My Baby {right} & her friend Lindsay stop for a picture at Mile 3
TCP & the grandbabies bundled up
Here are a few snaps of the runners we cheered for until My Baby and her friend Lindsay ran past. I was amazed at the diversity of runners.
I don't know this girl, but she gets my vote for "Best Dressed in a Tutu"
This "Beer Run" sign was wildly popular with runners.
Oh, wait…. here they come! Here they come!
Coming into view at Mile 3 - all smiles and pure awesomeness
Hi, girls! We're all so proud of you two! Whoo Whoo!
This is where they stopped to have their picture taken (that first photo above). We were at the bell tower on Cesar Chavez near City Hall. It was a perfect vantage point for the early part of the race, and it was just far enough from the start line that they could shed their outer layer of clothing and leave it with us.
Once they were past us, we gathered up the kids, hit the port-o-potties (TCP has a special place in heaven now for taking 2 toddlers into portable toilets on a race course), took a stroll around downtown Austin, and made our way to the First Street bridge, where we saw the girls cross the river at Mile 8 – still smiling.
Matching hot pink shirts & black headbands made them easy to spot.
I snapped of a few quick shots of them coming across the river at Mile 8 before they spotted our son-in-law and his friend Marcus directly across the street from us. They rode their bikes to the race, and pretty much trailed the girls along the course. It turned out to be a perfect way for them to cheer the girls on, but also mule all the gel packs and energy bars they might need along the route.
My Baby stops for a gel break with her hubs {left} & their friend Marcus
It was right after this point that the kids hit the wall. Jonah Bear was tired and Lilly Bug was frozen like a popsicle. Her little hands were like ice. We agreed to meet the kids later for a post-race lunch and we headed home to give the babies a break and let them thaw out. At lunch, the girls celebrated with giant beers and a platter of carbs. They laughed at the looks they got walking into Pluckers in their full running gear and medals, but who cares? They had an awesome time, and met their goal – to finish together in under 3 hours. Their final time as they crossed the finish line side by side was 2:39:37.
Smile, ladies. You're about to win your 13.1 badge of honor.
I’m no expert, but I think that’s pretty awesome for a first half-marathon, and we couldn’t be more proud. As we celebrated over lunch, we asked our daughter if she would ever shoot for the full marathon. She immediately said, “Oh, no way! I can’t even imagine it!” Then I reminded her that she said the same thing about moving up from a 5K to a 10K, and from a 10K to the half-marathon. Her response? “Good point, Mom!”
So it’s settled. 2013 = 26.2. You might as well dream big.
Inside NanaBread's Head 
Awesome and inspiring! Looks great with all those big smiles. I am contemplating a little running – hard to imagine that the girls started with a 5 k and are considering the full marathon!
Well, I’m sure they’re thinking of the full marathon as a total running fantasy right now, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. If they can make the leap from 5Ks for fun to a half-marathon as well as they did, there’s no reason for them to doubt that they could do whatever they set their minds to. I’m so impressed with how well they conquered this race. And they had such a great time doing it!
Damn. Why you gotta make me go get all sappy-eyed this morning? I don’t even know your daughter and I’m all but cheering her all the way through your post!
I look ridiculous.
This is so great…and good for her!! Being in Austin myself I see all those runners and it’s such a sense of pride to be around something like that even though I don’t participate.
Maybe one day. Maybe.
But I doubt it.
But I’m thrilled for her. And for you for cheering her right through the finish line!!
Thanks, Carrie. Sorry about your mascara. :)
Oh YAY! I’m so glad you posted about this. I can’t imagine having a smile plastered on my face for an entire half marathon. I guess that’s why your baby is so darn amazing.
Well, I’m sure there were times when her knee was hurting and that smile waned, but she did a great job of hiding it from us. They were still all smiles and laughing at lunch after the race, so it was a great success. Surprisingly, she said she felt pretty good the next day, as well. A little sore, but none the worse for wear. Can’t say the same for her toes, though. She had some nasty blisters, and I’m pretty sure she’ll lose at least one toenail – which immediately made me think of Kat. Weird, but true. Time to break out that Slick Slate shade from Sally Hansen again!
Thanks everybody!! It was really a lot of fun – VERY hard, but fun! It was really amazing to know we had so many cheerleaders and it definitely helped during the race! I can’t imagine running 26 miles at this point and in all honesty, my current feeling is “why would anyone in their right mind?” but Mom’s right, I thought that about the Half, too!
This post was amazing, thanks Mom! We were so excited to have the kids and parents there to cheer us on and keep us going. It gave us little milestones to look forward to! Having Mike and Marcus on the bikes made a huge impact too! They rode with us for a while, met us all over Austin and really helped add a little more fun to the ride – we kept trying to spot them and figure out where they’d be next!
All in all, it was a great success and I will definitely do it again next year, maybe even 2!
We wouldn’t have missed it for anything, honey. Dad and I are extremely proud of you, and we love you and Mike and the kids with all our hearts. You’re amazing!
