Austin Half Marathon

On 20 February, I ran the Austin Half Marathon. I ran the first few miles with JC and her friend N. But then I ran ahead. I ended up finishing in 2:31:31. It was a strong finish, for me, although I have mixed feelings about the time. I do think I could have gone faster. It's strange how competitive I can be about running. I know I'm not fast, but I don't like to let too many people pass me. The race was well organized. There was amazing crowd support, and there were water stops every mile or so. What surprised me, however, was just how hilly the course was. I know Baltimore was hilly, but at least there was a mile or so of flat. On the Austin course there was no real length of flat, it was either going up or going down. My one complaint about the race was at the finish. They decided to hand the race shirts out at the finish. I finished in the middle of the pack and frankly, it was crowded as hell. I'm talking a street full of people, packed to the gills, not moving, and waiting to get a shirt. I think they would have been better off just handing out the shirts at the expo.

After the race, we went to a nearby restaurant to celebrate. The food was great and it was a beautiful day to sit outside and celebrate our race finish. We split a tamale with cheese and roasted poblanos, a nice egg breakfast with great roasted mushrooms and tomatoes. And the dessert -- it made the run worthwhile. It was a flourless cholocate cake with a hint of chili, carmalized bananas and brown butter banana ice cream. Oh, and I had a maragarita to wash it all down. There were a lot of other racers there. I'm glad I did it and that's race number two done. Next month is Sun Trust National. I have to start making my tutu!