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?)