Rose Bowl Half Marathon 2007

I ran my first 13.1-mile race yesterday at the Rose Bowl Half-Marathon.

The race started and ended in front of the stadium, going through the neighborhoods and some famous Pasadena landmarks like the Colorado Bridge, the Arroyo Seco, Devil’s Gate Dam, JPL, and the new Flintwash Bridge. We were a bit nervous when the forecast called for some rain, but it turned out to be a very pleasant sunny morning!

I ran the race, once more with Marvin and 10 or so of his friends from the Pasadena Triathlon Club. Unlike my previous races, I actually felt pretty good the whole time. By mile 10, I was starting to tire a bit, especially since most of the miles 7-10 were all steady uphill trails (through some mud and dirt too). But I remembered that AOW would be manning the aide station at the mile 12 marker and that gave me more hope to continue strong.

A few miles later, I turned the corner going downhill and heard my name being cheered on by voices I can recognize. =) They all offered me a cup of water, and when I could only take one, they proceeded to send a water shower after me. Oh I can feel the love now!! =P I pressed on even harder with some newfound (and cold!) encouragement and crossed the finish line with the time of 1:48:26.5. I couldn't believe it, since I originally thought I would go past the 2-hour marker. Woohoo! Praise GOD!!

All in all, it's been a great adventure, and I have to give the props to Marvin for helping me to take up running during our discipleship and training me during this past year. Of course, also a big thanks to AOW for participating and supporting us in the race. You guys made me go faster.

Guess the next question is this: will I do another half-marathon in the future? Maybe even a full one?? Hehe...maybe. =) We'll have to see...