Marathon!

After 4 months of hard training, the day finally came!

I had to wake up at 3am to eat breakfast and get ready. My friends picked me up at 4:15 and we drove downtown and loaded onto buses at 4:30am. The busses drove us up the canyon to the start of the race. We had to wait around for another hour as the race didn't start until 6:30am 

It was a cold snowy morning and everyone had sweats and jackets over their running gear. Here are me and Ashely before the race: 

Right before the race started we ditched our warm clothing and got in line. Then we got ready. At 6:30 am the race started. 

It was snowing a lot in the mountains, but I wasn't cold. I focused on pacing myself so I didn't even try to run hard. I just ran comfortably enjoying the scenery. It was beautiful: 

That's me in the very back!

For 20 miles I ran in the canyon. It was beautiful and quiet. Finally around mile 20 we came out of the canyon and started seeing all the people cheering for us. It was amazing! Luke and the kids were waiting for me at mile 21 and it was so fun to see them. 

Around mile 22 things started to get hard. My pace slowed a bit and other people around me started dropping left and right. I saw people dropping to the ground, some throwing up on the side and others would just stop and lay down. Surprisingly I felt great. My legs were sore but otherwise I was still smiling and enjoying the race. 

The last two miles were the longest and hardest. But I was able to pick up my pace and run to the finish line with a smile on my face! I crossed the finish line at 3:50:04.

It was a great feeling to finish strong! Part of me wished I had pushed harder to reach the 3:45:00 time, but I enjoyed the race so much that  I'm not afraid to try it again next year.

Luke and the kids were waiting at the finish line for me. 

We were able to hang out after and get our free beers

The kids got to play with their friends:

If you remember our race last year, we waited around for 3 hours after we finished the half marathon to go to Coopersmiths restaurant at noon for their advertised free beer and pizza. When we got there at 11:50am, they were all out. I was so mad.

This year, we headed to Coopersmiths right after the race and they weren't even letting anyone in until noon. We came back at noon and got a table. It was all you could eat beer and pizza for everyone. And it was awesome! Good job Coopersmiths!

It was a great day!