26.2

WE DID IT!!!

Whew!  Did it, done, check, been there, done that, over, completed, got the t-shirt, got my medal, pictures to prove it, my name even made the paper as top 1000 female finishers!  I have never been so sore in every fiber of every muscle of both of my quads!

4:22:41 was the time it took me to run 26.2 miles all over Houston.  What an adventure!  It was a mental, physical and spiritual adventure... pushing my body past the capabilities I knew I had - WAY past!  Every first marathon has a story, right?!  Well, mine involves more than you care to hear about as I had some additional challenges with my intestines at the beginning... I won't go into details, but fortunately I only dealt with that for half of the run.  I got unexpectedly emotional at several points because of the magnitude of what I was doing - the turn around point for the half marathon made me tear up because from that point on it was just us marathoners; the halfway point - because it meant I was halfway there; the 16 mile point because I had never run further than that; the 21 mile point because I wanted so bad to just sit down and quit; the 25.2-26.2 (very last mile) where the streets got noisy and I saw the balloon archway finish line in the distance.... it felt like I would never get there.  What a journey!

Why would anyone want to run a marathon?  Well, I created 26.2 reasons I was running 26.2 miles before hand to reflect on during the race - to remind me of all the people, reasons, etc.... I was inflicting such pain upon myself!

I ran because...
1)  I want to be an example for my daughters - I want to be my best for them - show them that nothing is impossible if you believe you can do it.
2) It scared me - do something that scares you... because it's not so scary once you do it.
3) I was motivated by others who physically challenged themselves, people with more obstacles (weight loss, tradegy, etc...)
4) I want to motivate others - if I can do it, you can do it... seriously!  Don't take on a marathon first, take small steps, but push yourself and create your own challenges, face them, conquer them... the feeling is amazing and NO ONE can take that from you
5) I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God... I'll never forget my first MS150 when I learned that my body will forgive me for punishing it physically!  Our bodies are capable of so much more than we ask of them!
6) I am an OVERCOMER!  I have worked so hard to overcome so many things - this is just another one to add to that list...
7) I am a non-smoker - and that wasn't always the case...
8) It was 4 hrs, 22 min, and 41 sec with my best friend by my side (not to mention the runs we were fortunate enough to do together beforehand)- talking, laughing, complaining, feeling the same hurt... best running partner and best friend in the world.
9) It was time (in training and on the big day) to pray, reflect and be thankful (and rock out to my tunes!)
10) I want to be my best mentally, sprititually and physically for my husband. I want him to be proud of me.
11) I want to thank and encourage my family - my brother, sister, mother, in-laws, out-laws... they always have and always will be there for me and I for them.
12) I want to prove to myself that I can do it.
13) Bragging rights - less than 1% of all Americans have run a marathon.  I have my 26.2 sticker for the back of my car... I don't put stickers on the windows, but I am tempted to stick this one up there!
14) I am living in the moment of today - we don't know what our future holds.... so if you have something on your list for the future... do it!  We are only guaranteed this moment right now.
15) I want the best for my future - my health.  Running is my exercise, the marathon is my challenge.  I am taking these steps to increase my odds for a long, healthy life.
16) The feeling when it is all over will be like nothing else!  And it truly was!
17) For others who deal with so much more on a daily basis than I... my nephew Chase... he has diabetes and lives with it daily...
                           18) Friends of family on both sides with MS and other medical challenges
                           19) Friends and family who have experienced loss of a child/grandparent/spouse
20) My fellow country men/women out fighting for my freedom and the freedom of others - its humbling that they would fight and sacrifice so we can live like we do here and others can experience the same freedoms... and we take our way of life for granted!  Like we are owed such freedom - when we are truly blessed to live in this country.  As a woman, I feel blessed to have rights, equality and freedom (to run, stay at home, be CEO of a corporation, do whatever the heck I want)... many women still live in oppression.
21) The goodie bag - you do get alot of freebies when you pick up your packet - including a cowbell for each of my daughters!  What a GREAT give-away - NOT!  Cowbells should be banned from everywhere!
22) The free food and gatorade - yes, now you can see I am reaching for reasons to run... the gatorade kept me hydrated which is probably the only reason I didn't stop at mile 21!
26.2) Probably the most fitting reason, because I am crazy... yes, I think to pay $100 for a "free" t-shirt, go through a $100 pair of running shoes in 4 mo of training, train for 4 mo (easily 300 miles run in 4 mo), and to commit to running 26.2 miles all at once - you have to be a little off!

Hey, did I mention or have you heard....

I JUST RAN A MARATHON!!!!