St George Half Marathon 2012

This year's race was...horrible! I can't really think of any other words to describe it! Sad, I know. After the training and preparation, those are not the words that I wanted to use to describe this race. The kids and I had gotten sick the week we were supposed to leave. I was finally feeling better on Friday, but still had a sore throat. So, we packed up and headed for St. George on Friday night. I woke up Saturday morning, feeling pretty good...until I looked outside. It was downpouring rain! I checked the weather and it was 32 degrees. This was not looking good, but I wasn't going to turn back now. I bundled up, and Bryce drove me down to the start, with the rain coming down in buckets.

As I waited there at the starting line, with the rain pouring down, I decided I didn't want to do this. Ha- a little late to make that decision. I had no other choice but to start running, so that is what I did. The first few miles I realized this was going to be a long race, and it was confirmed to me as we started climbing hills. Sadly, this Vegas girl doesn't really do hills, or rain. We live in a pretty much flat desert, where it very rarely rains. This, along with being sick, was NOT a good combination. By about mile 9, my throat was literally on fire! It was hard to breathe! But, what else could I do? I had to finish the race. So I pushed through, and I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a finish line! Sadly, I just walked past all of the vendors yummy finish line treats and celebrations - and straight to the car. After eating Subway, it was straight to the shower for about 40 minutes to get my body temp back to normal.

We came home Sunday, and I felt awful. Finally by Tuesday I went to the doctor. He thought I had pneumonia, but after chest x-rays, it turned out to be a severe case of bronchitis. It took me weeks to recover, and about a month to start running again. I am still a little winded when I run, but hopefully my lungs don't have any permanant damage!

I have another half marathon coming up in St George again on April 28th. I keep telling myself this one will be better. I am looking forward to running in the heat... even though this course is challenging, I can handle it as long there is no rain:)