Hannah can, and did. (from March 19)

So, just to prove that I am totally insane, I decided to go for it and do the double-header, despite being terribly undertrained and having pneumonia for three months.  I didn't have an official diagnosis of pneumonia, but I felt like shit and was sick for a long long time, so that's what I'm calling it.

This past weekend was my VA Beach race weekend.  It's become an annual tradition for me, my stepdad, and my mom.  My mom just comes along so she can drink, smoke, and miss us crossing the finish line.  Hal and I do it because we're nuts.  He, too, was undertrained, having run possibly less than I did in my hacking/coughing/blowing mess of a winter.

The first race was on March 16, an 8k, which is technically 4.97 miles, but was clocked on BOTH of our Garmins as 5.1 miles.  Around mile 2, I thought to myself "DAMN I missed running!!!"  I was slow, and already getting sore, but not completely out of breath, and loving every blessed minute of it.  Hallelujah.  I felt on the mend, finally.  I finished in 1:08:14, only about 7 minutes slower than the first VA Beach race weekend, so I thought that was pretty good.
Hal and I both were amused that our ages appeared in such a large font on our racing bibs.. doesn't really seem fair.

Sunday, March 17, was the half marathon.  I didn't pack well.  I then trusted the man in the elevator who was trying to convince me that two shirts (one long-sleeved, and one short-sleeved) would be enough.  I DID wear my fleece vest, and thank goodness for that, or I'd be a Hannahcicle right now, and probably still thawing on Pacific Ave.  It was tough, I'm not gonna lie.  But I got a few bursts of energy, and by golly, if it was a 10-miler, I probably would have done fairly well for myself.  I finished, which was my main goal.  I only got one blister, and was able to walk afterwards.  I consider that a victory.

I've seen the pictures from the race already.. good god I look terrible!  I hadn't realized, even in weighing myself on my new handy-dandy scale, that I'd gained back THAT MUCH weight.  It's disgraceful, and I'm truly ashamed of myself.  It saddens me that I'm ashamed, but that's the emotion, so there you go.