I DID IT!!!!!

I ran the Nike Women's Marathon throughout San Francisco on Sunday and LOVED IT!!!! Everything about the race weekend was amazing. Nike had a great Expo with tons of stuff geared toward women.. free manicures, massages, etc. :) The entire Team In Training experience has been wonderful. There were over 5000 TNT participants that took part in the 20,000 person race. Together, we raised 18 million dollars!!! Saturday night we took part in a huge pasta dinner. When we walked into the convention center for dinner... the walls were lined with thousands of TNT staff, coaches and mentors all dressed in purple in green screaming for us. They had every type of noise maker you can imagine. The cheering continued throughout the convention center until we reached the dinner. It was truly surreal. I got chills and tears came to my eyes as I looked around at all this support. The first female marathon Olympic gold medalist, Joan Benoit, spoke at the dinner along with John "the penguin" Bingham and several Leukemia survivors. Hearing their stories really solidified why I was there, why I had trained so hard and why I chose to fundraise for such a wonderful organization!!!

Race morning was full of excitement. I woke up at 4:30 am to get ready. Meera (my running buddy) and I got ready together blasting music in the room. We were pumped!!! The race started at 7am and I was soooooo excited because Brandon called to tell me that he, my mom, my dad and Tyler had secured a spot right at the starting line to see me off. I have the most wonderful family. They have always been my biggest fans and cheerleaders. This experience wouldn't have been the same had they not been able to share it with me!

We finally crossed the starting line at around 7:15am.... and we were off!!! Starting the race was such an exhilarating moment. I had trained for over 5 months for this, and I couldn't believe how quickly it came. The race was REALLY tight at first with over 20,000 runners on the course. However, by mile 5 it started to loosen up. The hills started at mile 6, but surprisingly, they were not as bad as I had anticipated. People had pumped them up for soooo long, that I was literally expecting huge vertical hills (like the ones we had trained on!). Instead, there were many low grade hills. They were difficult, but not as difficult as I had made them out to be in my head. It was a pleasant surprise :)

John "the penguin" Bingham had said that there was going to be a point in the race where we would KNOW that we were going to finish the race. He said sometimes it's at mile 8 for him... and sometimes it's when he sees the balloons at the finish line! None the less... we would reach a point in the race where we would just know. For me.... it came very early! Once I saw the Golden Gate Bridge at mile 5 I knew! This was one of the first moments that tears came to my eyes during the race (there were many!). I had worked so hard for the past 5 months following the training program my coaches had devised for us and it was finally paying off!

I got to see my family again at Mile 11. It was so exciting seeing them waiving signs and ringing cow bells!!! I stopped to give them all a quick hug and was off again! I wouldn't see them again until the finish line... but they kept texting me (I brought my cell phone in my hydration belt!) wishing me good luck and sending me pictures of Tyler!

The split for the half vs the full marathon was at about mile 12. I was surprisingly excited that I was doing the full because I did not want this experience to end. There was a quote at the Nike expo that really stuck in my head... "The thrill is in the journey, not the destination." I really made it a point to enjoy this journey and not just focus on the finish line 26.2 miles ahead... I made a point to look around at the scenery and all the other inspiring runners around me! I think this was one of the main reasons I had such a great run!

Miles 18-22 around the lake were the toughest. They say that the true half way point in a marathon is mile 20, not 13. All runners talk about the infamous "wall" that you usually hit after mile 20. I had a plan.... the night before the race I had Brandon load 8 songs that would uplift and inspire me. When I started to feel that I was approaching the wall (around mile 22), I followed my plan. I put my Ipod on (i didn't wear for any other portion of the race) and focused on keeping my arms swinging. If your arms keep moving... your legs keep moving too! I remembered what one of the LB coaches had told me a week prior... "when you hit the wall, just remember.... it's "just a wall", run through it!" That is exactly what I did!

I completed the trek around the lake around mile 23. Now I could see the 3 mile straight away to the finish line. It was a beautiful sight! The ocean was directly too my left and the street was lined with people cheering us on. This is where I really lost it. Tears started streaming down my face. Not because I was in pain or worried I wouldn't finish... but because I had done it. The wall was behind me and in front of me was just 3 more miles of open road until I would reach my goal. It was a moment I will NEVER forget. I will never forget the song that was playing ("I Run for Life" by Melissa Etheridge), the view of the ocean filled with surfers or the smell of the ocean air. It was a beautiful moment!

At mile 25, I met up with my running coach who ran the last mile with me. He was snapping pictures, pumping me up and getting the crowd to cheer louder for me! I saw my family at exactly mile 26. Again, they were screaming and waiving signs! I picked up my pace and ran the last .2 miles with my hands in the air. It was awesome!!!!

I did it! I trainer hard, raised over $3400 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, met a ton of great people, and met one little girl named Alyssa who is still running her race. Unfortunately, her race will last much longer than 5 hours and 20 minutes. She will be running her race for the rest of her life. I'm so blessed to have been a part of it!

I've learned a lot over the past 5 months. If you work hard and believe in yourself, ANYTHING is possible. I was the girl that was always picked last for teams in PE class. Luckily I had a high self-esteem ;-) All kidding aside, I just ran 26.2 miles! I'm proud of my accomplishment and the money I've raised for such a great organization... but most of all, I am proud of the example I have set for Tyler and my future children to come. I want them to know that there are no boundaries to what they can achieve. No matter what the obstacle (or the size of the upcoming hill!), there is always a way to the top... and what a view they will see!!!!

Thanks to all of you for your love and support! You have made this journey all the more memorable.

So now that the marathon is over... I wasn't sure what I should do next. So.... I did the logical thing, registered for the Las Vegas Half Marathon on December 7th. Brandon will be joining me this time and we will be renewing our vows at mile 5. I have a feeling this won't be the last race for us.......