Ladies and Gentlemen: Start your engines!

This morning was the Talladega Half Marathon. It was my second half to run, and was dramatically different from Chief Ladiga. First, it was a the Talladega Racetrack, which is awesome. I had never been before today. Second, there were alot more people. Around 800. The weather was gorgeous, and despite a beer and a glass of wine the night before at the Kid One Gala, I was raring to go. This time, i came prepared with my camera during the race, however that meant I had to sport an awesome fanny pack! See below:

please notice the guy in the middle. He had on a purple wig, and a speedo. Classic.

Thats right. How cool am i? My Miller light racing tank is a thrift store find, and so was the pack. The camo hat was just too heavy to wear for 13.1. This is Fergus and I moments before the big start. I would later find out that Ferg had to go to the hospital because of severe dehydration. He's totally ok now, but note to self, dont drink a pot of coffee, and then eat caffeinated running goo before a race...He did finish in an impressive 1hr 47mins time, while i was chugging across the finish at 2:31 (185 out of 270 overall, and 21 out of I have no clue, prob 21, in my age group) 

Anyways, so, after a short while of warming up on the track, we were off!

At the bottom of Turn 1, mile 1

This is at about mile 2.5ish, we, are now opposite the starting line, and running above the track.

and then we ran out on the grounds for about 5 miles. This was the best part of the race for me. I felt good, it wasnt too hot yet, and it was cool scenery. All the grass is pretty well manicured for the race coming up in two weeks.

Mile 6.5, heading back into the stadium

Im in the grandstands at this point, working on mile 7, and I dont think you can see it, but the winner is about to cross the finish line....My 11 min pace was fine with me!

Somehow at mile 11, i managed to muster the strength to take another picture. This is where the race got brutal. 2 miles left, and there was hardly anything left in me. My legs, ankles, calves, and back were all hurting. Between mile 12-13, I managed to run through the pain, pick up the pace and finish strong. Mainly because I wanted to beat a few older people in front of me. Whatever motivates u, right?

I dont have any after pictures bc fergus was gone, i was exhausted, and they wouldnt have been super pretty anyways. I was with Fergus' brother in law and his kids while his sister went to the hospital with him. We stayed around for a while, ate bbq in the pit area, and then headed back to the ham.

Today's playlist: I tried to make it mostly country, but there is still some randomness

1. Cowboy Cassanova- carrie underwood

2. 22- Lily Allen

3. Precious Love- James Morrison

4. The only night- James Morrison

5. Bad Romance- Gaga (my powersong)

6. American Honey- Lady Antebellum

7. Outside my Window- Sarah Buxton

8. Alcohol- Brad Paisley

9. Havent met you yet- michael bubble

10. Different Kind of Fine- Zac Brown Band

11. Sick em on a chicken- Zac Brown Band

12. Highway 20 Ride- Zac Brown Band

13. Heads Carolina, Tails California- Jo Dee Messina

14. I can still make Cheyenne- George Straight

15. Amarillo by Morning- George Straight

16. Love's Looking Good on you- Lady Antebellum

17. Home is where the heart is- Lady Antebellum

I didnt have enough songs, but by mile 9.5, i took it off for a while and chatted with some people around me while i ran. It went back on at mile 11 to get me through to the end. I dont know what my next race will be. I'm thinking a little 5k will suite me for now...bedtime.