I didn't have to wake up super early for this race since it started in my town! When I arrived it was pretty cold out there (high 40's with 10 mph winds). I had been debating on my outfit for days. I knew I was going to wear compression socks, a running skirt, and a tank (that I had made especially for this race). But with the cold I was debating on wearing a long sleeve shirt under the tank. I also had a throw away jacket and throw away gloves that I could shed when I got hot. Well....race morning my hubby talked me into wearing the long sleeve shirt under the tank. It was great before the race started...but I got sooo hot during the race! So this is a note to myself to trust my gut and don't overdress lol!
Several of my Sole2Soul Sisters were running this race. So we had a pre-race picture of course!
Then I quickly got in line for the porta potty because my coffee was going straight through me lol! Luckily I saw Jenny after my potty break! We headed to the start line with Kirstin and Jim! We had to take a few start line pictures of course!
Finally it was almost go time! Since this race was to honor veterans there were people running with flags. And members of the military had red race bibs on so it was easy to identify them and tell them thanks for their service.
After singing the National Anthem...we were off! We were starting on the Eastern Shore and running to the Battleship in Mobile! Most of the run would be on the causeway. We would run over three bridges. And the scenery was going to be gorgeous!
Jenny and I didn't line up correctly at the start so we had to do a lot of weaving and passing people the first mile. But once we got with runners running our same pace we were able to get in our groove. The day was absolutely beautiful! Running by the bay was sooo pretty!
Around mile 2 the gloves had to go! I was starting to get hot! I carried them in my hand for awhile but then ended up throwing them.
We came up on one of the bridges and who did I see standing there taking pictures? My awesome photographer friend Tim!!! He got some great shots of me and Jenny as we ran by! I'm always thankful for his pictures!!!
I was feeling great the entire time! I was having a great run and was so thankful for that! The only thing I would have changed was I wouldn't have worn that long sleeve shirt lol! It didn't take long for me to roll the sleeves up as best as I could!
We passed so many runners that were wearing red bibs! We thanked them all for their service! I kept getting chills and tears running with all these veterans! As one brave soldier that was running with a leg brace told us, "You just gotta do it." TEARS!!!! I am sooo thankful to be an American!!!
The view was just incredible! It was soooo pretty running on the causeway! I've run it before but it was dark and scary. In the daylight it was gorgeous and so much more enjoyable!
Before long we were at mile 6...with only about 1.5 to go! We could see the Battleship in front of us! We just had to run over one more bridge, turn into Battleship Park, and run to the finish line!
Jenny decided to turn on some music. The first song that played was the song that got us through the last 3 miles of our last half marathon (you know...the one we PRed at)...."No Longer Slaves!" We couldn't believe it! We started praising while we were running! It was just the push we needed! Before long we made the left turn into Battleship Park! We had half a mile to go! There was a final water stop...and second grade children were handing out mini American flags to all the runners to run to the finish line with! I almost lost it! So amazing!!!
That gave me the sprint I needed for that last half mile to the finish line!
Thanks to Jenny's husband Eric for this picture of me running to the finish line! I love that you can see the Battleship in the background!
I finished with an official time of 1:02:35 and came in 3rd in my age group!!!!
I was given my medal by a soldier in uniform! So special! Then I got water from my friend Donna's husband Gary! So glad he volunteered to help with the race!
I absolutely LOVE running with my Jenny!!!! We always have so much fun together!!!
I'm so glad Kirstin and Jim ran this race too! Now...if only my hubby would take up running so I wouldn't be the only one without a spouse in race pictures lol!
Thankful for my Sole2Soul Sisters as well! They all seemed to have a great and fun race too!
I also had a blast seeing my fellow Gulf Coast blogger friend Larisa! It's been so long since I've seen her! She chose to rock the mic instead of run and she did an amazing job!!!
Jenny and I started to get chilly so we headed to the Community Coffee trolley. They were handing out three flavors...Dark Roast, Decaff, and Pumpkin Praline!
Can you say FREE COFFEE!!! Heck yes!!! We were a tad bit excited!!!
You could also write a note to soldiers overseas and Community Coffee would send them some free coffee as well! Jenny and I were amazed that we wrote almost the exact same thing on our cards!!! #Twinsies
Since we were at Battleship Park we decided to take a few pictures with the Battleship!
Look at my race swag! An awesome finisher shirt, amazing finisher medal, and I got the bag as my age group award!!! Wow!!!
This race was AMAZING!!!! I will definitely run it next year!!!! The best part was running with and for veterans!!! God Bless the USA!!!!
QOTD: Have you ever run a race for veterans?
Disclosure: I was given a comped race entry in exchange for race promotion. No other compensation was given. All opinions in the post are mine and mine alone.
