Well, on Sunday I managed to complete my first ever half marathon!! Official time: 2 hours, 12 minutes!
It was a day I won't forget anytime soon. All the pre-race anxiety, the excitement, the energy from all the people (over 21,000 participated)...it's hard to explain, but it was amazing. I laughed, I cried...and I ran! Most importantly, I proved to myself that I can do the seemingly impossible if I really set my mind to it. When I got tired, and believe me, I got tired, I thought about my boys and my family and friends who were waiting for me at the finish line to cheer me on and I just pushed on. I figured if they could pull themselves out of bed on a Sunday morning, walk for miles and stand in sun among a crowd of literally thousands of people just to support me, than I could muster up the energy to forge on! I also, of course, thought about my baby girl who, despite the fact that we haven't even met, has already taught me so much about endurance and inner strength. It was inspiring to jog pass the Chinese Cultural Center (just after mile marker 8) and think about how close we are to having her home with us!
I never, ever, ever could have done this without the encouragement and support of my friends and family. They are the best cheering squad ever. My B.F.F., Machel, drove all the way out from San Diego just be there at the finish! How great is that? And, my good friends, Chris and Brad trained with me for months....putting up with all kinds of questions, complaints, boo hooing, whining....I'm a pain in the butt to train, but they were great! Chris's wife and my dear friend, Adrianne, got up before the sun to drop us off at the start and spent the whole day out there taking pictures and cheering us on....THEN she made us dinner!
And my sisters....I can never say enough about my sisters. They were there, as always, rooting for me and screaming my name. I actually heard Norah before I ever saw her...too funny! I searched the crowd for Sarah and my Dad, but never spotted them. I knew they were there though and it made me feel so good. It really was a fun and exciting day.
Thanks to everyone for being there!
GEARING UP IN THE PARKING LOT!
CHRIS, MYSELF AND BRAD! "MY TEAM" JUST BEFORE THE RACE!
CHRIS AND ADRIANNE
MY BOYS AND I JUST AFTER FINISHING!
NORAH AND I AT THE FINISH!
ICING MY ANKLE...I WASN'T CRYING, I SWEAR!
VICTORY BEER! (I LOVE THIS BOY!!)
SIMONE (MY DEAR FRIEND SINCE 1ST GRADE) AND I! WE ROCK!
MY NIECE, SARAMARIE, MODELING MY MEDAL
THE FLOWERS MY MOM HAD DELIVERED!
