Triumphant!

Well kids, I did it! I 13.1 miles! It turned out to be a great race, for the most part. Yes, it was frigid this morning and the wind threatened to hamper our efforts. That's when we were glad we had trained in nothing but cold and wind. Actually, it didn't bother us as much as we thought it would.

So the race started right at 7:30. Of course, it's never easy getting through the masses to get a good pace going, but with my great running partner along side, we made a pretty strong start. We were having a great time and going at a great pace for quite a while. There's nothing like the energy of a race to get you motivated! We breezed through the first six miles. At about mile 6.5, we had a pretty brutal hill to climb and I was beginning to feel a little worn. A downhill jaunt put some wind back in my sail and we picked it back up for another few miles. During the eighth mile, I kept thinking that I needed to get to 10. If I could just get to 10, I knew I was almost there. At a point when I was beginning to slow down a bit, and I lost my running partner in a water-station-backup, I was absolutely thrilled to see Mike jump out of the car. He enthusiastically grabbed the camera (thanks to Nora for letting us borrow hers... mine was at Mike's office) and began running ahead of me to take a few shots. It was so great to see him there! The entire race, I kept hoping to see him. He was so clearly proud of me and very excited to document the moment.

A mile or so after we parted, trouble hit. My calf was causing me no small amount of pain. Sadly, I had to walk. I was very discouraged at that point and was frustrated at the thought of having to walk the three miles to the end of the finish line. Still, I trudged on... when all of a sudden, there he was again! Mike was just standing there, ready to take more pictures (which I told him I did NOT want walking pictures!) and offer some encouragement. He walked with me for a few blocks and told me over and over again how proud he was of me. I was again so glad to have him there, especially at that moment. We again parted ways and I continued my walk, stretching at points and trying not to hobble too much. After a little while, I got mad and decided to try running. I ran off and on for a while, and then once I hit mile 11.5, I hit my stride and ran the rest of the way in. Of course, I did have a secret weapon. I turned my Ipod on and following the advice of my husband, I put the Rocky soundtrack on. Now, if you don't know, Mike is fairly obsessed about Rocky. He has every movie in the series memorized and constantly quotes them. So when I put the music on, not only was I pumped from the music (let's admit, that can get anyone going), but I felt Mike with me again. I laughed and ran the rest of the way and was so excited and proud to cross the finish line. I may not have gotten the time I set out for, but I was thrilled to finish in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Given that I've battled injuries and I wasn't able to train thoroughly, I'm more than ok with that.
Unfortunately, Mike was not at the finish line when I crossed... he just couldn't get there in time. It's ok though because he was right where I needed him to be exactly when I needed him to be there. I've said it before, but I could not have done this without him. It is such a blessing to have his full support, not to mention the support of family, friends, and my great running team. This was an amazing experience, one that I hope to relive again soon... I'll let ya know! :)