Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Half-Marathon - Post-Run

When Jenessa and I crossed the finish line, we knew were going to do the Jessica Ennis pose (see below). It was even better that Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" was playing and the people on the sidelines (including my parents and Cameron) were cheering like crazy. Jenessa and I were practically in tears. Finishing that race was an accomplishment we had been talking about for a long time, and amazingly enough we had done it. 

The race itself was actually so much fun. Maria had left us after mile one, since she was much better conditioned than Jenessa and I and had a chance for a great finish time. Being that it was a "Rock 'n' Roll" race, there were bands playing at every mile, not to mention high school pep bands and cheerleaders spread out along the way. These distractions and the random Gatorade stations were a major help. Without question though, having Jenessa by my side is the reason I made it through the race. She persevered through an injury to finish, never complaining even though she literally went down at mile ten in excruciating pain. Like I mentioned in my last post, people called us Double Mint twins along the way and others pointed saying audibly, "Oh my gosh, they're twins!" Yes, my sister, who is ten years my junior, and I were twins for a day. Couldn't ask for a better person to be my other half. 

Seth drew this picture of Jenessa and I crossing the finish line. I just recently hung up a copy of it in my classroom to (cue the cheesy music) remind me of what's possible when you have a goal and put in the work to make a dream a reality.  

The live-action photo that Seth's drawing comes from.

Our Jessica Ennis picture - you can tell we didn't buy the picture because the proof is a little bit scary, but it makes us oh, so happy.

Ice, Jamba, Gatorade, Sweat, and Tears

We found Maria and naturally had to take more pictures. I am so glad that Maria flew in from LA to run this race with us. Seems fitting to run with two of the most important people in my life. 

Not the most glamourous picture, but our mom looks great. 

I love the design of our finishers' medals. Very retro (if the 80s can be retro).

Our driver, artist, photographer, and moral support - not to mention distracting humorist. Seth's teasing about my pain after the race kept me laughing so much that I didn't focus on the fact that it got harder to move with each progressive minute. Oh the joys of running 13.1 miles. 

This is the Instagram that Jenessa posted after our event. I look at it all the time, in awe of the fact that we set a goal and actually accomplished it. Running has changed my outlook on so many things, myself included. It sounds a bit cliche to say that a single morning in October changed my life, but that morning and process of getting there really did. 

I took most of December and all of January off from running because of illness, cold (hello thirty degree temperatures in California, what is going on?!), and work chaos, and I have missed it so much. Starting next Tuesday, I'll be back. See you on the trail, and as always, happy running!