Fall pictures and the big run!

So sorry it has been so long for an update! The past two months have slipped away as the days got shorter and my life got crazier. Lets see....so much has happened but here is the snapshot: I took part in a 5k walk for cancer research in Dayton, I started classes for my MBA, took a weekend trip to Cedar Point, spent some time home hanging out with my family, a weekend trip to Northern Michigan, and just this past weekend I ran the Detroit Half Marathon! Here are a few pictures from up north and some pictures of the race in Detroit!

This one is for my sister: A happy boy ready for his wagon ride!

Going for his first wagon ride with Grandpa
Gavin looks like such a big boy playing with his toys!

A sleepy boy in his wagon. Precious!

Thats me all ready for the big race!
About to cross the finish line 13.1 miles later! Thats me, being silly me even though I'm totally exhausted!

Half Marathon re-cap: I can't believe it was just 7 months ago that I really began running for the first time in my life and can now say that I have finished a half marathon! I spent months training only to get sick the week before the race. It didn't help my cause much, but I was determined to cross the finish line in some way, shape or form! I trained for and ran the whole thing by myself and while it proved to be more difficult than I had expected, it also proved to be more rewarding. I guess when you run with 18,000 other people you are never really alone. I was a lot more nervous than I had expected lining up at the start line and having no one to laugh with just to ease the tension. But after a really cold start I was on my way! Right after mile 3 we crossed the Ambassador bridge into Canada and the sun was just rising over the river. It was something beautiful-running along the bridge surrounded by thousands of strangers, seeing the colors of autumn and the hazy pinks and oranges of the sunrise thinking to myself "man, this is cool." From there it was 5 miles of Canada running, along the boardwalk and through some neighborhoods then under the tunnel back to America. Thats right, folks, I have officially run underwater for one whole mile! Following the tunnel I was pretty tired...that kind of tired when your body doesn't want to move anymore...but I knew it was just a few miles more to the finish so I trekked along at a slow pace just hoping to be alive at the end. Around the last corner, sooo close to the finish line I see my Dad yelling from the side trying to jog along side and get a picture (the one you see above where I'm giving a thumbs up)....it was pretty funny and I definitely enjoyed the laugh before crossing the big finish line. And not only was there a medal awaiting me (along with some much needed food and water!) but just past the finish line my mom, sister, and nephew were there cheering me on. It was a great feeling to be surrounded by family at such a cool moment for myself (probably not exactly what I was thinking in my exhaustion and severe need of food at the finish line, however). So, there it is. The half-marathon re-cap for you to enjoy. Was it hard? You betcha. Am I still sore? Oh yeah. Add in those parts where I woke up entirely too early to stand in the freezing cold then run for over two hours with 18,000 other people and you're probably wondering "was it worth it?" My answer to you, then: Absolutely. After all, I got to run in two countries, see the sunrise while atop the Ambassador bridge, enjoy a perfectly clear fall morning, and fill myself with this unbelievable feeling of personal accomplishment. All that for only two hours of my life. Of course it was worth it!