Tomorrow morning I'll be sweating away with thousands of other stampeding runners in the Country Music Half Marathon here in Nashville.
Truth is, I wish I was running the full marathon - I feel like I've got the energy for it, but my iliotibial band won't cooperate. But I'm still excited to be able to do the half marathon because 18 months ago I couldn't walk without getting dizzy.
I'll update this post when I return from the run - but don't expect an impressive chip time, because I'm not :) I'm simply running to make it to the finish line this time.
Update: As expected, my time was less than stellar (2:09:53), but it was a great run. Close to 30,000 fellow runners took over downtown Nashville, including my friends at the InnerStrength Marathon Group who ran with me and cheered at the end.
Good luck Nick. Check out WalkJogRun when you start training for your full marathon.
Posted by: earnshavian | Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 12:02 AM
My girlfriend is running too! 12 hour drive from Newark, DE to Nashville, along with a roommate and a high-school friend. I'm staying home for this one, but maybe I'll try the Rock & Roll Marathon this September.
Anyways, best of luck running!
Posted by: Ben Karel | Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 12:42 AM
We'll dub you SpeedDemon Alpha for the duration of the race. Have fun!
Posted by: Keith Gilbertson | Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 06:36 AM
Best of luck Nick :)
Posted by: Morgan | Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 06:57 AM
Thanks, folks!
Posted by: Nick Bradbury | Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 04:24 PM
Hey Nick, congrats on the run! I am planning my first half marathon event in November!
Posted by: Lance Robinson | Monday, April 30, 2007 at 01:29 PM
2:09 is great, especially if your iliotibial band isn't cooperating! Just completing it at all is an acheivement. I participated in the run too. I think we couldn't have had a more perfect day weather wise. And didn't they do a great job organizing the event!!
Anyway, way to go! Good luck with working towards a full marathon and I hope your iliotibial band doesn't give you any more trouble.
Glenn
Posted by: Glenn Lavender | Tuesday, May 01, 2007 at 07:36 AM
@Glenn: congrats yourself! Yep, the weather was great - although I felt bad for some of the full marathoners who obviously hadn't run in 80 degree heat before (I saw a couple of them collapse before reaching the finish line).
I do feel good about finishing, but time-wise I want to do better next year. I ran out of steam and slowed down a *lot* around mile 11, most likely because I made the rookie mistake of not eating anything on the run.
Posted by: Nick Bradbury | Tuesday, May 01, 2007 at 11:38 AM
What was your runner's number?
Posted by: Ben Karel | Thursday, May 03, 2007 at 09:24 AM
I was bib #14686.
Posted by: Nick Bradbury | Thursday, May 03, 2007 at 10:47 AM
Hey Nick,
I'm trying to reach you and Carolyn. Please send me an e-mail with your contact info.
Karen (of Maryland)
Posted by: Karen Perrin | Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 12:07 PM