This past March, my youngest son proposed that he, his older brother, and I run a half-marathon together. For most of my life, I considered myself a runner, so this should have thrilled me. I ran many marathons and half-marathons in my life, and when my sons were kids, they grew up watching mom go out for daily runs and heading out to races regularly. But due to injuries and wear and tear, I have become more of a run/walker in the past several years. Many things made me hesitant about this plan (even though I had always dreamt of running with my two sons):

1. Could I even run 3 miles anymore, let alone 13.1?
2. I had several trips planned between the time of this proposal and a fall half-marathon. How would I get the training in?
3. Can I keep up with my 27 and 24-year-old sons?

My older son, Jacob, was enthusiastic and took the challenge seriously. He lives in Utah, and as soon as ski season ended, he took to mountain trail running. It was clear he would have no problem running a half. Nick, my younger son, procrastinated and spent his free time on the golf course rather than running! I started running in May when Wisconsin weather became a bit friendlier. I was slow, but started stringing the miles together. I turned to TravelVita to keep my energy up and my immune system strong! We decided on the Milwaukee Lake Front Half Marathon on October 5th as our race. This was my first full marathon in 2001 and my last in 2012 —how perfect to make this my one half marathon with my guys!

My travels made it tough to keep my running consistent, but I tried my best to stay healthy and balanced. In May, I went to Cypress and Greece; in June, I was off to Steamboat, CO; in July, I was in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. In August, I was off to Colorado again, and then in September, I had a 10-day trip to Hungary, Austria, and Germany. This travel included long days of activities, late nights, and often indulging in food and drink! Keeping my immune system up was key to getting my runs in!

TravelVita kept me going! Once again, I managed to get through the travels, crowded venues, planes, trains, buses, and more with energy, stamina, and not even a sniffle. If I had gotten sick along the way, running would have been impossible! As the October date got closer and my miles grew longer, I was excited for the day! Jacob flew in on Thursday for the race, and he was ready with a 1:40 goal in mind. Nick and I just wanted to cross the finish line. Race day weather was unseasonably warm for a Wisconsin fall day, yet beautiful. The run went better than expected. It was a challenging course with the last 4 miles running over and back on the Hoan Bridge, but we all did it! Jacob beat his goal, running a 1:36, and Nick pushed me along and stayed with me the whole run. My time of 2:30 was the slowest of any half I've ever run, but the most fulfilling, as I crossed the finish line with my sons!