the race, Leslie's parents came into town from Dallas. After a quick bite of lunch, we headed down to the George R. Brown to pick up our runners packets and look around at the running expo. That evening, Josh's parents came in, and we all went to dinner at Max's Wine Dive. Oh, that place is so good. We all dined on cheesy drunk bread, fried chicken with mashed potatoes and collared greens, and of course dessert. Yum! We were carbed up and ready to run!

The morning of the race, we all left the apartment by 5:30 a.m. to head down town. None of us had slept very much the night before because we had tossed and turned with nerves and excitement.

Here we are are waiting anxiously for the race to start. The sun was just starting to come out and the weather was perfect, clear skies, and around 48 degrees.

With the hardest of the training behind us, we took to the streets of downtown, the heights, montrose, and allen parkway areas to fulfill our quest for exercise, health, and adventure.

We had the great support of our parents along the sidelines which ensured our inner voices to 'stay positive'. They were strategically located about 3/4 of the way through the course. This lifted our morale at the time when our feet were beginning to hurt at almost every step, and our legs were flirting with constant fatigue with each painful stride. But our 'minds were over our matter' so to speak, and we turned down Allen Parkway and saw the arms of downtown Houston reaching out to embrace our final 2 miles of the race.

I'm still not completely sure what compels an individual to endure hours of monotonous physical activity, but I assume it is a way to find and attain victory and accomplishment in an unordinary way. It is a method in which we can separate ourselves from everyday life, and the impositions and adversities that it whirls at us. But when we run through the streets of downtown Houston, around Whiterock Lake, or downtown Dallas, the towns and the geography become so much more appreciated compared to the thoughtless and mindless act of driving from point A to point B.

Here we are after the we crossed the finish line! We had such a great weekend and made many memories. Thank you all for your love, support, and encouragement.