1/2 Marathon & 4-Mile Walk for Hudson

 

Well, it was a busy Saturday morning for us this weekend.  I (Mike) ran a 1/2 marathon (1st ever!) and Malynda & Conner did the 4-Mile walk.  Ever since Hudson came into our lives we have committed to living life more active and one of the things in particular we've committed to is participation in organized runs.  This was truly the first big event as such we've done as a family.  It was a very special event and we all enjoyed it.

 

Things started out a bit chilli - you may not be able to tell from the picture, but it was a biting 38 degrees when the race started.  For some reason, 38 degrees in the south seems much colder than 38 degrees in WA... either that or we're just getting soft ;)  The 1/2 marathon kicked off at 8 am and the 4-mile walked kicked off 20 minutes later.  The route was no joke, and Malynda pushed Conner in the BOB the whole 4 miles... so it wasn't much of a workout for Conner, but he had fun ;)

As you can see - he was fighting to stay warm and covered himself in all his warm blankets!

 Here I am crossing the finish line after a grueling last mile.  They saved the nice, mile-long hill for the end... It took everything in me to put one foot in front of the other and finish out that last mile to the finish line.  But, as evidenced in the photo, I did finish!  And in just 1:31:59!!  OK, not really- that clock is not the right time... there was another clock to the right of the one shown in the photo.  My actual time was 1:48:13 - which is still better than my personal goal of finishing in under 2 hours.

 

 It was a gorgeous day and we took advantage of Conner's willingness to pose for some nice photos.  While we miss Hudson and wish he was able to be in the photo with us, we continue to remember and honor his memory.  Participating in this weekend's run is just one way we remember him and will continue to remember him with more such events in the future.  Here is the route map for the 1/2 marathon (of course it might not mean much if you aren't familiar with Columbus, SC).  It was an interesting route that began at the State Capitol building and meandered through both the ghetto and a very ritzy neighborhood. 

 

I was even able to twist a few arms and convince some of my students to participate as well.  They were good sports about it and also seemed to enjoy the run.  They did have a bit of an incentive - no PT (physical training) for a whole week for participating in the run!  Check out all these young running stud lieutenants!

It was enjoyable, interesting, and our legs are sore today ;)  We'll take a few days to rest up and get back at it, training for whenever the next one is!