In 4 days I am running my half marathon in Oklahoma City! Yeehaw! I am really excited, especially because I am running the OKC Memorial Marathon. It is apparently an incredibly moving experience, because before they start the races they have 168 seconds of silence for those killed in the Murrah Building bombing. I think if I need any inspiration to run that day, that silence and remembrance of all the innocent lives lost will be it. They also line the course with banners of the names of every person killed. What a great way to remember them.

As for me personally, I am just running this to complete my first half marathon. I am not concentrating on my time (because I definitely haven't trained well enough to be expecting a great time) but rather the fact that I can run 13.1 miles and feel good about it! Obviously, I am going to keep running and challenging myself and begin focusing on my times once I finish this first one. See my post about the four seasons challenge to see about my future plans for my running. I know a half isn't something that is super incredible or anything, but the fact that I stuck with it makes me proud.

My daddy also bought me a brand new pair of running shoes this weekend while I was home. The shoes I was running in were many years old and were giving me gnarly blisters, so I decided to upgrade now, even though I haven't had a lot of time to break them in. However, no blisters can be worse (hopefully) than the ones I was getting before, so I think it'll be great. My dad is an avid runner. I think he runs every day, which is amazing to me. He swears by the Asics brand, and knowing Mr. Fitness endorses them, that's what I went with as well. I definitely feel a lot better in my new Asics. They are super cushy and fit the width of my foot a lot better! Thanks, Daddy-O!

My new kicks.... holla!

I am super excited. Keep me in your prayers Saturday night that I get enough carbs to sustain my run, and if you happen to be awake at 5:30AM on Sunday, pray that I am physically/mentally prepared! I am hoping the adrenaline will get me through this!