Nick and Amber: Salt Lake City Half Marathon

This was not the best Winter to train for a Spring race. The entire month of Jan and into Feb was single digits and even negative temps. I really wanted a sub 2-hour half, but it was so hard to train. I love to run but I was getting so sick and tired of the cold. March was decent weather and I trained really hard. I started to get excited and was pumping myself up for a great race.

Then this happen

I was at work when my Mom sent me a text: A bomb went off at the Boston Marathon. My heart sank and I felt sick, I had friends and coworkers running. Fortunately everyone I knew was safe. After work Nick and I talked about it a lot, I told him I didn't want him to come, I didn't want him to be at the finish line. Nick told me that we couldn't live our lives in fear and that he would freak out if he was at home and something happened. We were not going to let the actions of evil men rule our lives.

Friday my sister and I rode the train up to SL Nick met us up there after work. We carb-ed it up at the Cheesecake Factory.

We signed the banner at the race expo

We wore blue and yellow ribbons on our racing bibs (the colors of the Boston Marathon). Sat morning they had a moment of silence and then played Sweet Caroline at the starting line. There was a ton a of security, at one of the tracks station we all had to get off and a bomb sniffing dog went through the train before we could get back on. There was more than usual police officers along the race course and there was a police helicopter following us the entire route.

About half a mile into the race it started to rain, and it rained the ENTIRE 13 miles. It was cold, it was freezing, it was pouring rain, it was miserable.

Mile 10 soaking wet and freezing cold and we still managed a smile.

Mile 11 I was hurting, the cold was making my muscles cramp and my shoes and jacket were heavy from being soaking wet but I kept going. WE FINISHED!! do you see all the ginormous puddles?

We look like crap