i am a survivor

waiting at the finish line
i'm the runner in pink and black - trying not to die!
natalie, me and adam we finished!

a week ago today i was a nervous twit. i was so anxious about the half marathon i was about run, i had a hard time thinking of anything else. well, i ran 13.1 miles on saturday and not since child birth have i been so involved mentally, emotionally and physically in a cause. i do believe i was a little too consumed by it but, it was something new and very foreign to me. it has been an amazing journey and i'm still in shock when i think about what my body and mind just accomplished. i could say my half marathon was awesome, no problem and that i loved every minute of it but, i'd be a big fat liar! i came into the race expecting to be tired towards the end, to want to quit sometime along the way but, i didn't expect to hit two major mental blocks on top of that! i'm proud of finishing what i set out to do and even though i finished about the same time as the man who came in 4th place for the marathon, i never stopped and the only time i even slowed up was to drink, considering my first attempt at hydration left me coughing and giggling for the next mile. i was lucky enough to meet up with some friends, and towards the end, it was following their lead and picturing my family at the finish line that kept me going. the scenery was amazing, we started at the base of the mountains and ran by three parks, residential areas and had quite a view across the valley. it was a beautiful, cool morning and the adrenaline of running with thousands of people was quite exhilarating. so, overall, i would have to admit i did enjoy myself and the second i crossed the finish line eric and my sister in law already had plans to have me run another race with them in august. i still am amazed at what can be accomplished when you put your mind to it. i feel like this race taught me so much more than just about running. hopefully, i will carry what i learned into my spiritual life. that it's not about cramming the night before, that it takes a lot of hard work and some sacrifice (sleeping in) to reach any goal. so, even though i missed the 2 hour mark, i only came in 5 minutes after my goal of 2:15, at 2:20. hooray!