2 hours, 4 minutes, 24 seconds

That is how fast I ran my first ever half-marathon. Actually, it was my first race, period. So much for starting small. (Although, when I think about it, it's kind of how I do the majority of things in life: I start with tons of enthusiasm, never realizing how extreme it is...until later.)

Anyway, we got to Chapultepec at 6:30 on Sunday morning (way early) and there were already tons of people warming up and running small laps. It was extremely intimidating since everyone looked really professional and hardcore. Shannon, Lisa, and I put on our numbers and our chips and waited for the race to start. We also participated in the group warmup which was led by three people on a stage with mics...it was soooo funny to see everybody in their matching shirts, moving their waists around in a circle, etc. Needless to say, I was cracking up the whole time (and I'm sure all the Mexicans were like "who is this gringa?!").

This is pre-marathon...we're pretty excited! Oh, and did I mention that there were 2,500 runners in total? Here are just some of them...

So, we started (about 1 minute after the actual start time since there were so many people in front of us) and started running down Av. Reforma. While this might sound bad, I felt better about the race after the girl in front of me started running after the first km marker. It was so fun to run through Mexico City (because it was a lot flatter than Guanajuato) and there were people all through the race at the sides, watching us, and encouraging the runners on. There were also tables set up every so often with water and gatorade, and so I got to run by, grab a cup of water, and then throw it over my shoulder afterwards (like all the professional runners on TV! Haha). I did, however, feel rather guilty about littering...

Although I didn't think we had trained sufficiently for the race, I actually felt really good the whole time. We kept a really consistent pace, and talked and told stories the whole time. Running is definitely a lot easier with friends! The last 20 minutes or so I was kind of ready to quit, but it felt so good to get to the finish line and achieve what we had been working so hard for!

Of course we had to take one photo with our arms raised over our heads!! After the race, it was kind of like Christmas because we went through this whole process where they gave us all sorts of things like water bottles, gatorade, hats, flip flops, bags, and pizza and tacos (only in Mexico!).

So, it was pretty much a perfect memory. Good running, pretty scenery in one of the largest cities in the world, great friends...and all in a little over 2 hours!

AND, I just went running again this morning :)