I never thought I'd run 26.2 miles!

Running a marathon is by far the hardest physical thing I have ever done in my life. My friend Lacey and I trained from about March to July, following a rookie schedule we found online. It was difficult to find time to run because of work, especially when I had to wake up extra early or run through the hottest time of the day. But we stayed dedicated and were determined to keep to our schedule. I had 2 injuries: my foot and my knee. The worst part was knowing when to take days off and when I could run again. I made the mistake of re-injuring my foot because I didn't take enough time off. But luckily they were both only temporary and I was able to get back on track. We ran many of our miles to first and second dam and on the river trail. At first I thought it was boring to always run the same path, but I soon found it was easier because I knew mile markers and it was familiar. I was so glad to have Lacey to train with because it helped hold me accountable for runs and it was fun to have someone to talk to when long runs got boring.

The weekend of the marathon was fun but also nerve racking. I was excited to be in a new city, San Francisco, and see the beauty of California. I was also scared I would tire my legs out and not have enough energy for the marathon. We got to see a lot of cool things...but I'll save those for another post :)

The marathon expo was fun. We picked up our t-shirts, goodie bags and got to try a lot of healthy runner snacks and drinks. Chris even made me a cute sign:

The morning of the marathon, I ate half a bagel and a banana. I didn't feel like eating, but I knew I would need the energy. Lacey and I stuffed our tank tops with Energy Gel and got in line. We started the race at about a 9:45 pace, trying not to go too fast, although it was hard not to because of all my adrenaline. Running across the Golden Gate Bridge and back was one of the best parts of the race...and also one of the worst. I loved the beauty of the bridge. It was a lot bigger (and longer) than I expected. It was very majestic in a way...but also very crowded! We passed a lot of people who kept stopping to take pictures or send text messages. I was super bothered, so I spent a lot of the time trying to squeeze past people or sprint to get ahead. I think I may have wasted some of my energy because later on... my body started to cramp up. One thing I was really proud of, was conquering the hills. We had been warned about the famous San Francisco hills... but training in Utah, in the mountains gave us an advantage. I passed so many people on the hills, and half the time I didn't even notice that we were going up. It was definitely a confidence booster. The aid stations were really well run. There was always water and energy drink waiting for me. The first 13 miles went by really fast, but once I hit mile 17, I was hurting. My mile pace kept dropping and I tried to get my legs to move faster, but they wouldn't. As the old people and the fat people passed me, I felt like a loser and I cried. Obviously this did not help, because it just took more of my energy and made it hard to breathe. Then I saw Christopher waiting to give me a high five. He relayed a message from my brother Nate and it was just what I needed to keep me going. Whether I was hallucinating or just have a really good imagination, I'll never know- but I kept seeing members of my family poking out of the crowd. I heard them cheering my name, shouting to me, telling me I could do it. The last 3 miles were definitely the hardest. I felt slow, I felt alone and I just wanted to be done. My body hated me, especially my knees and my calves that were cramping up...so I made a bargain. I said, "Body- if you get me across the finish line, I will NEVER make you run more than 10 miles ever again." With each step I kept on counting down, until finally the finish line was in sight. With 400 yards to go, I somehow found it within me to sprint. I'm not sure how I was able to, but my body gave everything it had. As I crossed the finish line, I felt a sense of accomplishment and relief. I was done.

I honestly never thought I'd be able to run 26.2 miles, ever. It was a life goal that I wanted to complete...but that seemed as impossible as riding a killer whale or walking on the moon. I'm not sure if I will ever run a marathon again, but I'm glad I had the experience. I'm happy to say that I DID IT and I reached my goal of running in under 5 hours.

I never could have done it without my husband. He put up with me when I was cranky from running long distances. He allowed me to spend hours at a time running, even though he hadn't seen me all day. He traveled with me to San Francisco and cheered me on the whole way. He believed in me, and it helped me make it through.

My family also helped me. I decided to run the marathon for a cause and raised money for breast cancer. My family donated and wrote me encouraging words that inspired me to keep on going.

To all the runners out there... If you can run a 5K, you can run a marathon, I'm sad to say I never felt the infamous "runners high," I am not addicted to running, and I have actually taken a break from running and no I am not depressed that I stopped, it actually feels nice to just relax.

Marathon. Check. Next Goal? Serve the people in a 3rd world country. Guatemala- here I come!