Running along...

Hi All!

Gosh it has been a while! I have been quite busy with family and life, I guess.

One of the things that I have been meaning to share is my recent half marathon! I ran the Strawberry Plains Half Marathon in Strawberry Plains, TN on February 16, 2008.

That date happens to be my dad's birthday and it ends up that his birthday this year was pretty special too. You see, my dad got into a pretty bad accident on January 11, 2008. We weren't sure if Dad was going to make it and we drove all night from Knoxville to Chicago (picking up my sis, Maris on the way) to join the family.

It was quite the emotional roller coaster, but in the end, only by the Grace of God did he not only survive, he is thriving! *Disclaimer: there are some aches and pains. :)

So speaking of aches and pains, when I was considering the race that day and what aches I may have during the race, I realized that this one's for Pop. It was his birthday, after all...

I dedicated my race that day to Dad and ran it in 2:09:18. It was a great race and it was definitely more challenging towards the end - lots of hills and no straight finish for quite a number of turns.

Dad was really excited for me and touched by my dedication. I couldn't think of a better person to run for that day.

Now the Knoxville Marathon is on Sunday and I am up for another Half. Can't wait to share the news of my results!

Oh, and thanks for listening to me babble about running. I have really grown to love the challenge and the achievement that comes from running a race - no matter what my time is at the end.

And I must say, you ought to try it out! You just might like it...