A little insane...

A few weekends ago - February 3rd to be exact - we (Jake & Renee, not Gracie :) ran a Half Marathon in Huntington Beach. We went with a few friends - Andy and Tonya Pennebaker - and had a great time. When we arrived on Saturday, the weather was beautiful and sunny and perfect. We looked forward to the run. However, at about 4am Sunday morning, we heard the sound of rain outside our hotel room. We left the hotel at 6am and headed directly to a 24 hour Walgreens to purchase rain panchos - the rain had decided to stay. When we got to the start line (at 6:45am) it was windy and cold and raining hard. Did I mention it was right on the beach? What beach? What ocean? We couldn't see it....We had an hour to "hang out" before it started! There were 15,000 people running that morning, so that is the reason for our early arrival.

We found a little tent to hang out in, along with a bunch of other people. Jake was drenched and freezing before even beginning, as he was wearing a "water resistant parka". To make a long story short, we ended up all finishing - no walking - just a bathroom break at about mile 9! The wind and rain never let up for Jake, who finished in 1 hour, 48 minutes. However, for Renee and Tonya, since it took us a little longer, we did have the last 3 miles rain-free. We finished in 2 hours, 43 minutes. All in all, it was a fun experience - and one that we don't mind bragging about - our first half-marathon - in the freezing cold windy weather! Immediately afterwards, we headed to the local Starbucks for a large, hot sweet drink. Yum!

Gracie stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Harder...it wasn't easy being away from her overnight. However, we knew she was in safe hands!