Alarm went off early Sunday morning for the race! I was super pumped for the race, but I knew it was going to be tough as my ankle was STILL bothering me and of course I still hadn't really ran except for the Houston marathon three weeks ago.

I got dressed super quickly in my new outfit and somehow was missing a safety pin for my bib. No big deal, at least I wasn't missing all 4 from my nightmare the day before! As long as I didn't forget my fuel, I was on my way to that being the only thing that came true! Lol

I grabbed my music, GU, opened my Nanohydr8 and sat it down so I could eat a Clif Bar before I grabbed my jacket and hand warmers to keep me warm during the wait for the start.

I then promptly left my Nanohydr8 on the desk and didn't realize it until we got downstairs to meet the team to head to the start. I didn't have enough time to run back upstairs to get it so yeah, there was that! I was super mad at myself!

The weather was a little warmer than this as I screenshot this the day before. Way warmer than I like for a race, but I know as summer gets closer it will only get worse!

So, I wished everyone good luck and headed to my coral after the 12 minute walk to the start. Moving forward, I think staying at a hotel that close and not having to worry about parking etc is the way to go!

We listened to a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and I was literally off to conquer 13.1 miles.

The first mile definitely felt the best, but I felt my ankle with every single step. I never got my grove as a result nor was I ever truly able to settle back and take in the race.

That being said, the course was pancake flat for the most part and I definitely want to come back and run again as this would be a great half for a PR!

However, you have to really watch where you are going on several of the roads. When they have signs up as big as the mile markers and they say CAUTION ROUGH ROADS AHEAD you know you better be careful!

The first half of the race was out and back so we were able to see a lot of the runners on the other side of the road as we turned to head back. I was looking for our friends and a few minutes later I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw Dan and Sylvia fly on by. I was happy for them as they were having a great race (Dan PRd) but I was struggling to hold my 8:45 pace and it went downhill from there. I ran the whole race but it was harder than it should've been. Jana also passed me at some point but I never saw her! Good job guys!!!

I can't be mad though, I'm grateful for the experience and that I was able to complete with no further injury! I was humbled by the distance and it made me realize yet again how quickly one loses endurance from not being able to train!

The next half of the race we ran past Cafe Du Monde and the smell of Beignets was in the air... I so wanted one!

There weren't as many people along the course as I thought there would be and definitely not as much crazy as I assumed being that this race was in NOLA. However, the course was hard to get to as a result of road closures. Where were the bead throwers?!

That being said, apparently there was a naked woman at some point on the course just chilling on her porch. I never saw this, but apparently I'm the only one.

Once I hit mile 10, I couldn't wait to get to the finish. I had my girl waiting for me there and that is always my huge motivator during the hardest parts of the race. I'm lucky to have a cheerleader at every one I sign up for... and as you know, it's a lot!

I'm so looking forward to getting through Austin this weekend for half marathon lucky number 30 (although terrified by the hilly course) and then getting it together so I can knock the 33k and 50 miler off my bucket race in a few months. After that, smart training and getting my legs back under me to kick some major butt this fall in the 5ks and half marathons is my focus! I have all spring and summer to dig deep and I can't wait! I may kiss the track the next time I'm on it!

We found Karen, Lilvia and Whitney a little after we finished and it was nice to high five everyone on a fantastic race!

We walked over to the after party and sipped on a bit of Michelob Ultra while we listened to some jazz.

They also had a bunch of people walking around on stilts. I can't imagine doing that, I'd bust my butt and knock out all my teeth.

Our friend Glenn was running the full, so we all waited on him to finish then got on a shuttle back to the start so we could head to our hotel and get showered up!

I ate some wheat thins and almost a whole can of these Blue Diamond BBQ almonds. Have you ever tried these? My new favorite!

While I was showering, Lynn took a small nap. That shower was incredible as I was sticky from Gatorade and wet from dumping cold water on myself during the race. Have I mentioned how hot I get when it's warmer than like 40 degrees out?! Well, I do!

Once we were both refreshed, we decided to head to Carousel Bar in the French Quarter. The below explains how amazing it is!

We had some delicious dirty martinis and took in the beauty of the atmosphere!

While we were talking about our trip, we met a super kind couple named Eliza and Bill and ended up spending several hours getting to know them! She was drinking dirty martinis as well and I think between the three of us an entire gallon of olives were eaten. They were like a salty, buttery heaven!

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week! Only a few more days till Austin!

Great race and I will be back next year, fully ready and injury free!