Half Marathon with My Wife and Running with the Boys

On Saturday morning I ran the Garden Spot Half Marathon in New Holland PA.  I did not run more than seven miles at one time in the last month and my time showed that.  I finished in 2:09:14.  Even allowing a half-minute to get to the start line a pace of 9:50 per mile.  My wife and I started together with Catherine, one of her running partners.  Catherine dropped back right after the start so Annalisa and I ran together for the first eight miles.  The out-and-back course was more uphill on the way out, more downhill on the way back.  Annalisa is faster than I am, but I run better up hills, so I would go ahead up hills then she would catch up on the flats and fly downhills.  She was way ahead on the downhill to the turn around, but at a short, steep hill on the way back, I caught up.  The next big downhill she was gone.  We finished a minute apart.

Terilyn, another member of my wife's running group, skipped the event , but brought Nigel and Jacari to cheer for Annalisa and I.  She is good with a map and brought the kids to cheer for us at mile 5, miles 8 and mile 12.  Some other people we know who were running told us afterward that Nigel and Jacari  cheered louder than anyone else along the course!

Jacari ran the last mile with Annalisa.  Nigel ran the list mile with me.  When we got home, Nigel and Jacari ran another mile with me.  They run at least two miles with me each day on weekends when I am home and sometimes during the week.  On Sunday, we ran another two miles.  Nigel was hurting on the second mile, but his brother Jacari stayed with him right to the end.  Nigel did not quit and even put on a short sprint at the end.  I finished third.

We sing Army songs when we run.  It seems to help them.  Some of them are Army classics "C-130 rollin' down the strip. . ." and some I make up.  If I see one or both of the boys are feeling lazy, I make up a song with "My Little Pony" in it.  My Little Pony is a very girlie toy advertised on the Cartoon Network.  If I make up a line with "I wanna play with My Little Pony" they both straighten up and keep running.