Virtual Wine & Dine

Last weekend, our half marathon plans got cut short thanks to some severe weather.  There has been a lot of discussion/debate about the way runDisney handled the situation.  While I feel like there could have been a more organized way of evacuating (and then sending runners back out) and communicating, I feel like runDisney did what they could to ensure the safety of 15,000 people.  That's no small feat!

After the shortened race, we were handed our medals.  Hubby and I both took them, but I didn't feel like I earned it.  I ran the course that was set before me, but did not finish 13.1 miles as it says on the medal.  Therefore, I did not wear it.  I have no problem with other people who chose to wear it, or the "I Did It" shirts.  I just personally didn't feel comfortable with it.  Perhaps being my first race since being swept had something to do with it.  I wanted to feel like I completed the entire race.  I wanted to earn that medal.  That being said, given the heat, late time of night, and pounding headache that I had had that day, I wasn't all that disappointed in the shortened course.

Fast forward a week and we are back at home.  I needed to modify my training plan since W&D was supposed to be my long run.  I decided to do 12 miles this weekend.  As I stood in my kitchen watching the blustery wind whip the trees and unraked leaves around my yard, I thought about how badly I wanted to finish the marathon in January.  I could have stayed warm inside the house, but knew that wasn't going to get me to my goal.  So, I bundled up and headed out.

Freakin' snowflakes.  Last week, we were running under a heat advisory and this weekend I was running in freakin' snowflakes.  My run was pretty uneventful and I was feeling pretty good when I got to mile 10.  I started to think...  If I'm running 12, that's pretty close to a half.  Then the thought hit me:  Virtual Wine & Dine!  So, I hit my 12 mile mark and kept on going.  I ran 13.1.  While unofficial, I finished my first half marathon since getting injured 13 months ago.

54 days until my journey comes full circle.