Disclaimer: I have a complete running high right now so this post might seem a little scattered.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the epic race this morning! Today was the Rock Tahoe Half Marathon and it could not have been a more amazing race. It was such a great morning, there were wonderful people, and the race organizers totally nailed it! Unless something horrible prevents me from doing it next year, I will definitely be back. I am hooked on this race!

I was a little timid going into this morning’s race, since I just raced 10.3 miles last weekend in the Lake Tahoe Relay. I hadn’t completely recovered and a few toenails look like I painted them purple, but no. They’re just days away from falling off. Last weekend, I left it all on the pavement, so I wasn’t sure what my body would be up to this morning.

I run half marathons because I am only half as crazy – favorite spectator sign of the day

The race started at 8:00 am sharp (and I mean sharp, great job organizers!) at the top of Spooner summit. From there, the race followed Highway 50 into South Lake Tahoe and ended at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The first 3 miles are all downhill and my pace averaged about 9:00 min/mile. I was a little worried about my toenails and a blister I am nursing about the size of a half dollar on the bottom of my foot. Luckily, neither bothered me since the downhill was in the beginning of the race. After the first three miles, the course is rolling hills and flat, and the view doesn’t suck either. The entire time you have the amazing backdrop of Lake Tahoe to stare at. If that isn’t motivating, I don’t know what is.

The 10 miles of rolling hills and flat went really well for me. I think that I had a slight advantage being a local and training at the high elevation. I noticed a lot of people walking the hills, but I was able to keep my stride and power up them. With about three miles left in the race, the course takes a detour from the road and winds through some beautiful trails and meadows I have never explored. It was wonderful to be in the shade of the trees and take a break from the busy road.

It was at this point that I realized I was feeling pretty good and was almost done. Whaaaat?! I picked it up a bit and was able to finish really strong. I even raced another girl to the finish line which is something I totally thrive on from my old cross country days. You can take the girl out of the competition, but you can’t take the competition out of the girl. It’s something that will always stick with me. I ended up finishing in 2:02:20, which equates to a 9:21 min/mile — 4 seconds faster than my race last weekend! Overall, I was 312th out of 1,601 runners, 160th female out of 1,182, and 35th out of 186 in the 30-34 age group. I’ll take it and can’t wait to come back next year and beat my time!

Having only been running again consistently for the last 4 1/2 months, I am super proud of my progress. What’s next?! Well, right now I plan on enjoying a delicious frosty beverage and taking a nap. In two weeks, there is the 4th of July Tahoe Firecracker Trail Trek 5K, which I will begin to focus on next week. I’ll be incorporating more speed work and getting ready for a race that is a completely different animal from distance. Should be fun! What is on your schedule this summer for races?