This marathon was not on my list for 2020 to start. I did the half marathon there last year and honestly it was the COLDEST race I have ever ran. However, around November Brittany, the blonde in the picture, did her first half marathon. She went to LSU, so I told her while she was half way trained she should do the Louisana full marathon. She laughed at first, but then she signed up on Black Friday when they had a special on registration pricing after Thanksgiving. Krista, the other girl in the picture above wanted to go see Brittany finish her marathon so she asked me about going. I debated back and forth and finally decided why not. I do love seeing people finish their first full and we could also have a girls weekend. Well, that's me and Krista. Brittany took her family since her parents live in Baton Rouge so the whole family got to see her finish! It was amazing! She danced and cried as she crossed that finish line. I was blessed to run the marathon with her. There's a 20 year age difference in us so for this 53 year old getting to hang with a younger chick and help her complete her goal was a blessing. Krista did the half and got to film Brittany as she finished. AND Krista had set a goal time in which she wanted to run her half in and she meet her goal. So as you can tell it was a very special weekend!!
Our dinner the night before at The Little Village was awesome. It's an Italian place. The bread is amazing!!
Walking around down by the expo:
Now to the race details..... Let just say one word... WINDY!!! Oh my gosh was it windy!! I knew when we looked at the forecast and it called for 10-20mph winds we were in trouble. Plus it was 40 degrees when we started and did not warm up much. If you were in the sun, it kind of felt good until the wind hit you. The people standing out along the course cheering us were bundled up in blankets and some had fires going. I kind of felt like I was back in the same race as the year before. However, the previous year was much colder!
A few pictures along the course:
Running through the LSU campus
The last bridge coming back in. Oh they claim this course is flat and fast. They say they have a high number of Boston Qualifiers. Maybe they do... but the course is not flat. It has lots of rolling hills. Actually the first half of the course is the worst to me. It had lots of rolling hills and lots of WIND! Especially around the lake. The 2nd half is flat and had less wind when we were going through the neighborhoods.
Brittany and I did her program which consisted of 3 min jogging and 2 min walking. We ran pretty fast the first half, but slowed way down the 2nd half. I just let her lead. Whatever pace she wanted to run is what I did. It wasn't that she needed me at all. She could of easily ran the thing by herself. Sometimes it's just a tad more fun when you have someone with you. The time seemed to go by really fast. I felt really good the whole race. When we got to the finish line I told her I was going to hang back and let her have her moment as she crossed the finish line. I went live on FB filming her, but the sun was in my eyes and I couldn't really see the picture well and after viewing it that night, you couldn't really see her dancing in my filming, so I'm so glad Krista was at the finish line to capture the moment.
For someone that ran 1 day a week!!! Yes, I said 1 day a week! That's what Brittany did to train! Well, during the week she does crossfit, but she only ran 1 day on the weekend getting in her long run. I was a tad concerned about that, but she proved she could do it. Now I would not recommend that to anyone, but it worked for her. Super proud of her for finishing! and SUPER proud of Krista for setting a goal and accomplishing it. I look forward to seeing what else Krista can accomplish this year.
So that's a wrap. I finished my first marathon of 2020. OH and I also got a double medal since I did the Gulf Coast Marathon back in December and the Louisiana marathon the following month. I got the Beach to Bayou medal. It's HUGE. Check it out.
The girls at the finish line! Brittany and I finished in 5:35! Her goal was 6 hours and she beat that! We went to Superior Grill later that evening for a celebration. It's a really good Mexican restaurant in Baton Rouge. Krista and I were both in bed at 8 pm. Brittany & Brian, her husband, went back to her moms where her 3 little boys were.... I hope she got to bed early. :>). She has twins that are 7 years old and a 3 year old!
And that's a wrap.... Up next in February.. the Mercedes Marathon. Thank you dear Lord for letting us all finish with no injuries and giving us safe traveling mercies back home.
