P.F. Chang's Rock and Roll Arizona 1/2 Marathon- Check!

I'm not a runner.  I'm certainly not built like one.  I carry myself more like Brian Urlacher than like Kara Goucher or Ryan Hall.  I have thick legs and broad shoulders and shortness of breath, and I usually lumber instead of run, but I call it running anyway.  Never was any of this so evident than last Sunday, January 17th.
The Good:
I checked off the first race from my list, I finished, I got a cool medal. (I later heard my 84-year old grandmother on the phone telling one of her friends that I won an award at the race and had to explain that everyone who finishes gets one)
The weather was AMAZING, the course was fun and interesting, and I got to visit my grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousins as part of the trip.

The Bad:
For the past few months, I have been struggling with a weird breathing/throat closure thing when I run.  It happens on and off, and on this day, it was most definitely on.  I had to keep stopping and walking after about the 10k mark, and when I did that too many times, my knees started to stiffen. By the last three miles, I was hobbling, and my goal time of 2:30 was completely out the window.  I finished in a sad 3:22, my only consolation that I was 38 minutes ahead of the 4-hour course sweepers.

The Resolution:
I set a goal of 2:30 because I know that, when all goes well, I can run ten minute miles the whole time.  This also factors in a little extra time to walk the water stops and potentially wait in a bathroom line.  So, until I break it, 2:30 is my half-marathon goal.  The next half on my list will be the Colfax Half Marathon in May, right here in sunny Denver.  I am going to put everything I have into making goal for that race.  In the meantime, I have had some tests done on my heart and lungs, which are both extremely healthy (good to know, even though the problem remains a mystery).  Whatever the problem is seems to be in my throat and sinuses, and I have heard that something called vocal chord dysfunction could be the culprit.  I am working through it right now, and will head back to the doctor in the next couple of weeks to continue to try to figure it out.

My next race is on Valentine's Day morning, a 5k at Wash Park.  Maybe I can get my Valentine to run with me, even though he only really likes to run when he is chasing a soccer ball.  I'll let you know how it goes.

I have added two charities to the sidebar of my blog.  All proceeds from ads clicked on this blog (they should be up and running anytime now), as well as any funds I raise along the way will go to these charities.  More to follow on why I picked what I picked this week! Also stay tuned for weigh-in Fridays and some fun new links coming this week.  In addition, I would like to thank everyone for all of the support, comments, and "fandom" on Facebook.  This was something that was hard for me to put on paper and begin, but once I did, I felt so much love and support.  I am SO excited to complete this goal and raise awareness and honor my mother.  It wouldn't be the same without the love and support of the people I care about.

Have a great day!  I am off to run Monday intervals...