I did 26.2 Miles????

Well, I did it! I finished my first marathon! Needless to say, it was by far the best experience of my life. Incredibly hard, incredibly fun and I have to agree with people now who say that your first marathon is a life changing experience. The day began in Union Square with over 20,000 runners plus thousands of spectators. It was so crowded at one point I got really claustrophobic because I literally felt like I was being crushed by other runners. Luckily, I had my teammates with me and we all held onto each other until the crowd thinned out. Adrenaline was totally pumping- plus I was also scared. I mean- what if I couldn't finish? A few minutes into the race I passed my family standing on a corner with signs cheering me on and all my worries went away. I relaxed and just really started to enjoy myself. The first 6 miles or so were awesome. Passing Fisherman's Wharf and the running along The Embarcadero just after sunrise was breathtaking. The views of the Golden Gate were incredible. I don't care how many times I see that bridge, I always am in awe of it. Things got much tougher just after mile 6 when we started hitting the hills. I wasn't prepared for them and they kicked my butt. But then again, after climbing what felt like the worlds biggest hill- my family was there to cheer me on. One of my favorite parts of the race was turning the corner near the Cliff House. That was one of the most amazing moments ever- it was just so beautiful. After mile 15 things got tough. My friends and I lost some steam and it was hot. Because a lot of people were doing the half marathon- it seemed lonely out there on the course. Then, at about mile 19 or so, we hit Lake Merced. Suddenly the unthinkable happened- I felt my throat close up and I couldn't breathe. I stopped running right in front of some TNT coaches who started asking me "where is your inhaler?" Well, it turns out I was having my first ever asthma attack (my doctor thinks that it might be sports asthma triggered by all the Eucalyptus trees around the lake). After about 5 minutes a coach decided I was OK to keep going, but he walked with me for about 1 mile. Then I ended up having to walk for about 2 more miles. This was really frustrating because after 20 miles, you just want it to be over. And having to walk just prolonged the end. And, my legs were so tired and heavy that walking was almost harder than running. Because of the 6.5 hour limit on the race, I got worried I wouldn't finish in time. My sweet Dad put on his tennis shoes and started running with me. That was great and motivating. Then at about mile 24 coach Ken started running with me too. At that point, it was all I could do not to start sobbing from being so incredibly grateful to have so much support. I don't exactly remember crossing the finish line- but I know I was half smiling and half crying. All the tears were just from being so incredibly happy and proud and grateful. Happy to have finally accomplished a life goal, proud of myself and of all my teammates and so incredibly grateful for my health and for my family and for my friends. Really, it was just one of those moments that you cannot describe other than saying it was incredible. And my Tiffany's necklace is now my most prized piece of jewlery!! I wear it proudly!! After the race, I spent some time stinky and sweaty with my family, took a shower and then headed out dancing with my teammates at the race Victory Party. Its amazing that all of us girls could dance so much and have so much energy after finishing a marathon!! Go Team!! Whoooo!!

My Birthday!!

Another year bites the dust......I actually had a nice birthday. I heard from a ton of friends- got several cards in the mail, flowers at work, gifts and a cupcake. Life is good!

I also celebrated my birthday with a short 3 mile run at McKinley Park with my team. It was good to get a little exercise before heading home to watch the finale of Top Chef (and Hung won! Hurray!).

While on one hand it sucks a little to be another year older- I really have a huge gratitude for the life that I have.

I'm lucky to have an amazing family- great parents and brothers that always make me smile and a brand new sister-in-law who makes our family even better than it was before.

I live in a great city, have a great job and wonderful friends. I have the worlds sweetest basset hound. I have peace in my faith and know that life is more than just years passing by.....

And once again, training with team in training has helped me to be more thankful for my body, my health and the ability to run 26.2 miles........

My last long run...before the longest run!

Saturday was the longest run I will do before the marathon- I ran 20 miles! Well, I didnt run the entire 20 miles- but I ran/walked 20 whole miles!!!
Today's run was tough- my foot has been bugging me a little but lately and it really started acting up on this run. Around mile 18 my hip started hurting- I think because I was running funny on my foot. But, I did it and I bounced back quickly- today I dont have any aches or pains!
Once again, I have to say that running with Hydration Hottie, Running Song, Serenity Sue and Red Lightning makes it so much easier. On this run I am sure we annoyed everyone on the trail because we were singing to pass the time and making each other laugh way too much! Oh, and we thought of wacky nicknames for each other. What can I say- when you run that much at 6:30 in the morning things like that are funny!
So now I am officially in taper mode- and will drastically cut back on my running so my body can get ready for the race. It is strange to think that in just a few weeks I am going to be donewith the marathon. It makes me happy to be reaching this goal- but it makes mesad because I have so much fun with my teammates!
In other news- my team has raised over $200,000!