Windermere Half Marathon

I survived my first half marathon...and dare I even say it....it was fun. Maybe not the last mile or 2 but in general it was something I would definitely be up for again.

13.1 miles (about 21km) and I did NOT have to be scraped up off the ground after I crossed the finish line.  That was a win in itself.

Matt snapped some pics as I finished. I'll have to remember to look up and smile next time.




So the race started at 7:00am at Mirabeau Park.  The weather was just beautiful and so I decided to chance it and run in short sleeves and a running skirt.  It turned out to be a good decision as it warmed up to about 70' by the end of the race.
There was lots of friendly chatter along the way as I bumped into people I knew. And the course was just beautiful.  Most of the way we were running along the Centennial trail right next to the Spokane River.  It was just breathtaking watching the scenery go by. At about mile 8 there was a long uphill but nothing monstrous.  It was a little undulating but generally pretty flat.  A nice course to run...I would definitely recommend it.



  Total race time was 2:10:43.  I didn't have any real expectations about my time so I was happy with that.  My goal is to eventually run a half under 2 hours.  So at least I have something to work on for next time.



As far as organization goes this race was great. Plenty of water and aid stations ..I think there was one every 2 miles or so.  They offered water, Heed, gummy bears and Hammer Gels which was nice.  And as always the volunteers were awesome and there were plenty of them pointing everyone in the right direction.  Good job guys.



Finally I made it to Riverfront Park and I could smell that finish line. The last 3 miles were a little tough but I made it. I got my pretty little medal and a nice long sleeved shirt. Good swag :-)

The organizers had a great little festival set up for all the finishers. Food, drinks, icecream and some bands playing. If I didn't have to take off to get to Jack's last soccer game I would have definitely hung out there for a while.

I am already planning to add this race to my calendar next year...highly recommended.