Race 13: April 17, 2011 - Kansas Half Marathon in Lawrence

I've been meaning to update this for a while.  Now, I no longer remember the details of my 13th race.  I blame it on Lupus brain ;)  I remember it was a beautiful sunny day, and I had fun looking at the town as I ran through it.  But, really, that's all I can recall. 

The only hints I have about this trip are photos S. and I took with a crazy-looking Jayhawk statue.

Sadly, this was my last race until today.  I went almost a year and a half without completing a race because life just got in the way.  My grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and S. and I used all of our race fee money on gasoline to drive to visit Grandpa and Grandma as often as possible.  My grandfather was a strong and sweet man -- he loved running with his dog, delivered meals on wheels to seniors younger than himself, and was still so in love with Grandma.  He fought hard, but in January, the cancer finally won.  After that, I was admittedly a little depressed.  I no longer had the energy nor the strength to run.

I didn't start running again until June.  In June, S. and I registered for the Walt Disney World Marathon.  Registering for this race and paying the exorbitant race fees gave me the kick in the pants that I needed.  I began running again, starting with short 3 mile runs.  Now, I'm back up to race distance runs.  Last Saturday, I had a very successful 17 mile run.  Today, I ran a somewhat slow half marathon on a challenging and hilly course.  It may sound out, but finishing another race today was such a relief.