Virtual Half Marathon

Have you ever done a virtual race?  Since I was trained up for the Covenant half I decided to do a virtual half marathon last Friday.  I chose the Run at the Mill Half organized by the Run for God organization.  I love long runs. I slowed down and ran it more like a long training run than a race, but still, it is a HALF marathon!

It was Good Friday and the track was full of soccer kids and parents, so I had to run the lakeside trail four times. I loved hearing the Methodist church bells playing "Because He Lives" as I ran by it.

The weather was nice, the pace was easy, it was another great long run day.

And I rewarded myself with ice cream when I finished!

Yay for my 7th Half Marathon!  The shirt and medal are on their way!

Knoxville Covenant Half Marathon

I think this was my sixth half. It was my second time doing the Knoxville Covenant half.  The first time was three years ago and it was my first half.  It is very hilly!

 It was a fun start with "Rocky Top" playing while we waiting to cross the start line.  And we ran under this huge flag at the start.

Had I known I was only 8 seconds over my previous finish on this race, I would have given it a little more gusto when finishing.  I truly didn't expect to be able to run it as fast as I did three years ago.  I finished 19th of 58 in my age group and I was very happy with that.  The weather was perfect for it - about 50 degrees.

I also got a great parking spot right at the stadium around 6:30, an hour before the race.  In this race, you finish by running through Neyland Stadium and finish on the 50 yard line.  It is awesome!  I was able to attend the pre-race church service put on by Team4:13, which was really good.  After the race, I didn't stay for all the food because the hubby was waiting on me to get home so we could leave for Florida, and I was so close to my car, even my legs didn't complain too much for the short walk.

My official chip time was 2:43:52 (8 seconds longer than 3 years ago) and I finished 19th of 58 in my age group (55-59 years old).  I was very happy with my finish.

The 50 yard line for the finish! I always say I'm not good enough to be competitive, but I'm competitive anyway.  I turned the corner into the stadium and saw the three girls in front of me.  I loved turning it on to finish before them....ha.  Made this old woman feel awesome!