On October 16th, 2011, I did what I said I would NEVER do....I ran {with more walking than I wanted} a marathon! When I decided to do a marathon, it was important to me to pick one relatively close {I have been known to travel for races} so that my parents could be there with me. So, I decided to enter the lottery for the Nike Women's Marathon, and Luck Be A Lady I got in. And so the journey to 26.2 started...
As we headed to San Francisco, we filled the car with all the essentials for both us runners, and our cheerleaders
Essentials for a marathon weekend in San Francisco
Our fabulous home for the weekend {I really could live in a big city!}
One of my favorite parts of all races, is going to the EXPO! Not only does it get the excitement going when you get your bib and timing chip, I love walking around and seeing what all the booths have {the latest in running technology, nutrition/supplements, gadgets, running apparel, etc}. Although I was disappointed in the Nike Expo, we still had a great time!
RACE DAY:
Throughout the entire training process I felt so blessed to have had no major injuries or setbacks in my training {especially since I started with a setback}. I did struggle with IT band issues, and 3 weeks before the race I had some weird foot issue....so Dr. Roberts and KT Tape {I swear by this stuff} came to the rescue!
Words really can't explain the energy as over 20,000 women {and a few men}, of all ages, abilities, athletic levels & motivations {some were running in honor of survivors, some running in memory of family, friends, and loved one, some were survivors themselves, some were running for the prize at the end, and others just running to be part of a phenomenal even} gathered to support a great cause and accomplishment something pretty amazing. No matter how long it took people to finish, and the end of the day we were all marathoners!!!
Heading to the start line, rocking our Team Sparkle skirts!
Overwhelmed with excitement!
Proud dad! Thankful daughter!
This was at mile 11...I'll be honest, I was STRUGGLING!!! It was more of a mental struggle, than physical. As we climbed the hills of San Francisco I kept thinking if I am this tired now, how am I possibly going to finish 26.2!? It wasn't that I was so tired at that exact moment, that I couldn't run any further, but I was tired enough that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish 26.2. BUT, I never doubted that I would finish, it just might be a little slower than I anticipated.
The ugly cry!!! For those of you that know me, I am an emotional runner...I get overwhelmed with a feeling of accomplishment and joy every time the finish line is in site.
I'm a MARATHONER!
We did it!!!
And the REAL reason why I wanted to do this marathon....
The blue box!
Firemen in suits!
My only goal for my first marathon was to finish, injury free, without any "accidents" and with a smile on my face...mission accomplished! Although my time was quite a bit slower than I expected and I walked more than I really wanted, I am still a marathoner and I learned a lot for my next marathon {blog post coming soon}.
Thank you to all who supported, encouraged & motivated me throughout the entire process!
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