Oh! What a day!!

The day I almost rain a half marathon in a hurricane!

Saturday as I carbo-loaded, I watched Ike descend into Missouri. Understanding that the race would be a wet one, I prepared myself to run in the rain (an activity I actually enjoy). My parents had arrived to cheer me. We ate and went to bed ready to awake at O-dark-thirty.

My friend arrived right on time and we headed out. When we left the city it was hardly raining at all, but a cheerleader called and reported the worse.... heavy rain! That wasn't going to get in my way of completing my first half marathon. It wasn't long until we were stopped on the interstate to exit while Ike unleashed on us. We slowly made our way to the exit and watched in fear not knowing what to expect. Soon it was 6:45 and we were still stuck in traffic. That didn't matter considering we weren't sure at this point whether there would even be a race. By the time we made it to the parking lot it was flooded. At points the water was 1-2 feet deep. The rain came down harder and the wind picked up. Finally, I made the call and sadly said it wasn't safe for me to be out there. I cried out of frustration having trained so hard for something and be so close to success. We began home and saw the idiots who decided to start at about mile 1. Runners who looked as if they had trained for the whole thing were having trouble even walking in this storm.
As we slowly made our way back to the city we saw 40 being shut down and water over the interstate at several points. We were going to go out for breakfast, but figured it was better to only have to get out of the car once instead of three times. My friend left and we went inside to cook a breakfast when I saw the huge puddle of water in my kitchen. The window above my door was leaking water so badly it was basically raining in the kitchen. Time to call the landlord, clean the mess, and continue with breakfast.

Soon my parents left and I took my nap. Later that night I figured I was already loaded with carbs and highly hydrated so I'd go for a run. As I began I figured I'd run to my sbux and back making it a 8 mile run. On my way I threw my middle finger to Ike and said F you, I'm running a half marathon today!!

I was really concerned with daylight so I ended up running a lot more in the beginning then I should have. I left and headed straight down Tower Grove Ave feeling amazing. Even as I turned into Forest Park without stopping to walk, I felt great. Made my way down to Skinker taking a short break and dreading the sun going down. After taking quick potty break and I began running for my life... possibly literally as I ran through a pretty sketchy neighborhood to get home. And I ditched the headphones in order to hear everything around me. I didn't stop until I got to Rosa, a street I deemed safe enough to walk in. But, it was so stinkin dark and I was so tired that I walked a bunch in the middle of the street. Finally, I made it home! 13.05 miles later! I know, I know, I skipped .05 miles, but who cares... it counts in my books!!