I ran the Rock!!!

This is the picture after we all finished the marathon on Sunday. It was amazing!!!
The official results said this: We finished at 5 hours 12 minute and that averaged at a pace of 11:56. The four original women on our team are not runners, we had one fill in that is a runner. She ran a total of 11 miles (6 just for fun!). Our starter says she crossed the start line 15 minutes late so that put our real finish time under 5 hours.

I was more nervous about this day than I have been about anything in a long time. I was responsible to find everyone and pass out our stuff and then had to wait around for my time to run. In this day and age of knowing when everything is happening, having cell phones and internet it was amazing to be in a position where you would run just as soon as your runner came- and you could only have an educated guess on that time. So my nerves were on high alert all morning. Then my runner came and it was my turn and it felt great to start out.
As I warmed up in the first mile a guy passed me that had no legs! No legs [only two prothesis], and he was doing great-I thought if he can do this so can I.

I had not run a full five miles in my training and I was realistically worried about how I would do. The last mile of my leg was supposed to be the hardest with two hills called the Dolly Parton's. At one mile in I knew I could do it-I felt great. The rest of the race was exciting, challenging, and strangely relaxing. I would get goose bumps when I passed people cheering us on. Little kids on the side giving high-fives made it fun.

I ran longer than my two on and two off. It was hard to stop running sometimes because my team was counting on me and everyone around me was telling me I could do it. It was a great race, I want to do it again.
We are all hoping to do more races in the spring. I hear a 10K is coming up in February in Fort Worth-it would be great to run closer to home.
Thanks for supporting me-keep reading, I'm not quitting.

Not Running

It has just been harder these last few weeks to run in the morning and then impossible to do it any other time. I don't know what all of my excuses are but here I am nonetheless. I am 5 days away from the Rock and I have yet to run a five mile stretch. This is not where I envisioned myself when this all started-I thought I would be in much better shape and in much better mental preparation for this run and I am not. I am excited about it but more nervous that I will let down my team now that the time has come. Now, these girls are all in the same boat I am, busy with life, kids, husbands, families and engagements and we all are feeling like we are not quite up to snuff. All I want to say is praise God none of us are doing a marathon all by ourselves. Together we can do it and I'll do my best on my part.
So even though it is supposed to be bone chilling cold in the morning I am going to go run. It may be my last run before the Rock and that will just have to do.

Turkey Trot

We got up on Thanksgiving morning at 5:50 am and were at the trot by 6:25am. It was cool but we knew it would be a beautiful day. It warmed up by start time and I was in my short sleeves by the end of the race. It was thrilling to be among 10,000 runners and all the bodies moving and shuffling to get started. I loved seeing the families with children out and all the strollers and such. It was also great to pass people who were slower than me!!!! My final race time was 40.34 I was 78 out of 137 women in my age group and I was the 550th person to cross the line. I ran at 13.04 mile.
At the end of the race, when I saw the finish line I got all these goose bumps. I was so excited that I had finished my race-something that I have overcome, something to show my girls and my husband that I could do. They were in the line and cheered me as I finished. My grandmother also came and cheered and cried with us. I then sat and we only waited nine minutes when we saw my parents cross the line as well. This was a great start to Thanksgiving, we are so thankful for health and bodies to do this. It just might become a family tradition!