13th Annual Mercedes Half Marathon, Birmingham

On this 13th Annual Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 16, 2014, I had the opportunity to run my fifth (and only injury-free) half marathon and second running of this particular race (which I ran for the first time in 2011).

My favorite thing about the start of any race once all the runners have congregated in the chute, aside from the chest-thumpingly-loud music and the pre-race realization that you suddenly need to pee, is that it looks like a Skittles factory exploded. But that's really about the last opportunity to soak anything in for the next couple of hours.

My favorite thing during any race is the great lengths people go to to invest real creativity into clever sign-making. And my favorite thing about finishing is...finishing...and a huge post-race breakfast. This year, I placed 1044th among half-marathoners, which puts me in the top one-third, and about an 800 place improvement over my previous running - that's progress.

Huntsville Half Marathon

In February, I ran my first half marathon, the Mercedes Half Marathon, in Birmingham. In July, I set about looking for the next Half I would run and came across the Huntsville Half Marathon on November 12, which gave me plenty of time to re-train (following a very lazy June) and cooler temps to run in. I then convinced my friend Mark Gouge to run with me; it would be his first Half.

So with each short run, long run and cross training day, D-day drew nigh. And on Friday, I went to the thrift store to pick up throw-away sweatshirts for Mark and myself. I was incredibly fortunate to find these lovely bowl game sweatshirts from 1998 (below).

USC-TCU at the Sun Bowl, and Tennessee-FSU at the Fiesta Bowl

The Huntsville Half is a much smaller race than the Mercedes, with about 950 registered runners. On Friday evening we went to pick up our SWAG bags and numbers.

 Due to the slow nature of our pace, Mark and I elected to start at the very back of the pack. We ended up placing in the mid-600s, meaning we passed about a third of the field. So here's a day, in a slideshow (but for those of you using portable Apple products that don't support Flash, you can find the gallery containing these same photographs: here).

And since finishing was really the highest of priorities for Mark and myself, here's a video of us doing just that.

At the Mercedes Half-Marathon

 Now I feel like a runner. My first race of any kind was the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in October 2010. Shortly thereafter, I found a new ambition: running a half-marathon, and ultimately a marathon. The Half is now under my belt.

On Friday, my wife Anna (above) and I went to the expo to pick up my race package, where I got to collect some SWAG.

I also saw the board with all the names of the runners. This is most of the Half-Marathoners. Then there are the Marathoners, 5K-ers, and Marathon Relay Teams. In all, about 7000 runners.

 Earlier in the week, the folks who run the Mercedes Marathon sent out an email suggesting that we participants dress for a significant temperature change. Temps were in the mid-30s when the runners began to arrive around 6am and warm up nicely throughout the next several hours.

So yesterday I went out in search of a disposable sweatshirt, one that I could shed at race time. The Mercedes folks were collecting all the discarded attire and donating it to local missions. I could not have been more excited about the sweatshirt I chose.

So the race began. I had no expectations, except to finish. Anna and her family were waiting for me at Mile 5, among the multitudes of others to be found along the route, cheering for and encouraging the runners. So here I am coming and going 5/13.1 of the way through.

The rest of the race was more-or-less the same: high-5 little kids on the sideline, water stations, Powerade stations, GU Gel stations, beer station at Mile 12 (I turned down that opportunity), hills, lots of hills.

AND THEN, I felt something I have never experienced before: euphoria. As I rounded the last corner and entered the final stretch, a wave of what-can-only-be-described-as wonderful goodness swept over me.

I didn't set the world on fire with my 2:14:52 (official) time, but I did narrowly avoid being lapped by the winning Marathoner. And I did fulfill my one expectation: finishing. And now count myself among the runners of the world.

Next stop: Music City Half-Marathon in Nashville