I FINISHED!!!

I finished!!!

I finished my half marathon!!! 13.1 Miles!!! I FINISHED!!!

Oh what a journey this has been! When I first took on this voyage (I say voyage because there were a TON of ups and downs), I did not think I would complete it successfully. As long as I made it over the finish line breathing I was a happy camper. I figured I would have to walk a little then run a little but come race day I ran the WHOLE THING!!!! I just kept putting one foot in front of another and ran the whole 13.1 miles, RUNNING THE WHOLE WAY!!!

Before the Race...before the rain and pain, haha

There is no way to explain the awesomeness of running in a half or full marathon. There are people all along the running route yelling and cheering for you. People are on their porches playing music, holding signs, and yelling encouragement. There are little kids standing along the route saying “good job” and “way to go” while banging on toy drums. It was one the most touching, awe-inspiring things I have ever seen. And since you have your name on the front of your jersey people yell out “Way to go HILARY”, which just makes you push yourself harder, it makes you remember why you are running, and gives you a sense of community that is sometimes lacking in current society.

Running so fast I am a BLUR on film :)

The other wonderful thing about the race was seeing how supportive and wonderful my husband was (IS!). I was brought to tears a couple of times that race weekend, some tears were from nerves, some were from fright, but most were from the realization of how much my husband really loved and SUPPORTED me. When I doubted myself he was right there to push my through, to be my cheerleader, to instill in me the belief and courage I lost but he still saw. I got to see him 3 times on the race route. Seeing my husband cheer me on, while my body wanted to give up, was and still is one of the most wonderful moments in my life. I gave him a high five right before I crossed the finish line. He had been standing in the rain for over 45 minutes so he could be the first person I saw when I saw the finish line. This made me fall in love with him all over again. Words cannot describe how much I love my husband and how proud I am of HIM for being my rock.

After the race came the painful part….the walking part. After the race I thought my knee was broken and that my legs forgot how to function. I also got a black toe (which I think is pretty hardcore!). It took me about 2-3 days to be able to walk without feeling like Tonya Harding got to me (oh poor Nancy Kerrigan). An outing to the grocery store the day after the race proved to be a painful experience for me but a hilarious experience for my hubby and all those who were witness to my shuffling feet and inability to pick up a bag of chips on the low shelf.

All in all, this is something I will definitely do again, but not in the near future. I am now enjoying my time sitting on my butt while watching Idol. Now I just have to figure out what my next endeavor will be…. There is no rest for the wicked (well, the foul mouth wicked I mean).

AND a HUGE shout out to all of those who supported me for this race, both finically, physically, and emotionally!!! It means so much to me, I feel like a simple “thanks” doesn’t express my gratitude so “thanks a lot” (that’s more expressive, right?)

I Heart Heather

I have introduced another to my internet addiction, dooce.com. You’re welcome Bonnie. One of my co-workers introduced me to the website over 2 years ago and I have been reading it ever since. Almost every day I read the blog’s witty comments and view the hilarious pictures. The blog is especially important when I have had a horrible day and stabbings may be handed out at work or home.

For those of you who don’t want to read my details below, Cliffs Note Version: Meeting Heather was well worth the wait.

Heather Armstrong is the author of the blog (dooce.com) and has transformed every day mundane activities into comical quips. She has written two books. I had the pleasure of being in Austin, Texas the week she was doing a book signing for her second book. I was on a work trip so skipping out on dinner for a ‘book signing' has made me the ultimate nerd of my industry (which is all engineers so just guess how hard that hit my ego, nerdy-er than engineers!! WHAT!). After making my way to the bookstore I waited in a gigantic crowd of people to catch a glimpse and shake the hand of Mrs. Heather B. Armstrong! Waiting to meet H-Dub (I decided that we are now besties and have given her a nickname) allowed me to see that Austin is officially the nicest city in America. Everyone was so super happy; I even met two very nice girls while waiting in line and they actually offered to drop me off at my hotel so I didn’t have to take a cab! I didn’t take the ride noting my mother’s old advice “don’t take rides from strangers” and after watching multiple “To Catch a Predator” repeats (thank you very much, Ang) I think even normal looking people are secretly chainsaw murders.

SO, onto me meeting one of my idols….After waiting in the bookstore for almost 2 hours (literally) I finally got to shake hands and talk to Heather. She is absolutely wonderful in person. I have never seen such a tall, thin woman with such a huge baby bump. AND the fact that she used curse words multiple times in the children’s section of a book store while reading experts from her book and answering questions makes her utterly wonderful. Not that kids should ever hear the “f” word but the irony of a potty mouth mother-to-be using profanity in a kid’s book section just emphasis her satirical and sarcastic nature. I did get a picture with her (see above) and have a beautifully signed copy of “It Sucked and Then I Cried”, the book chronically her first pregnancy. However, I was so nervous to meet her when she asked what I did for a living I said “I make maps, but not the treasure kind”. Oh my poor ego.

Another insanely great website that has me LOL-ing to the cat: http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/