Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Santa to the Sea, Half-Marathon


'Tis the season for some Christmas Cheer!

Taking part in the local Santa to the Sea Half Marathon was a part of my planned marathon training...deciding to dress like Will Ferrell's "Elf" was the fun part. 


This race has a costume contest, so using my CRAZY sewing skills, I made a custom running Buddy the Elf costume.


Definitely easy to spot in the crowd. My biggest competition, THE GRINCH!


But when I hit mile 3 I was super surprised to see my best friend Amy and her husband looking for me on their bikes. It was so amazing because Amy was able to ride a few miles with me while I ran. 


This race was ran completely differently than any other race I have entered. Today I was attempting 18 miles, the longest run ever completed.  It wasn't for speed, it was for distance and mental strength. 

This race has got to be the best for water stations and aid. There was SO many people along the whole route and everyone was in the Christmas spirit. 

Mile 11 I got to see my girls and Mr. KofColors. This point I was getting fatigued and it was getting warm...not to sure if the costume was a good idea. 


I finished at a slower 2:10, however, there was five more miles to run. Gave up the jacket, hat and medal to Mr. Kof Colors and kept running. 


This is where I was kind of smart and sneaky. Left the finish line and ran back to the course of the race. 
WHY?
Because I needed the water stations and the course was the five miles back to my house. 
GENIUS!!

Finished my 18 miles strong, could have ran more but I was glad I was finished-Home in time to drive back to the finish line to see if I won the costume contest, but disappointed without a win.

Next year, I run Santa to the Sea for speed! 

Less than a month to my first attempt at 26.2 in 2013!!

~Amanda

3 comments:

  1. I'm so proud of you! You completed another half - looking adorable in a hand-made costume - AND you kept on running. 18 miles is awesome! Those higher miles separate the women from the girls, and you're kicking b*tt. :)

    Oh, and they should've given you a prize for your costume - no doubt! So, what's YOUR favorite color?

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  2. Amanda, you look adorable!!! Congratulations! What a fun event!

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  3. Love Buddy the Elf! What an amazing costume. I imagine those tights got a wee bit toasty - - but it was clearly worth it to rock that amazing outfit.

    Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog today! It gave me the opportunity to stop by your blog and check out some of your posts. I love all of your photo collages!

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