Mission accomplished...

So a few years ago I decided it would be fun to run a marathon. I talked about it off and on for those years and finally this year I decided to do it!! I found a half marathon (13 miles) in Payson. It is called the Rim Country Challenge. So I found a training guide and set out. I ran 5 days a week for 12 weeks (minus the last couple weeks, I wasn't very consistent!!) and I worked hard. So the day was finally here. We dropped the kids off at 2 different friends houses (thank you thank you!!) and set out for Payson. We left the seats to the van in Casa Grande and blew up our air mattress. It was such a gorgeous night! We opened the back windows and crashed in the van! It was so fun!! In the morning we headed over to the registration area. I thought there would have been more people but there were only 87 registered to do the half marathon! Which made me nervous since one of my main goals was to NOT BE LAST. Now you might laugh at that, but I ran cross country in high school, and it was not uncommon for me to be the last runner during the meets. I can go and go and go but I go slow!!! So seeing that there weren't many people I was a little worried about that, so I decided to focus on my next goal: TO FINISH. Now I didn't really doubt that I wouldn't finish, I had done my running, but still that was a main goal! My only other goal was to do it in under 3 hours. I really wanted to do it in 2:30ISH but I didn't know how well I would do on the hills and in the altitude since I trained in Casa Grande area and it is completely flat. So anyway we got to the start and off we went.


My dad came up there to watch me run so he and Eliott went down the course a ways to wait for me and yell and take a picture and what not. So after my awesome picture they headed off to Denny's for breakfast!!
Then after breakfast they came and tracked me down again, at this point I was pretty much by myself w/ just a few runners that I could see and some more behind that I couldn't see. They drove by me for a minute or so until I told them to leave, it was too hard to run like that. But on the upside, I need something in my stomach, so I got to have a few bites left over from my bar from breakfast and a much needed drink of water!!

The weather was gorgeous!! It could not have been better! It was overcast the entire time and had a slight breeze. It felt great. And the scenery was so pretty. We ran through neighborhoods and it was fun to see some of the different houses.

They met up w/ me once more but didn't snap any pictures, instead they got out of the car and cheered for me like goobers!! My best friend from growing up, April, came to cheer for me too!

I felt pretty good considering the difference in where I trained to where we ran. I do have hip problems and the hills were killing my hips. But I moved along and I finished!! I actually met all 3 of my goals. There was one girl that I knew was behind me but I didn't think anybody else was and I couldn't see her anymore so I didn't know if she dropped out. So when I finished I thought that there was a good chance I was last, but Dad and Eliott told me there were quite a few people behind me. And when all was said and done I think some of them dropped out!! So, not last, finished, and I did it in 2:30ish. 2:39 something, to be more exact!!

It was such a good feeling to accomplish something that I have worked so hard to do!! Eliott has been a great support too, during all my running. I tried doing it before he left for work but sometimes that didn't happen. And on Saturday mornings when I would do my long run, he never complained about the time I was gone! He is fabulous!! Thanks Babe!!! I love you!!