BQ

I ran the race of my life on Saturday October 4, 2014.  Probably one of the best days I have ever had.  Most people would not consider running 26 miles to be a fun occupation for a Saturday morning in Southern Utah, but for me it was the fulfillment of a 10 year long dream that for the most part seemed unattainable.  The first time I ran a marathon, I had the realization that anyone could run a marathon.  I have seen 75 year old men run along side me.  I have seen 10 year old boys running along side a parent.  I have seen the overweight run.  I have seen the packs of older ladies who walk the marathon each year with their fanny packs bulging.  I have seen very pregnant women complete marathons. Anyone can run a marathon.

But to qualify for Boston.  That seemed hard.  Really hard.  And would require a lot of work.

I came somewhat close about 7 years ago when I ran my second marathon in 3:48.  I was pretty proud of myself then.  I was only 8 minutes away from qualifying.  But, it had hurt the whole time.  I didn't really enjoy that marathon, and after I was done, I was really DONE for the rest of the day and felt sick.  At that time I told myself that I would just run marathons for the joy of it from that time on and that I would no longer push myself to hit a certain time.

I had never had athletic goals before. I never considered myself an athlete because I never played sports in school. I had never won any championships or awards or worked as an individual or a team toward a certain goal.  I had never really pushed myself physically in anything with an idea in mind of where I wanted to be.  Until this last summer.
At first, it seemed so daunting.  But after saying it out loud "I want to qualify for Boston."  And after making a plan.  And after sticking with that plan and pushing myself.  And after I found that I could go faster and longer than I ever had before, the dream stopped being a dream and became a reality.  Long before I actually ran the race it was a reality to me.  I would spend long periods of time picturing myself crossing the finish line with a specific time read out in numbers above my head.  I envisioned the phone call I would make to my family.  I felt the euphoria.  I KNEW it would happen.  So when I showed up that Saturday, I just followed the plan:  Keep running fast and don't stop.

I knew I had hit each mile at a certain time, so I kept a timer on and checked it at every mile point.  Over the course of the marathon I noticed that the gap between what I needed to run and what I was actually running was getting wider and wider.  I was running faster than I needed to, and I felt great!  I kept waiting for exhaustion or pain to set in, but I continued to feel good-- better than I have ever felt before in a race.  I decided to just go for it and not play it safe or slow down.  I wanted to give this race everything that I had!  And I was actually really enjoying myself.  I had an awesome playlist (first song: theme from Chariots of Fire; song during the steep ascent up the Veyo mountain: "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus; and the final song as I entered the last half mile: "Eye of the Tiger"-- all completely from a random shuffle)

 Luckily, I had some faithful family members to help cheer me on.  This cute woman is my sister Carly-- an incredible inspiration to me every day.  She runs her own kind of marathon in life.

 

the marathon route runs one block down from my house.  You can almost see where I live in this picture below.  But there was no temptation to stop at this point because I had only two miles left and I knew I was going to see my dream fulfilled!

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When I crossed the finish line and I saw the numbers 3:26, I was ecstatic. I would be hard pressed to think of many days in my life that I was this happy.  Right up there with getting married and having my two kids!  Not only did I qualify for the Boston marathon (I needed a 3:35), but I beat my old PR by 22 minutes.

This is my running buddy, Carrie, and her husband Matt, our coach.  Matt was on hand to cheer me on in the final stretch because he had completed his own PR in 2:49. Carrie, on the other hand, ran last years marathon 6 months pregnant, and ran it this year as well!  That is one amazing woman.  She shaved 3 hours off her time from last year :)

This is my incredible mother who helped me get ready that morning and who cheered for me and believed in me

Richard and the kids did not come down with me.  In a way, it made the trip even better because I was fully able to relax and enjoy my experience without worrying about nap times or snacks or tantrums.  I also got better sleep :)  They were an incredible support to me though!  I thought about them throughout the race and I kept their faces in front of me.  I want to be an example to them.  Richard took them to a track that morning and had them run around it a few times while I was running.  Please click on the below link to see the short video he created.  It is priceless!

 http://youtu.be/aFm5XG1WVFY

He was also tracking me on my phone and knew as soon as I did when I met my goal.  Later that day he had balloons and flowers delivered to my mom's house.  The card with the flowers read "I believe that God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure!" (my favorite quote from "Chariots of Fire")

This is what I made and ate the next day.  It was my nephews birthday...I had a good excuse! But one of my favorite things about running marathons is what I get to eat after a race. 

                                     

It was such a wonderful weekend and such a wonderful experience!  I felt so much love and support from so many family and friends!  One of the other amazing things was that I found out the women's overall marathon winner was a friend of mine from high school-- Amber Green.  I had slept over at her house once.  She was one of the girls I most liked and respected.  She ran her first marathon in 4:23 in college, and a mere 12 years later she is winning marathons and running all over the world.  And she has three kids!  Moms can do amazing things I think!