26.2!!!

On Saturday, May 16, 2009, I ran the Ogden Marathon! Wow, what an experience it was. I was so nervous at the beginning of the race. The night before I had the most fun shower with my dear friends from high school. It was such a treat to hangout with some dear friends and have flashbacks to the days of spending our time in my beater Subaru and water balloon fights, and drives through the canyons with our windows down and the heat on our feet. My great friends Lauren and Carly threw the shower and we had so much fun together. I love these girls and they hold such a special place in my heart. I am so grateful for their friendship and the fun times that we have had together. After the shower I went to Jeff's softball game which ended up being one of the best come backs in softball history, at least that I have ever heard of. After being down 20 runs to 0 in the first inning, Jeff's team made a miraculous come back and ended up winning 26-25 in overtime. It was so much fun to watch and to see those boys change the momentum of the game so drastically. 

Needless to say, with all the excitement of the night and the butterflies roaming in my stomach and pretty much through my entire body, I had the hardest time falling asleep! I got into bed at around 11 and just kept thinking to myself "I am running a marathon tomorrow, why am I not asleep yet!" I had so many mixed emotions, wondering if I would even be able to run that far and for so long. I ended up falling asleep for probably around 3 or more hours and woke up at 3:30 to get ready for the race. We had to be at the start line at 4:45! I woke up and it didn't even feel like it was that early in the morning, I was so pumped! When we got to the shuttles to take us up to the race, I was just in awe of how many people were standing around, ready to do the same thing I had set out to do. I am not really sure what it is about running a marathon that is so great, I mean, it absolutely is painful and there really isn't much entertainment throughout a 4+ hour run. But, something about it just makes you feel like you are accomplishing something that is inhuman. It is a struggle and that is why it feels so good to do it. 

The race was just exhilarating! At the start line they played music super loud, had fires blazing all around (because it was 28 degrees outside!! Talk about cold!!) and there was just thousands of people standing around waiting for the announcement that the race was going to begin. when the race started, the first 6 miles flew by. Jeff came to mile 6 to cheer me on and snapped a picture of me being a dork and running to him to give him a big high five! It was such a great surprise to see him standing there. He has been so supportive of me and kept me going when I didnt think I would be able to do this. I remember when I started planning the wedding I called Jeff one day because I had missed a long run that I was supposed to do due to wedding stuff and I just kind of broke down and told him that I didnt think I should run it because I needed to focus on school and our wedding and making sure that everything went smoothly. I remember him telling me that just because I missed one or two runs didnt mean that I wouldnt be able to do the marathon and that I needed to just basically keep working towards this goal of mine. I am so glad that he was there to support me or I probably would have given up and not have been able to put a check next to this goal of mine that I have had for so long. He is amazing and the best soon-to-be-hubby to me. 

So, yes. the race was the hardest thing I have ever done and I can barely walk and move and probably wont be able to do any running for at least a week, but those 26.2 were monumental for me. I actually started getting pretty emotional at times during the race, seeing people cheering all the runners on and seeing families there supporting their runners. It was just an experience of a lifetime. I am so glad that my family was there to meet me at the finish line. They have always supported me through everything that I have put my mind to. They are the best and I love them so much. Thank you for the many cheers that you guys have shouted out for me! 

Oh and I finished with a time of 4 hours and 17 minutes! I'm just glad I finished!

Here is the picture of me being a dork when I saw Jeff. Haha, I dont know what the peace signs are all about, but I was just so happy to see him there!

This is me about to cross the finish line.. YES, Finally there!! 

Me, Missy, and Jena! Yeah girls! 

2009 Ogden Marathon