My alarm went off bright and early at 5:30 am. I got up after only one snooze. Today was an important day.
Race day!
I fueled for the half marathon with an English Muffin with peanut butter and a banana.
Stretching out and waiting to head to the starting line.
Becky’s group and our group agreed to meet at the 9 minute pace sign. Jared, Becky, Adam, Danny, Auntie Carol, Uncle Jon, my aunt and uncle’s friend Dan, and I counted down the final minutes til the starting gun fired.
Crowded at the starting line!
Mile 1: Becky and I planned to run the race together. Several training runs had proved that we run at a similar pace and would be able to keep each other company. We wove our way through the crowd. She wore plaid lululemon shorts so she was easy to keep track of.
Mile 2: Still crowded, still going strong. Becky and I were in front of our little pack of runners.
Mile 3: Becky and I ran by my parents. Smiles! Photos!
Mile 4: Danny and Adam moved ahead and passed Becky and me. It was ok. We let the boys run at their pace and stayed around an 8:30 pace that was comfortable for us.
Mile 5: Becky and I ran by her cheering section: my Auntie Pam, Uncle Gregg, cousin Jonathan, Becky’s friend Lolly, and Becky’s Grammy.
Mile 6: Halfway through the sixth mile, there was a water stop. Once I got a sip of water, I broke into my pack of sports beans. I wanted to make sure I had energy to keep my pace up and finish strong.
Mile 7: Running, running, running 
And some occasional conversation cuz Team Cousins likes to talk.
Mile 8: The course featured a weird double back so Becky and I, still staying strong together as Team Cousins, ran back by her cheering section.
Mile 9: My parents waved and took pictures as we passed them for the 2nd time. I asked my mom to keep an eye out for Jared. He was running alone so I wanted to make sure he was having a good race.
Mile 10: Becky and I were feeling brave and decided to break out our cameras for an action shot.
Look at my splashes from the last water stop. It’s tough to drink on the run.
Up until this point, I had been carrying a scrap of paper with the splits necessary to complete a 2 hour marathon. I knew were on track to finish so I put the paper away.
Mile 11: Becky and I caught up with Adam and he told Beck to just “go!”
Mile 12: With less than a 5K race to go, we still maintained that a steady under 9-minute-mile pace.
Mile 13: The final push! We passed my cousin Jenna sitting on the curb. I had to yell to her because she didn’t even notice we were going by.
Mile 13.1: As the Finish Line came into view, I told Becky to push hard and go go go! People were yelling and cheering! We both sprinted across the finish line!
Team Cousins! (Proof that racing with family is great)
I was SO happy that I met my goal. I finished my 2nd Half Marathon in less than 2 hours. I thought my time was around 1:53ish, but after checking the official race results, I clocked in at 1:54:31 
Danny has crossed the finish line 1 minute before Becky and I did. Adam finished a few minutes after. My Auntie Carol and Uncle Jon crossed at 2:02 and Jared made it in at 2:04.
Struggles! Poor Jared needed a drink and a meal.
Pizza to help the runners refuel. Yup, I had a slice in the name of Race Recovery. 
Family love: Becky, me, Adam, Auntie Carol and Uncle Jon. We were just a little bit sweaty.
And of course Jared was happy to head over to the Harpoon area to get our free beer.
Jared passed out while icing his knees. And proudly sporting his Half Marathon medal.
Running and sweating buckets made me so hungry. I had a turkey sandwich for Lunch #1.
I ate leftover lasagna for Lunch #2.
*Thank you to everyone for wishing me good luck as this race approached. Thank you to all of the friends and family members who came out to cheer. And of course, a HUGE thank you to Becky. She set the pace the entire 13.1 and I couldn’t have done it without her*
COMMENTS
26 Comments
1. Abby
May 2nd, 2010 02:34 PM
Awesome job Melissa!!!! You are a little speed demon!
2. Lauren @ Eater not a runner
May 2nd, 2010 02:57 PM
Awesome!! Congrats again
3. chocolatepickle
May 2nd, 2010 04:08 PM
Congrats! I’m so happy for you!! Looks like you had an amazing race:)
4. Jessica @ How Sweet
May 2nd, 2010 04:21 PM
Congrats! Great job, girl!
5. Katie @ Health for the Whole Self
May 2nd, 2010 04:22 PM
Congratulations on an amazing run!!! Very inspiring!
6. pen (pen at peace)
May 2nd, 2010 04:27 PM
Congrats on a great race!
7. Gabriela @ Fro-Yo Lover
May 2nd, 2010 04:35 PM
Wow – congratulations on the amazing race, Melissa!
Great job!
Lovely pics
Have a wonderful night, girl.
Brazilian XOXO´s,
Gabriela
8. Lisa (I'm an Okie)
May 2nd, 2010 04:38 PM
Congrats! Awesome pics–looks like you had fun!
9. Emily
May 2nd, 2010 05:04 PM
Congratulations on a great race!!
Woo hoo for meeting your goal.
Hope you’re getting yummy food, water and rest!!
10. Shannon
May 2nd, 2010 06:23 PM
Congratulations! Great time! So glad you got to enjoy it with family and friends too
11. Kelly
May 2nd, 2010 06:48 PM
Aww what a great race recap! I’m glad you both finished with such an awesome time and even had fun while doing it!
12. BostonRunner
May 2nd, 2010 06:53 PM
Congratulations on the great race!!
13. ashleigh
May 2nd, 2010 07:00 PM
Wow you rocked that half marathon!! Congrats! You must feel amazing!
14. Jenna
May 2nd, 2010 07:31 PM
Running scares the hell outta me. YOU ROCK!!!!
15. Healthy life|become health and happy – 401lb weight loss – Chris and David on ABC’s 20/20
May 3rd, 2010 12:47 AM
[...] Crunches for Cupcakes » Shape Up RI Half Marathon [...]
16. Helen
May 3rd, 2010 02:26 AM
Congrats! What a great pace and a great achievement.
17. MelissaNibbles
May 3rd, 2010 03:16 AM
Congratulations! So impressive. You are such a positive influence girl!
18. Naomi(onefitfoodie)
May 3rd, 2010 03:38 AM
CONGRATS! GIRL!!! thats so amazing!! better off to stay in RI where the water is good to drink! LOL
19. Julie
May 3rd, 2010 05:16 AM
Rock on sister friend. You guys did so awesome, you might have inspired me to run a half…maybe.
Tell Jared congrats!
20. Daisy
May 3rd, 2010 08:31 AM
congrats!! awesome time. love the free beer
21. Kim
May 3rd, 2010 10:22 AM
You are the best. Great race, great day, great weekend. Can’t wait til Disney. SO PROUD OF YOU!!!
22. Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly
May 3rd, 2010 12:08 PM
YAY!!! CONGRATS TO THE BOTH OF YOU!
23. Ashley
May 3rd, 2010 01:04 PM
Wow, I love that the race was a family affair for you guys! You look so cute in your outfit and I am so jealous of Becky’s shorts. Great job!
24. Tina
May 3rd, 2010 02:07 PM
This was such a cool race recap. I love the play by play mile by mile. How awesome to beat your goal by more than 5 minutes!
25. Jillian (back to the nest)
May 5th, 2010 08:01 AM
Wow, what a fantastic finishing time! Congrats! I ran this one too, and finish about a minute after your aunt and uncle. Sweet photos too!
Congrats!
26. Crunches for Cupcakes » Harpoon 5 Miler
June 5th, 2010 08:58 PM
[...] because I wasn’t running this race for time. I didn’t run with Jared during the Shape Up RI Half Marathon so I promised to stay with him during this [...]