Heather Rocks, Kathleen Rocks, Raleigh Rocks!

On Saturday Kathleen and I ran the first ever Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon. We woke up to clouds and drizzle early that morning, but the race was to be held rain or shine, so Jay and I trekked to downtown Raleigh where we met Kathleen and Bill at the start line. Luckily, the rain held off and the race started right on time. Unfortunately though, due to the weather 5 of the 9 bands scheduled to play along the course didn't show, so it was a quieter race than expected. The highlight of the course was a guy on Hillsborough St. who had a one mand band and was playing "Baby Got Back" on guitar as Kathleen and I ran by. That and also the guy who played bagpipes wearing a t-shirt that read "Real Men Wear Kilts"!

Jay and Bill were our fan club, staking us out on the course in several different places, and we also got to see our friend Lee, a Raleigh police officer who works weekend races, a few times along the course as well. It's always great to see a familiar face to cheer you on, especially around the 10 mile marker!

The course was pretty flat and Kathleen and I surprised ourselves by pacing much faster than we had anticipated. I was sprinting toward the finish line as the race clock hit 2 hours and 14 minutes, and Kathleen came in right behind me with a PR of 2:16! Congrats Kathleen! Of course, we don't hold a candle to the guy who won the race at 1:16 but we are still proud of our strong finishes!

After we crossed the finish line and caught our breath, Kathleen and I changed and we all headed off to Perkins for the best part of race day...the post run breakfast! It was a great day, and I am already looking forward to my next race!