Seattle Rock & Roll Half-Marathon

This blog is full of Owen's "firsts" - but this posting is celebrating a first for us! The last weekend in June, we completed our first half-marathon! In January, three of Linnea's colleagues/friends signed up for the Seattle Rock & Roll Marathon/Half-Marathon and encouraged us to join also. I (Linnea) am not a runner. I enjoy jogging for exercise - but not the jogging itself, mostly just the feeling after I've completed the run! And the longest I've ever run is probably 5 miles. So taking on 13.1 miles was quite a commitment, and I (we) decided that it would be a great goal to work toward together, and a lot of fun to do it with a group of friends. So...starting in February, I began training. I ran twice a week for about 3-4 miles, and each weekend I did a longer run, going "up" one mile each week....4, 5, 6, 7, 8.... Brian on the other hand is a runner (thanks to his many years as a competitive soccer player!), and didn't actually begin the training until after he finished his April 15th tax deadline. He started by joining me on my 8 mile long run, and had no problem...even pushing Owen in the stroller the whole way! Brian & I stuck together at the event (although he probably could have gone a bit faster, and I appreciate him hanging with me!) and we completed the event - without walking (which was a goal!) - in 2hrs 13min. We had a blast! I think Brian actually enjoyed it enough that he's already considering doing it again next year. Me?...I sure had fun, and I'm really glad for the accomplishment...but I'm not signing myself up for another one yet :)