I gave myself a present for my 40th birthday: the entry fee for the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN and a new pair of running shoes. I adore running and if my aging body would only cooperate, I have the ambition to train long and run far. I am not a fast runner, but I have endurance and can keep going for a long time. I finished that first marathon, despite knee pain that began at mile 8, and have run many other races since then. In 2011, I decided to give triathlons a try! This is a partial list of my successes.
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- FEBRUARYFrostbite Half-marathon – Montgomery Bell State Park, Burns, TN – Frostbite was an accurate name for this race but the post-race pizza sure tasted good.
- MARCHTom King Half marathon – Nashville, TN – This was another training run for the full marathon.
- AprilCountry Music Marathon – Nashville, TN – My first marathon before the course change took out the mile 21 hill. Cruel and unusual punishment. I had some bad knee pain but made it to the end with the help of my running partner and sweet sister, Kelly.
- JUNERC Cola and Moon Pie 10 mile Race – Bell Buckle, TN – Just thought we’d give this race in the heat a try. All was good, but who wants to eat hot chicken biscuits after a race in June. The RC Cola now, that was just fine!
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- JANURAY Rock and Roll Marathon – Phoenix, AZ – The inaugural run of this marathon had some issues and a long delay at the start. Good run, though.
- APRIL Country Music Marathon – Nashville, TN – Another knee problem and I’m about ready to call it quits on the marathon running.
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- MarchCountry Music Half Marathon – Nashville, TN – I walked this half with my 70 year old father and sister Kelly. We finished in just over 4 hours.
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- MARCH Tom King Half Marathon – Nashville, TN – Best time ever, under 2 hours, in a huge storm with thunder and lightning. I’m surprised they let us run. I’m even more surprised I didn’t get struck by lightning.
- OCTOBER Middle Half Marathon – Murfreesboro, TN – Had pulled my hamstring running trails a few weeks earlier and it paid me back in full during this race. I hobbled the last 6 miles and Kelly ran on for a great finish.
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- Trying to recover from my hamstring injury. Stopped running for 3 months and started back again very slowly.
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My husband and I decided to challenge ourselves and run 3 half marathons in 3 months. When you think about it, it’s not so hard. You train for the first one and the other two should follow smoothly. We’ll see, I guess!
- OCTOBERGood Life Half Marathon – Toronto, ON, Canada – Knee pain again, darn it! But finished with just a little walking
- NOVEMBERSecret City Half Marathon – Oak Ridge, TN – A very nice race with a good time just over 2 hours.
- DECEMBERRedfish Half Marathon – Panama City, FL – Another nice race with the fastest time of the three races.
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MAY
Ramblin’ Rose Women’s Sprint Triathlon, Nashville, TN – – Absolutely panic-stricken in the swim but managed not to drown. Bike and run went fine. 200yd swim / 8 mile bike / 2 mile run
AUGUST
Cedars of Lebanon Sprint Triathlon, Lebanon, TN – A fun race and I was much more at ease. 300yd swim / 16 mile bike / 5K run
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APRIL
ADPiAthlon Sprint Triathlon, Murfreesboro, TN – Won 2nd in my age group! – 300 yard swim / 12 mile bike / 5K run
MAY
Iron Nugget Sprint Triathlon, Dickson, TN – Very hilly course – 800 yard lake swim / 18 mile bike / 5K run – This was my first open water swim in a race. It was terrifying! Won 3rd in my age group.
Memphis in May Sprint Triathlon, Memphis, TN – Another open water swim in a lake – ¼ mile swim / 13 mile bike / 5K run – Beat my goal time of 1:30:00 by 55 seconds. Whew, that was close!
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