13.1 and done!

April 14 Jeannie and I ran our first half marathon in Edinburgh! We have been training since December and crossing the finish line was one of our greatest accomplishments. We have both always wanted to run one and with each others support and motivation throughout the training and race, we were successful. However, the tragedy of the Boston Marathon hit close to home and my thoughts and prayers are with all who ran it and are affected by it.

T-shirt, bib and medal!

Early Friday morning, Jeannie, Patrick and I made our way to Edinburgh and spent the day wandering the streets. We had rented an apartment right on the Royal Mile, putting us in a perfect location, with the major sites in close proximity.

Scottish Bagpiper

Saturday morning we started the day early and went to visit the Edinburgh Castle. The fortress dates back to the 12th century and sits atop volcanic rock, dominating the city's skyline. Starting as a royal residence, it was turned into a military base and garrison in the 15th century and thus much of it's history is centered around war, battles and sieges. Today, the fortress pays homage to this large military history. We were able to walk around the grounds, visit the military prison, the war museum, the Scottish National War Memorial and St. Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building on the grounds, dating back to 1251.

Me, Jeannie & Patrick outside the Castle

Jeannie and I then went to pick up our race packets that contained our bibs for the race! It made the approaching race so much more real and the excitement and butterflies soon began! For lunch we headed to the Balmoral Hotel to have a traditional four course High Tea, as it is referred to in Scotland. Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford is thought to have begun the tradition of afternoon tea in the early 19th century. Since dinner was often served so late, she would order tea, bread and cakes in the early afternoon to hold her over. It soon caught on and is now thought to be the quintessential English tradition. Our first course was a cauliflower soup taster, which was delicious. We then enjoyed our pots of tea with typical tea sandwiches (ham and mustard, cucumber and cream cheese, goat cheese and rocket, egg salad, and salmon- which I didn't partake in). The next course were plain and raisin scones and lastly dessert. The tea was very filling and a fun experience.

At the Balmoral for Afternoon Tea

In the afternoon we headed to King Arthur's Seat, located in Hollyrood Park, which is also where we would be starting our race the next day. King Arthur's seat is a dormant volcano reaching 822 feet above sea level, making it the highest hill in Edinburgh. The top gave great views of the city and the sea allowing us to see all of Edinburgh. We then ended the day with a tour at the Queen's Palace, located at the base of Hollyrood Park.

At King Arthur's Seat

RACE DAY!
Sunday morning we woke up to the pouring rain and howling wind, however, the bad weather didn't deter us and we headed down to the race start. The wind was so strong, our umbrellas broke and the white tents and porta potties set up were blowing over. It wasn't until after the race that we found out the wind gusts were up to 37 mph!

Braving the weather

Rainbow teasing us in the distance

A little past 9am freezing and soaking wet we began our run. At some points the rain pelted down stinging our faces as we attempted to fight against the wind. The very hilly course brought us past all the sights, so now after 13.1 miles I think I can say I've seen it all! We finally looped around and ended our run back at Hollyrood Park! This was definitely not my last half marathon and I look forward to the next one!

The last stretch...we did it!

After the race, we went and got a well deserved lunch at a cute cafe. Later that afternoon we headed to The Elephant's Cafe, better known as the Birth Place of Harry Potter and finished our weekend at The World's End Pub.
Monday morning we had a 7am flight back to Lugano and the massive amount of work the end of the semester brings.