Runnin Maniacs

Well, I didn't plan to have time to write this post until after work today. And then I got ready, headed to work, had to pull over on the side of the road due to snow and sliding. And got hit. Twice. By two different cars. So, I am at home, happily working on plenty of work things. And here's a little update about the weekend.

Last weekend was the event we had been training for for months: the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon. While it was the third time for E, Dad, and I to run it (and the second time to raise money for the hospital) it was Mom's first go at it. Each year, it becomes a bigger deal for our family. This year we spent a little longer in Memphis than in years past. We also had more team members and raised more money than ever before. Here, our journey in pictures:

In the Suburban, taking the lovely journey toward Memphis. Yes, my mom is on Facebook. We also watched "Friends with Benefits." I do not recommend watching this, let alone with your parents. It's pretty vile for the first hour. You've been warned.

Once we got checked in, our first stop was the expo. We got our race numbers, turned in the last of our fundraising money, and did a little shopping. This photo is from the Heroes area (the fundraising runners). How can you see that sweet face and not want to raise money? Impossible, I say.

Some of the St. Jude staff from the expo. They were excited to be photographed. They were also super nice.

One of E's purchases. I can't really say no to shopping when it benefits the kids. Who am I kidding--I rarely say no to shopping:)

Doing a little pre-dinner running strategy discussion. Dad, E, and Ken are seriously strategizing (or something)

I did a little hydrating. With wine. Then I drank water for the rest of the night. Promise!

My ticket to the Heroes pasta party. The best, most inspiring, emotionally exhausting dinner I attend each year.

The Mizzou Maniacs in full force. We're only missing E. We managed to meet our team goal of $4,000. I also met my goal of $600. Woo hoo. All for the kids! The dinner included speeches from the president of the fundraising portion of St. Jude, Hal Higdon (one of racing's biggest coaching names), and a family whose son is currently in treatment at St. Jude. What an amazing night. This was promptly followed by sleep. Or it would have been. But it took hours to get sheets for our pull out. So, basically, sleep followed as promptly as we got our sheets. 

Up and at em early! Hubs shows off his excitement for the run. And his new shirt:).

Here I am at the start of the race. Perfect weather!! It started at about 45 degrees. I'm excited. And a little nervous.

I would love to show you pictures of me running. Unfortunately, I was busy running. You can check the website and put my name in if you really want to see me in action. Instead, here we are at the finish. We had our fastest race time ever: 1:52:00, beating last year's time by 8 1/2 minutes. Yes, E ran with me the whole time. He's awesome like that.

Mom and Dad finished together as well. Nice job, you two!! They finished faster than expected and were still madly in love at the end. I'd call it a win.

Naturally, the first thing you want to do when you finish a run is replenish and rehydrate. Two-in-one with a nice glass of Coors Light. But really, the metabolism is going so fast at that point, it's mostly just a big glass of carbs. 

I don't even like beer. But seriously, friends, the carbs. I tell you. The Carbs.  In total before we left the arena I had a banana, a piece of pizza, a cup of soup, a gogurt, beer, a chocolate milk, and a water. And then we went to eat lunch:).

I saw these two ladies and their tutus and had to take a picture. My challenge to my mom was to wear a similar costume next year. She promises to comply.

Once we got cleaned up, we headed to our favorite celebration spot: Rendezvous. If you have not been to BBQ at Rendezvous, you need to go. No really. Go now. And ask for Robert Jr.'s section. He's awesome. And he's Justin Timberlake's favorite so how could you go wrong? He promised me I was just as good as Justin Timberlake. I thanked him for his honesty.

Mom and I celebrated her first half marathon with a miniature bottle of champagne. Because there is no better place to drink champagne than a BBQ spot with checkered table cloth.

A half slab of ribs. Dry rub. So. Very. Tasty. MMmmmmmmm. I dream about them all year and get them every December!!

When we finished, we ran around and looked at the sights in Memphis. Like the Christmas tree at the Peabody Hotel. 

And the Peabody ducks. If you haven't heard about the Peabody ducks, you can read about them here.

Famous Beale Street. We run down it but don't have time to see much. So we took a closer look.

Here's the Hard Rock.

And some Hard Rockin' Men. Or Hard Running ones.

When it was all over, we took the first train back home. And by train I mean Suburban. It's such a hard weekend emotionally. I high fived lots of kids. And cried at the pictures of those we're fighting for. And those we're fighting in memory of, whose fight is over. I met amazing people and heard the stories of kids wise and brave beyond their years. I can't wait to do it again next year. Next year's personal goal: $750. All of it for an amazing organization.