Catching up with Half2Run quest updates for 2011

Since I got the energy to get in here today, I figured I'd fire off updates in my Half2Run Quest since I posted my plans for the year (last December).

In January three of us from the Towpath Turtles headed South for the Naples Half-Marathon.

My Sister and I planned to run it together as a conditioning tool, not for any specific time.  However, less than one mile in I told her, "...you're gonna PR today."  Despite being so early, I run with her enough to know her running almost as well as I do my own.  It was mild, the course was beautiful and flat, and she looked STRONG with a pace as steady as a metronome.  So, I encouraged her to go ahead and run her own race.  Really glad she did because she finished it under 2:20 which was a HUGE PR for her.  She deserved it after all the work she put in last Fall and was robbed of in the "Stomp the Grapes half-marathon" (AWFUL RACE for all of us).

The highlight of MY race?  At mile 8, just when I'm always cranky and miserable we passed this Catholic Church.  There was a priest outside sprinkling all of us with holy water.  You can take the God out of the girl, but not the Catholic.  LOVED it and it is now one of my top five half-memories.  (Didn't really make the end of the race any easier, but I just love weird, unexpected stuff like that).

I finished Naples, my 13th/25th State, in 2:25:31 gun (2:23:22 chip/Garmin).