Gary Bjorkland Half Marathon (aka Grandma's)

Alright folks.....here's a race pic :)



The weekend festivities began on Friday, October 18th. Jeremy and I got up at 6:00AM to get a light run hammered out prior to our road trip to Duluth. After a nice run, and a quick shower, our friends Trey and Patrick came over, and the four of us took off for Duluth. We visited the marathon expo, got our bib numbers and chips, and took advantage of the free food! Jeremy made a nice sock purchase--and we were race ready.

We checked into the hotel, grabbed some grub, and made our way back to the boat to cheer on Patrick, who was running his debute 5k race!!! It was so fun to cheer him on in his first running endeavor. We also met up with Dave Mowers, and two new friends, Eric and Rachel who were prepping for their first marathon. We had dinner, and went back to the hotel to crash for the night.

Saturday morning--Trey, Jeremy, and I got up at 3:45AM (yeah, gross, you're telling me), and fueled our bodies, and hopped on the bus to the start line. Race conditions were not perfect, but far better than last year! At 6:30AM it was a hopeful 64 degrees, with a 15mph windspeed. Much better compared to last years 78 degree start! The trouble with the wind was that the course is pretty much a straight shot, so we had the wind working against us for most of the race. However, as I mentioned before--far happier with these conditions! I felt strong and in control of this race. I wasn't sure how I would do at this race, given I had never completed the half marathon. I arrived with a mission....my mission was to beat my time from the Minneapolis Half Marathon, two weeks prior. My time from Mpls was 1:44:40. How did I fare at Grandma's you ask? 1:41:23 (average pace: 7:45/mile). I'll take that!

So here are the stats:
Time: 1:41:23
Divison Place: 90/1890
Sex Place: 122/3324

This race left me feeling very encouraged! I have another half marathon in two weeks (the Red White and Boom Half Marathon, on July 4th). This is going to be a tough course. Not looking to PR, just chalking it up as an extremely challenging training run through NE Minneapolis.

After our race, Trey, Jeremy, and I went back to the hotel to shower, and then made it back to the race to cheer on Eric and Rachel, as they completed their first marathon! Between Jeremy, Trey, Patrick, Dave, Rachel, Eric, and myself, we covered every race offered this past weekend in Duluth (minus the Whippersnapper for lil kids).

However, this blog cannot come to an end without mentioning the incredible effort exuded by my buff husband! Jeremy has done his road races a little backwards.....his first road race was the Chicago Marathon, following the Turkey Trot 5k, and now this half marathon! ;) Prior to the race, I had asked Jeremy what I thought he was looking at for a finishing time. He mentioned 2:15ish. To be honest, in my head, I was leading more towards 2:20ish for him. He pulled out some incredible mental toughness and physical strength, and finished with a fabulous 1:59:38!!! That is a 9:08/mile average for 13.1 miles! He blew it out of the water! WOWZERS!!!!!!!! I couldn't be more proud of his accomplishment. If you see my husband, be sure to tip your hat to him and say, "well done sir." What's next for him, you may be wondering? Me too :)