The weather started out chilly (~42º) and by the time I finished, it was almost 70º! The sun was shining the entire time, so I have a nice sports bra tan, along with a tan line from my shorts and from my knee brace.
I was aiming for a 12 min mile pace but man those hills in Austin are KILLER! I ended with about a 14:40 pace I think. I was good up until mile 16 when I had to start walking intermittently but I'm still so proud of myself!
What really kept me going was the supporters. My best friend & her husband drove up for the race and were at the start, finish, and several places in between. It was cool not knowing where they'd be so I had something to look forward to. A co-worker of mine also came up to see me along with her daughter and husband; that was a surprise, I wasn't expecting Jorge to be there, too! Somewhere before/after mile 22, I had started walking & all of a sudden my mom was running up next to me! Her & my sister were heading to the finish line to wait for me.
After I finished, I grabbed my shit from gear check, chatted with/thanked Holly & Christian for coming, & we grabbed a pedi-cab back to the car. Got to the hotel, took an ice bath, hot shower, then hit up my first food truck for some Thai tacos (yum, but hello nose run). Dinner was Kerbey Lane where I ate a huge plate of Pumpkin Bread French Toast (best I've ever had!!) and some homefries. Took a muscle relaxer & slept for almost 12 hours.
The most painful part was the night of the race. My ankles and knees were killing me & I was basically hobbling everywhere. The next day it was my hips that were bothering me & today & yesterday I just feel like a walking, all-over bruise. I can start running tomorrow but my foot is slightly sore & swollen so I'll wait until the weekend to get new shoes & hit the trail.
Overall, it's something I would do again. But it's gonna be YEARS if I even do; & I'LL TRAIN WITH HILLS!!