Way to go Lindsey!!! Next year nana may run too………
Wait…Nana’s gonna WHAT?
Yay! That is so cool. I love marathons! I mean, watching them. :) I did do two of them, but its been a very long time…and I don’t think I’ll ever do another…
Great photos–looks like it was a FUN crowd!
aloha!
The biggest laughs of the day definitely came from that Beer Run sign. It was popular with men of all ages and lots of college-aged ladies. The biggest joy of the day came from seeing those girls running with smiles on their faces. They really did have a great time.
Lindsay, as part of the Running Pack In The Sky, we are all SO proud of you! I love that you smile when you run – it’s hard work but it’s joyful work!
From one who has leapt from stone to stone, Lindsay is totally going to make this happen.
Just throwing this out there…Houston 2013? January 13th? I would love an excuse to run a winter marathon. I would even love a reason to run a marathon and spend the next few days of recovery stuffing myself silly with BBQ and Tex-Mex delights.
Registration opens on June 6th. Which means I have three months to work on Marcus to get this ball rolling.
Oooo… I may have to pitch this to Lindsey if they host a half-marathon as well. She’ll turn 30 on January 12th next year. Wonder if she’ll want to ring in her big 3-0 with a run? You do know, of course, that it’s not really a “winter” marathon down here, right? You might be lucky if it’s in the mid-50’s in January. That’s nothing compared to your Minnesota artic tundra runs. The Houston marathon may be closer to a beach vacation than a winter event. That said, if you come all the way down here to run it, I’m sure we can rustle up some BBQ and Tex-Mex. It’s the neighborly thing to do!
Oh wow….this is definitely tempting and seems like a fitting goal for my big 3-0…..How do I pass this up?! Give me some time to think about it – for SURE I would do a half- how better to celebrate! (and I might…MIGHT be willing to go for it with a year to train.)
You know why Pinterest sucks? because there was a photo on there that says “If your goals don’t scare you, they’re not big enough” – this comes to mind now.
Ok, so count me in for a half (if there is one) and I’ll get back to you before June 6th about a whole – I still think no one in their right mind should, but who ever said I was in my right mind?!
Holy shikey! Okay, if you do this in any way, shape or form (full or half) – I will be making you a fluffy pink tutu and a tiara that has candles on it and a sash that says “Birthday Girl”. Just so we’re clear.
Tutus and tiaras all around then – again…to be clear, for sure the half– gotta get back to you, but yes, for the record I am actually considering the full now…
As another member of the RunningPackintheSky, I must first say WOO-HOO for Lindsay! Way to go! I am very impressed that you ran with such a huge grin the whole time. As for running a marathon the day after your 30th, well…that would be so awesome. Definitely worthy of a pink tutu & a tiara. That said, if there is a Half, I may be intrigued enough to try it if for no other reason that to run in warmer than arctic temps in January. :)
Wow! You really WILL do anything to get away from the winters up on the Great Lakes! Well, the more the merrier. Grab your tutu and c’mon.
Ok ladies, for the record there IS a Half Marathon on January 13, 2013 and registration opens on May 8th!
http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com/HalfMarathon/index.cfm
WOO HOOOOOO!!!!! What an exciting accomplishment! Like the rest of the RunningPackInTheSky, I’m so excited for Lindsay – what a day it must have been!
I’m going to throw this out there as well – Disney does the Princess Half (World) and Tinkerbell Half (Land). One of my bffs talked me into the Princess Half, but we are considering switching to Tink, as Disneyland is closer to us west coasters. Someone mentioned tutus. Basically costumes and tiaras are a requirement for running in a Disney marathon/half marathon.
It would a wonderful opportunity to the RPITS to meet up, shop like fiends, and eat glorious food.
Just a thought.
Especially the eating part.
Congrats, Lindsay – I hope you got that 13.1 sticker to put on the car! :)
I’m intrigued by ANY excuse to go to Disney World. Love that place! And Lindsey does have a love of all things Tinkerbell. Either race in either place sounds like it would be a blast. I’d happily serve as official photographer, snack distributor & tossed clothing holder since I am the token non-runner in the Running Pack In The Sky entourage. Everyone needs ground support.
How awesome and congrats to your daughter and her friend. When I was a bit younger (ahem) and living in Philly…I used to run 10k’s all the time. But on my first 10K….I was so slow….that a woman who was 7 months pregnant finished before me! (That’s not fair….I think the baby kicking her was propelling her forward! LOL) Anyway….it is a HUGE accomplishment and one that your family should feel so proud of. I bet she goes for the full marathon one day! Loved your pics, especially the beer run and that gal in the tutu! What a fun and healthy day! : )
Thanks, Anne. We’re very proud of her. I laughed out loud about being outrun by a pregnant woman. She had an unfair advantage, carrying 4 feet and all. :) It was a great weekend, and an accomplishment I’m sure she’ll never forget.