The Middle Half

Race day started bright at early at this house. My alarm was serenading me at 5 a.m. and I was out the door by 5:30 to pick up Molly. The stadium was absolutely buzzing when we got there - I always love the atmosphere at races. Even if it's just a 5k, there's always excitement in the air.

We were off and running shortly after 7 a.m. The route wound through the historical spots of Murfreesboro. My favorite was probably Oaklands Mansion because everyone was in full historic dress out front cheering us on as we ran by.

I finished with a new personal record of 2:19:46. I was really hoping to be faster since this course was basically flat compared with the hilly Nashville terrain that we covered at the Country Music Half back in April but really, my only goal was to get a better time in general. Mission accomplished.

I know I'm going to catch a ton of flack for this but I would not do The Middle Half again. There was so much hype surrounding it that I thought it might become my new favorite but to be honest, I didn't really care for the route. The best sights were at miles 4 & 5 and then the rest really wasn't much to look at so I just got plain bored out there. Unfortunately, I was spoiled with my first 1/2 and now my standards might be too high. I will say that the race was extremely organized which made it a pleasant experience overall. Plus, how much can I really complain when I had my dad cheering me on down the final stretch to the finish line?