Country Music Half Marathon

Saturday was the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon. Andy and I ran the half marathon this year. This was Andy's fifth time to do the race and my fourth. We did the full marathon once in 2003. We begin training in January for this day. There is a lot of preparation, excitement, and anticipation for race day. The Country Music race is really great with lots of bands, crowd support, cheerleaders and food. This year it was hot and sunny on the course. I had a fun time running the race this year and managed to survive the hills and heat to have my personal best time in a half marathon (2 hours and 6 minutes). I am a slow and steady runner:)

If you have ever considered walking or running the half marathon, you should definitely do it. Here are some reasons why I love it and especially the Country Music race in Nashville:

• The crowd and runners provide so much "entertainment" and encouragement on the course.
• I love seeing all the other runners when we loop around on Belmont Blvd. Yesterday, I was so happy to see Andy, my brother, Chad, Laura Beth, Cayce, and Natalie.
• The signs that people make on the course are great. Some of my faves are "Don't look back like Lot's Wife" (in front of a church on West End) and "Obama Checks at the Finish."
• Seeing people I know and even those I don't know on the sidelines clapping and cheering for everybody.
• The sense of accomplishment when you cross the finish line and receive your medal!
  

Here is a picture of Andy and me before the race.
My brother decided to run the race this year. Way to go, Andrew! Hopefully, he will decide to do it again next year.

Our cheesy picture for the day...Rebekah and her man!

Here is what the Parkers do after a half marathon: REST and

EAT!

Jackson took this picture of me at The Cheesecake Factory on Saturday night. We ate there to celebrate my birthday and finishing the race.

PARKER MARATHON TIMELINE
(this is only for my benefit because I was trying to figure out which races we did and when...feel free to stop reading now)
2002: Watched the marathon on News Channel 5 and talked about how we could never do that.
2003: Andy and I decided we should try to do the full marathon and see what happens because it was 26.2 miles on April 26th, my 26th birthday (however I could barely run 30 minutes without stopping). I ran with Team in Training program to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It took me 5 hours and 6 minutes to finish, however I was so happy that I ran the entire 26 miles. Andy finished in under 5 hours.
2004: Andy and I ran the Walt Disney World Marathon together in January. It was really cold that day in Orlando and I had to buy an extra shirt at the expo so I would not freeze. We huddled together with David, Craig and Candie before the race. We ran the entire time, kept ourselves entertained by singing songs, and finished around 4 hours and 50 minutes. That night we celebrated with dinner at Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
In April of 2004, we ran the Country Music Half Marathon. I found out two days before the race that I was pregnant. The start of the race was delayed because of lightning and rain. Andy ran part of the race with Robbie, and Laura and I ran the entire race together. She was a great running partner and I still remember her eating oranges from a total stranger in the Belmont area (which is so unlike her). She still jokes with me about screaming for a strawberry banana PowerGel (I had a green apple one the year before that tasted horrible).
2006: Andy ran the Country Music Half Marathon while Jackson and I raced around town to see him and cheer for him. Andy finished the race in 2 hours and 3 minutes. It was so fun to be in crowd and cheer for the runners, however I really missed being in the race.
2007: Andy and I both ran the Country Music Half Marathon. At the time of the race, I was 3 months pregnant.
2008: Andy and I ran the Country Music Half Marathon on my 31st birthday. I wore a shirt that said "BIRTHDAY GIRL."
In August of 2008, we both ran the Disneyland Half Marathon. There were a ton of people who participated and it was fun to run through the castle at Disneyland, through California Adventure and all around Anaheim. Since we can be delusional at times, we spent the day before the race and the day of the race riding all the rides at the park.
2009: Andy and I ran the Country Music Half Marathon with our personal best times. This was my last day to be 31:)