I did it! I did it!! I just ran my very first 1/2 Marathon!!!

Wahooooo!!!! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this day to come? I feel really great about it and I really did have a blast doing it! Here are the details...

I woke up around 4:15 a.m. to get ready to be on the bus at 5. I was nervous this morning because I really didn't know how I was going to do.

After our bus ride up the mountain, when I stepped off the bus, it was SOOO cold up there!! I was freezing! I was amazed that it was that cold. I'm not sure how cold it was because I didn't have my phone with me to tell me but my best guess... about 45 degrees. Everyone around me was shivering and sticking their arms in their shirts. When I got to the starting line, there was a long line for the bathrooms. I was surprised that I made it out before the race started.

So, after about a mile into the race, a girl came up to me and started talking. Oh man, was I grateful for her! Her name is Teri and she is a 5-time marathoner. She was giving me tips on how to run comfortably and how to run downhill. She was my saving grace!! And another thing I was very surprised at... she ran my pace!!! We became instant friends and ran and talked together for the next 7 miles. I can't believe how easy those 8 miles were with her at my side! At one point, we were running uphill and we decided to stop and take a picture together on her phone. It was right in front of Bridal Viel Falls. She is going to post that picture later on the internet so I don't have that picture right now.

A little after the 8-mile marker, Teri decided to stop and walk for a bit. She told me to keep going. I was sad but ready to take on the rest of the race by myself. For the rest of the race, I paced myself and I only stopped once to stretch my back and legs out. I was really surprised at how well I did! I couldn't be more happier!!

So, I was about a 1/2 mile away from the finish line and I knew that the race was coming to the end. I really started thinking about my experiences about trying to get where I was and I realized that I was about to complete my ultimate goal... my 1/2 marathon!! At mile 13, I almost started crying. It was really overwhelming!

Right before the finish line, I saw some wonderful people cheering me on...

As soon as Ryan saw me, he took off and ran with me across the finish line! He is such a sweet little boy! Troy told me that Ben took off too but his poor little legs just couldn't keep up with us. He just ran as fast as he could!!

My time when I crossed the finish line was.... 2 hours and 46 minutes. Now, I'm going to wait to see what my offical time was on the website because I was wearing a timing chip and that will be more accurate.

Here is a picture of me and the boys. Obviously, the boys didn't seem to be in a picture taking mood!

I'm really glad that Troy got these pictures! I'm sure I'm going to remember this day forever! I also just wanted to say...

Troy, thank you so much for supporting me! You have really helped me with the boys and also telling me to stop eating all that junk food!! I really can't believe that I did this. I honestly could not have done any of it without your help. You are the best husband in the world!

Right after I finished, we all went over to eat some watermelon. It tasted SO good!! I ate a huge piece in 2 seconds! Ben also wanted some so we handed him a huge peice too. It was funny watching him work on it. The watermelon was as big as his head!!

So, you see my shirt I'm wearing in those pictures? I made it the night before the race. Here's what it says...

Front of Shirt

Back of Shirt

Cute huh? I'm going to love wearing this shirt for some time!

Wow! I can't believe that I just ran a half marathon! Boy... am I feeling the soreness! OUCH!!!!