Do 2 halves make a whole?

Yes, in normal circumstances, 2 halves make a whole. But, I have now run 2 half-marathons and I can say that they do not make a full marathon! (and I don't know if they ever will!) My most recent race took place in Clarksville, TN, this past Saturday. My best friend, Lindsy, and her running partner, Courtney joined me on this race. My goal for this race was to finish in less than two hours. I truly thought I could do it, given that the temperature was nearly perfect and I didn't think that the course would be too hilly. Weeelllllllll, the course was pretty much ALL hills! (refer to a previous blog posting during my triathlon training to get a true sense of how I feel about hills: I HATE THEM) AND the weather was beautiful, but it was oh-so-windy. We had a headwind for at least 75% of the race...can we say wind chapped??? Needless to say, conditions weren't perfect for me to make my goal of less than 2 hours. BUT, I shaved nearly 5 minutes off my first half marathon time so I guess this is good! The thing is, I couldn't have pushed any harder. Thank you Linds for running with me and for pushing me hard to the end. I know we didn't make our goal, but there is always next year! Speed work, here I come! Unfortunately, poor Courtney became sick early in the race. She is such a champ, though, and FINISHED the race, and finished it in an awesome time of 2:25!
Mine and Lindsy's time: 2:05:26

Also, we ran with some new running buds of mine from Benton: Ann and Cheryl. They are two hilarious running sisters, and ran with Linds and I the entire race. It was lots of fun!

Here are some pics (the ones from the event say "Proof" all over them!):

The Start of the Race

Trying to be Charlie's Angels while Running

Finally Finished!

Lindsy, Kennedy (future runner), and me

YAY Courtney made it! She looks great but felt bad.

Best Friends, cleaned up and ready for a fun night out and a pitcher of margaritas! YUM!