Halloween Half and my sore abs…

The Halloween Half is done! Don’t be scared by this picture.Even though I look like a crazed killer bee… 

 What can I say- the finish line was in sight!
YAY for my first race since July and the stress fracture!!
I liked the race course- mostly.It was a lot of downhill for the first 5 miles. A LOT. I actually found that part harder. Strangely enough, it messed with my stomach muscles.I think I was tensed up because I was trying to make sure I didn’t go to fast.So… making sure my legs didn’t get too tired made my abs tired. 
After those first 5 miles I was able to even out my pace and I felt good.
The canyon was beautiful. No real struggle to keep the pace, either.I was able to beat my previous half time by a little over 4 minutes.. .but those first 5 miles were very downhill, so that helped!
Time:  1:41:04
I was just glad that I got to run this race and finish with no pain. Well, besides my ab muscles :). I feel like I could have pushed harder, which gives me something to work on.(If I ever decided to give speed work a chance.) 
The husband brought all the kids down to see me finish. They were excited because we said they could wear their costumes, too! 

I know it’s not fun for him to bring all 5 kids to a finish line by himself,but I do love seeing them at the end.It gives me an extra little burst of energy :). 

I really like the medal for this race- very cool. 
We then went to lunch, where baby boy came down with a fever …and then threw up in the car. Happy day!
Even though the course is very pretty, I’m not sure if I will ever do it again. I didn’t love the super downhill at the beginning.
I really like flat or gradual downhill best. It also seemed a little disorganized to me. For example: the bags that we dropped in the truck at the beginning were alljust tossed onto the ground at the end. Not organized at all. 
You just had to search out your own bag among the other 3,300+ bags. Hmmm… 

Either way, I’m glad I did it and I’m glad it’s done!