Last weekend Jeana and our friend, Jamie, ran a half-marathon. Another friend, Andy, ran it too. Since this race was in San Antonio, we decided to stay in a “hotayel” (as said by Kate with her southern draw) the night before the race so that Jeana could have adequate rest. More importantly, we stayed in a hotayel which proffered the convenience of a fridge, stove, table, and oven. Jeana wanted to properly fuel with non-greasy pasta so this kitchen convenience granted that wish.
Our friends — well, not Andy and his wife — stayed at the same hotayel. They came over for the non-greasy pasta dinner and our kids got to play.
I (or shall I say Adam and I) have been a spectator at a number of Jeana’s races. Of all the races though, I think this race was the most accessible for us to cheer on the runners at so many places along the course.
The kids formed a line — and I use the word line loosely, because nothing about it resembled straightness — to give “high fives” to the runners that passed by. Many of the runners were gracious and humored the girls. We felt like we were the only ones cheering on the runners, and that made me feel special. After she warmed up to the cheerleading, Audrey would turn away from the runners, cup her hands up by her mouth as a megaphone, and then yell, “YOU CAN DO IT!” To which many of the runners, now already well past us, would raise a thumbs-up over their head in thanks.
It was freezing the day of the race. And by freezing, of course, I mean 55 degrees. For Adam and I, yes, it was a tad chilly, but the temperature was great for the runners. Luckily, I haven’t cut my hair in a really long time, so my cranial fur kept me semi-warm. Jeana and Jamie both seemed to be doing well every time we saw them.
Once we got to the finish line (which we barely arrived at in time to see Jamie come in), we found all the spectators. I was a little heart-broken we weren’t the only ones after all. I recovered though.
Jeana finished strong coming up the hill and she looked great finishing with a personal record for a half-marathon. This was her fourth. Here is the break-down for her results:
Race time: 1:56:20
Distance: 13.1 miles
Pace: 8:52/mile
Overall place: 107 (out of 303)
Class position: 6 (out of 18 females in her age group)
Good job Jeana! Thanks for inspiring me to want to be healthy and exercise!
Quiz: What is the word describing a place one pays to stay overnight while traveling?
If you answered “hotayel” to that question, you have been propagandized with Kate’s Texas accent.