Austin 1/2 Marathon

I did it! I completed my first 1/2 marathon! I have to say, I wanted to die by about mile 11, but I pushed on through, and finished with a time of 2:05:12. My best friend Alyssa and I ran it together, and she achieved her personal record (5 months pregnant, no less!). I was shooting for a time of 2:10:00, and beat that by almost 5 minutes, so I was very happy with my time too!

The trip to Austin was SO much fun! I can't wait to go back again! I took Kallie with me and we just had a "girls trip." She loved flying on the airplane, opening presents that Grandma Hammons had packed for her. She didn't want to wait in between presents; she just wanted to open them all, then play with them after she had seen everything. Kallie had a fun time playing with Carson, Carli, and Amy. She said she wants to live in Texas.

I had a great time just spending time with Alyssa. It seems like we are lucky to spend a couple of hours together when she comes to Las Vegas. There are just so many people in line to see her. Getting to spend 4 whole days was great fun. We got a swim workout in on Friday, and she taught me how to flip-turn (yea!). Then we ran our race on Saturday. We had to get up at 4:00am in order to get out to the race parking, then catch a shuttle to the site. The race started at 7:30am. Afterwards, there was food, music, and some much-needed relaxing. Alyssa's friend Stephanie ran with us as well, and I think she is the one who kept us moving by the end! She usually finishes a 1/2 marathon in the 1:40s, so she was definitely just taking her time with us!

Chet and Alyssa toured me around Austin, eating at all the hot spots including an Italian Bistro, a Mexican place called Chuy's, the steakhouse Alyssa was working at called Saltgrass, and my personal favorite: Yogurt Planet. We also watched good shows including General Conference, and just had a generally wonderful time!