So she did it…Cheryl overcame her hurdles and set a new record for the half marathon….ever! Just how fast? 
1 hour, 49 minutes 13 seconds fast! That is a whole 5 Seconds faster than her previous half marathon….both training AND official! 5 SECONDS! Count them! 5! IT’S HUGE!
Ok, enough of the over-exaggeration Let’s get down with the details.
We arrived early and staked out our parking place, and got a feel for the lay of the land. This was the first time we have been inside any University of Iowa Building, and it was pretty cool.
Upon exiting, we quickly pegged Ronald McDonald and Cheryl had to pose for a pic…..it is becoming one of our ongoing tradition to get a picture with the official race mascot. I have to note….this was possibly the best Ronald McDonald I have ever seen….that was 
not in a commercial! Given that we were actually running the half marathon FOR the Ronald McDonald house….and the red shoes are actually HIS shoes…I would not be surprised if this actually WAS the official Ronald McDonald from the TV Commercials. Discussing it with Cheryl, she agrees that he was more than some random actor ( he knew things a random stranger would not.) But who knows….we may never know.
Anyway, the race started! We linked up with Barb and talked about our game plan for the race. The weather had been holding, with a few light sprinkles just to cause a little anxiety. The clouds were a welcome sight, keeping the sun away for pretty much the entire race. And the light breeze was actually refreshing… or so I heard)
The Race starts! B
arb was kind enough to point Cheryl out in the crowd as they raced by. Thankfully, I did not miss her this time, like I did during the Lincoln Half Marathon. As She passed by, Barb and I parted ways and I headed off to the first cheer point at mile 7.
I set up shop early…beating even the race officials and volunteers! The ran began to pick up a bit more now and I was wishing I had worn my Gore Tex. Cheryl was wearing Orange this time…which made her much easier to pick out in the crowd. As she passed by, I quickly jumped on the bike and raced over to the second cheer point where the bike and walking paths converge. 
A few other cheer spectators had begun to assemble at this point. I snapped a few more pictures and headed to the third cheer point at mile 11.
Having the Bike was GREAT! 
Everything was working out far better than expected. By this time, I figured I pretty much had enough pics 
of her running ( at least I was hoping) And decided to give her a high five and a wish for good luck in the final stretch. It was all down hill from this point to the finish.
As she passed by, I , again, jumped on the bike and raced back to the Subie. Loaded tings up and drove back to the finish line. 
I still managed to beat Cheryl to the finish and took a few last pics, before grabbing her hand and running with her to the finished line. I guess that was not a “bad” thing. 
No one stopped me and asked where my official bib was. It was a little strange for me, but Cheryl has been reading “things” in her running magazines and online about the previous Boston Marathon winner crossing the finish line with a total Stanger and decided that would be “cool” . 
Looking back at that moment, I can't believe I jumped out into the fray and ran in with her…well she is happy….and I am slightly embarrassed. I guess it is now officially called “ Pulling a Mebbie” ( Side bar: Meb is the former Boston Marathon winner/ runner who started it all)
So Cheryl sported her finishers medal with yet another mascot…this time Herky! And we waited around to hear the results of the top three age group winners. Wendy 
( a runner from Wellman Iowa) was not racing the half marathon, opting for the 5K today. ( She got first in her age group by they way) With her out of contention, Cheryl felt confident that she might get inside the top three….and she did!
Third Place age group finish is not bad for a small Half Marathon. She gets an Official sippy cup….great for Coffee….or beer…or water..I guess.
We linked back up with Barb and Wayne and Ruth and had a fun little picnic, catching up and talking about scoring. The College Board Project starts up this Tuesday and Wayne will be joining us about a week later. Hopefully it will be as much fun as last year.
As for today, Cheryl has earned a relaxing day off for the remainder. And apparently, the Math Project is once again, scored out…so I will be joining her in her sloth-ness. She has overcome her hang-ups previously discussed in the last post. She was so superstitious, she did not even READ my last post….Well, Now she can…..it was humorous and Awesome…..if I do say so myself. Check out more pics here:
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