We Did It!!!

Jonathon and I finished our marathon this morning! It was soooo not as hard as I thought it would be BUT it sooooooo wasn't easy! I'm pretty sore right now and expect to be for a couple days but it was worth it. Here's some highlights:

-The starting gun is always such a rush for me. My adrenaline really pumps me up! Jonathon gave me a kiss good-bye and we were off!
-This race was AMAZINGLY organized and all about the runners. There were water/Gatorade/orange slice/banana stations every 2 miles! It really made it easy to stay hydrated and you would be amazed at how hungry you are during the race. I made a point to take water....then an orange slice...then Gatorade....then a banana....in that order at the stations....not all a once. That's the order I took them-one item per station. I think it made a huge difference for me. Let me tell you that those were the most wonderful tasting orange slices I've ever had in my life!
-Passing the Mini marathon/full marathon point was a rush. I really didn't get to run more than 13 or so during my trainings so the words "every step is a step farther than you've ever ran before" kept ringing in my ear. Travis Dunn told me that during my first mini-marathon and it really helped me reach the end.
-Seeing Jonathon around mile 18 and half. He was on the loop on the way back and it gave me a jump of more adrenaline.
-Around mile 25 someone walking back with a mini-marathon tag on said, "I don't know how you all do this. I think you are amazing." I started crying.
-Right after the mile 26 marker Jonathon was waiting on the outside of the runner gates wrapped in his foil blanket. After finishing his own, he jogged along the outside to help me finish. I love him so much! (More tears)
-The marathon here treats each marathon finisher to a Carb buffet at the end of the race. I thought I may be sick or something but no....all I wanted to do was eat....pasta salad, cornbread muffins, brownies, more oranges, more bananas. It was the most delicious meal ever!!

There were some negatives.....
-I started forming some blisters around mile 8 or 9. Eventually you just get numb to them but MAN do they hurt now!
-Around mile 12 there was a medical team working on someone on a stretcher. As I passed I saw that it was a man around my age and he had turned blue. This was my first bought of crying. I cried on and off for a mile and prayed very hard for him and his family. He didn't look like he was breathing but the team was hard at work on him.
-Around mile 19 and half I had to start walking for the first time. I was so disappointed because I had given myself the goal to run solidly until mile 20. I just couldn't help it. My legs felt like hard stilts. Luckily if realized that if I ran on the grass surrounding the road it cushioned my joints. I was able to do this off and on for the rest of the race. All-in-all I probably walked about two miles of the 26.2....but there's no shame in it!!!
-I'm super sore in my feet and legs. I never really got out of breathe but my legs are on fire. It's going to a long week anytime I see stairs.

There you have it. It was a wonderful experience. I know I will do it again in the future!!!