Voelp Family: Pittsburgh Marathon/Half Marathon

This past weekend, I ran the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, my 3rd half marathon...13.1 miles! My first, I ran with my Dad in Myrtle Beach when I was 18 weeks pregnant with Owen and I only technically ran about 6 miles of it and walked the rest, due to doctor's orders. My 2nd, I ran shortly after we moved to Pittsburgh, in the 2009 Pittsburgh Marathon/Half Marathon, with a time of 2:10:32. This year, I beat my time and finished in 2:03:20. I was pretty proud of my time this year and I look forward to running more in the future, possibly another this fall! Sunday was a hot day in Pittsburgh for running...75 isn't hot normally, but for long distance running, it is pretty hot! In 2009, it was chilly and raining, which was actually really nice when running long distance. I have to admit I felt like I was struggling at the end of the race on Sunday, much more so than during my previous half in Pittsburgh! Actually, at the end of the one in 2009, I was disappointed that I wasn't running the full. This time, I was happy it was over and wasn't disappointed at all that I wasn't crossing the finish line on the full side! Anyhow, it was still fun! I ran with some great friends, Dorsi and Joslynn! I ran with Joslynn for about 5 miles and then we parted ways. I was so proud of Joslynn! She has only fun one other race, a 5K, so this was her first big race and she did so good!! It was a wonderful day and a great way to start the day and to end the weekend!!

Now, I said I ran with Dorsi...but, she actually ran the full marathon, so we didn't run the whole thing together. I actually only ran about a mile with her somewhere in the middle of my run when we "ran" into each other along the way...pardon the pun! We rode down together and hung out with each other before the start, but she was being paced by someone else, so she had to meet up with him. I can't tell you how excited I was for her after her big finish! 26.2 miles is such a long way and she trained so hard, with lots of pain and worry that she wouldn't finish due to some injuries. She was so nervous and worried for the entire week before, so naturally, I was nervous for her as well! I was getting text messages along Dorsi's run to update where she was and her expected finish time based off of her pace. So, I was waiting at about the 26 mile mark to see her pass! It was so exciting to cheer for her as she passed by me just before she crossed the finish line!! I actually got emotional after snapping a couple of pictures and realizing that she had, in fact, MADE IT!!! After she passed me, I made my way to the park where we were meeting up and I couldn't wait to give her a big hug! I was such a proud friend! She felt great the entire time and is already planning her next marathon! They say, once it gets in your blood, you are hooked! And, I guess that is true! I feel that way about running in general, but they say once you have the marathon itch, you are really sucked in!