And then I ran a marathon.

I really can’t believe that I ran 26.2 miles.
Seriously.

It was intense.
Intensely hard.
Harder that I expected.
And not what I expected.

At mile 13, I was tired.
Around mile 17 I wanted to quit.
When I hit mile 19, I cried.
I said ugly things to my coach at mile 22 (but quickly apologized – I really didn’t hate her at that moment- it was the exhaustion!).
At mile 25 I cried again.

And then….mile 26 came.
And the 0.2 felt like a whole nother marathon.

But then I heard a voice from the crowd.
And my husband gave me the encouragement I needed to keep moving for another few seconds.
And  the 4 hours and 46 minutes of constant pavement pounding came to a heavy halt as they placed the medal around my neck.


Then I cried again.
I didn’t realize it beforehand, but running a marathon is an emotional experience and an emotional investment.

Months of training
Hours of dedication
Sore muscles
Smelly laundry
Injury
Hefty grocery bills
Fear
Doubt

All these things slowly culminate, and then you finally put yourself to the test – you get up at the crack of dawn with thousands of strangers to find out if you really can do it.

And then you do.

Pit stop at Dino World

Apparently staying on the 29th floor is a problem for those with a fear of heights... ;)

My door decorations - like I'm back in college!
I even had some rockin' Lisa Frank stickers around my name. :)

We aren't right.

Our super tall hotel

Let's hope there's no fire. I don't think my knees can take 29 flights of stairs!

From atop the Hilton

Sappy sappy sappy

At this point, the butterflies in my stomach are more like Flying Pigs.

My running buddies.

North Alabama's Team in Training Spring 2013 Crew

This is why I do what I do...

This is how I felt about the hill at mile 17.

And then I saw this sign. I HAD to stop to take a picture.

I'm pretty sure I'd still be hanging out on the streets of Cincinnati if it wasn't for this guy.

Boom.

Weekend bling.

Trip home - yes, Adam knew what it'd be like driving us home!
And he was right.

This was the first thing I saw when I got home - all thanks to my sweet Mother-in-law.

With your help, I raised $2,316.20 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
My friend and teammate Mary said it best:

"I was a part of a team that raised over $340,000 to fund lifesaving cancer research...I could NOT have accomplished any of that if it weren't for the support that I received through YOU, my family and friends. Whether it was a monetary donation or words of encouragement, you made this weekend possible and I am honored to have experienced it!"Thank you.