The weekend of February 20-22 we went on a couple's getaway. No, we didn't go to Monterey, Lake Tahoe, or even San Francisco. Where did we go? We went to Bakersfield, which some people refer to as "the armpit of California." Honestly, we didn't really care where we were going, we were just so excited to have a weekend away. Actually, the reason for the trip was so that I could run a half marathon. Most half marathons are on Sundays so when I found this one on a Saturday I knew I had to go. I convinced Lloyd to go with me and run a 5K. We left Friday evening and stopped in Fresno at an all-time-favorite restaurant of mine - The Spaghetti Factory. We carbed up on their garlic cheese bread and spaghetti. In Bakersfield we stayed at The Red Lion Inn (Hotwire has amazing deals!). That evening we checked out the park where the run was at and browsed around in Barnes and Noble. 
The race was Saturday morning at 8:00 am. It was pretty chilly in February so we dressed warmly. Here we are before the race. It really was my kind of race - not too crowded (just over 200 runners), with a flat course. Of course, Lloyd finished his 3.1 mile race before I completed my 13.1 miles. Lloyd came in at 31:14; he came in 40 seconds faster than he did when he ran The Turkey Trot. My goal was to complete the half marathon in 1:55. 
I actually came in at 1:55:40; an 8:50 mile average. It was much easier than a full marathon, but enough of a challenge. My GPS watch was a great help for me to pace myself throughout the race. My MP3 player is what gets me through the run. Thank goodness! I would be very bored running for two hours without any music. 
Here we are after the race. I got a finisher's medal for the half marathon. I can actually go back in November and run another half to earn an adjoining medal to the one I have. It's called "two halves make a full marathon." I'd love to go back if we can. After the race they served tri tip sandwiches. Lloyd had one, but I took mine to go. I didn't really feel like eating that after running 13 miles. I really do love going to these races because everyone is so friendly and upbeat. Believe it or not, they're really fun!
We both took naps after the race on Saturday. Then we went out to eat at a cute restaurant called Woody's. After dinner, we saw Taken at the movies. We almost felt like newlyweds with all this freedom. Thanks to the Cases our children were happy and well taken care of. We listened to church talks on tape as we drove home on Sunday. It was a fun and relaxing weekend. The weekend gave us just a hint of what life may be like when our kids are grown.
The race was Saturday morning at 8:00 am. It was pretty chilly in February so we dressed warmly. Here we are before the race. It really was my kind of race - not too crowded (just over 200 runners), with a flat course. Of course, Lloyd finished his 3.1 mile race before I completed my 13.1 miles. Lloyd came in at 31:14; he came in 40 seconds faster than he did when he ran The Turkey Trot. My goal was to complete the half marathon in 1:55. I actually came in at 1:55:40; an 8:50 mile average. It was much easier than a full marathon, but enough of a challenge. My GPS watch was a great help for me to pace myself throughout the race. My MP3 player is what gets me through the run. Thank goodness! I would be very bored running for two hours without any music. Here we are after the race. I got a finisher's medal for the half marathon. I can actually go back in November and run another half to earn an adjoining medal to the one I have. It's called "two halves make a full marathon." I'd love to go back if we can. After the race they served tri tip sandwiches. Lloyd had one, but I took mine to go. I didn't really feel like eating that after running 13 miles. I really do love going to these races because everyone is so friendly and upbeat. Believe it or not, they're really fun! We both took naps after the race on Saturday. Then we went out to eat at a cute restaurant called Woody's. After dinner, we saw Taken at the movies. We almost felt like newlyweds with all this freedom. Thanks to the Cases our children were happy and well taken care of. We listened to church talks on tape as we drove home on Sunday. It was a fun and relaxing weekend. The weekend gave us just a hint of what life may be like when our kids are grown. 
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