Marathon 6

(waiting on more pictures from my friend amy...)

 didn't spend much time at the expo this year. it looked like a lot of the same vendors were there and i didn't see any speakers that i was that interested in. i did get a free pair of gloves and headband to wear for the marathon.

after the expo, my friend amy and i were off to eat some carbs! we went to a yummy italian restaurant for lunch and had pizza for dinner.

went to bed early (although i think i laid there for about 2 hours) and set the alarm for 5 a.m.
when we left for the marathon, we had to scrape the car windows! wow, it was cold! probably high 20's. i ended up wearing a long sleeve t, tights, two pairs of gloves, and a jacket from the goodwill to toss later in the race. i also had my ears covered for almost the entire race. standing at the corral waiting to start was really cold, but once i got going the cold actually felt pretty good. i ended up keeping my jacket and gloves on until mile 6.

i was hoping to run with a pacer, but couldn't find them. the first half felt great. the course is so beautiful with all the changing trees and we ran around 3 lakes. around mile 14, i started to notice the pain in my left leg (same leg that has bothered me off and on through training). i ran without stopping until mile 17 and then i started to walk a little through the water stops. i turned my ipod on, but there were so many bands and people cheering that i didn't really need it.

my leg started to hurt pretty bad around mile 20. from then on, i walked up most of the hills and my pace slowed way down. i knew i could finish, but it wasn't going to be a PR-kind-of day. the last mile i was hobbling pretty bad, but i manged to run the last two miles without stopping to the finish. at mile 25, it hit me that i was almost to the finish line of another marathon. i had worked hard for 16 weeks to get to this point. i was praising God for the ability to do something i enjoy so much, and for how He has worked in my life. i started to cry, which led to me almost hyperventilating. never a good idea when you're trying to run. i should know this by now. somehow i pulled myself together, and ran to the downhill finish. the finish line of this marathon is AMAZING. all downhill with people cheering the entire last mile. such an awesome experience.

i don't think i will ever grow tired of the marathon finish line, no matter what my time is. i don't want to win  awards or qualify for Boston. For me, it's more about the journey of getting to the finish line - all the training, trying to enjoy each run, and seeing all the amazing things God has created along the way. i never want to lose sight of 1 Timothy 4:8  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

*i'm signed up for another full next week. i'm going to see how my leg is doing, but i'm hoping to run it. it may end up being a run/walk, i don't know? i've never run them back to back before...

thanks everyone for cheering me on!
a special thanks to my friend amy for being there for me again this year!