Ogden Marathon 2011

So, here it is FOUR FULL DAYS after one of the biggest events of my LIFE and I haven't even blogged about it yet! Well, that changes now...

Last Saturday, May 21st, I had the amazing opportunity to run the Ogden Marathon. I had trained for this race for so long I could hardly believe the time had come! Serious preparation (other than training) began Friday morning.

I woke up seriously early after a short yet wonderful night sleep to run a quick two miles and get to work by 6:30. I only worked three relaxed hours and headed for an awesome temple trip with one of my best friends. As soon as our work was done there, we headed to Salt Lake so I could get a photo printed for my parents. Next, I stopped at my apartment to pack (this is when the nerves started) for the next 24 hours. Tiffany headed home and I visited Amber at work because she said she had something for me... a card with cute little kittens and a long note. I won't go into details, but it was very sweet and very motivating. Because I was able to eat white bread last week, I went to Texas Roadhouse to get a dozen rolls because I had been craving them for weeks! Um... delicious! Next stop was my parents' house to bake amazing hot chocolate cupcakes that I would be able to enjoy the next day. I went to my niece and nephews' singing group program and to dinner with my parents, then back to their house for serious sleep.

Four a.m. came SO quickly and I was feeling really jittery. I grabbed two more TR rolls with a little peanut butter and a banana and headed out the door with my dad, who was kind enough to wake up before the sun to take me to the bus. I got very lucky and ran into a group of girls from the gym as soon as I got there, so I rode on the bus with them and sat next to a really cute girl who was also running the marathon for the first time. We rode for what felt like an eternity to the starting point of the race and waited in the mud for the run to begin. A long, long time after (ok, so it was only about an hour and 45 min) we started lining up. At this point I was just ready for the race to begin! The gun went off (I think, I didn't actually hear it) and off we went.

I ran into a few people I knew on the course, but for the most part ran alone. It was so nice! I would pass a mile and notice how quickly the time was moving. I felt pretty good the most of the time, pulling out the Tylenol at mile 13, again at mile 21, and Clif Shot Bloks at mile 22. As I pulled out of the canyon and approached the beginning of mile 24, my friend Sherry who I teach Body Jam with was there cheering me on... and I lost it. I cried for a minute and then got a major burst of energy that carried me through til I saw the finish line. It was insane! It seemed like hundreds of people - including some of my friends and family - were there screaming for all the runners. After 26 miles, I still had enough energy left to sprint for the finish line. The end was amazing. My clock time was just a few seconds after four hours and my chip time was 3:57:06. I was pretty stoked about that!

My biggest supporters through this whole process were my parents... and you can bet I almost lost it again when I saw them right before I finished. Any time I freaked or thought about quitting, they would kindly remind me that I was totally capable of pulling this off!

I was also lucky enough to have a fantastic group of great friends waiting for me. I know a couple of them were only there for the cupcakes (ahem, Trent, ahem) but, still, it was awesome they were there! I admit, a few tears were shed when I met Amber after crossing, but we had previously warned each other that would happen, so it wasn't a big surprise.

Let's not forget one of the main perks that drove me through the last 7 miles or so...



SUGAR!!! And it was oh so good! My cupcakes were delicious, both the hot chocolate and key lime pie flavors I sampled. The cinnamon bears (which was the FIRST treat I ate) were divine. And the Cadbury Mini Eggs... YUM O! And the real reason I ran and finished, and why I will probably run this race again next year...



The AMAZING feeling I had when this medal was placed around my neck...

Love...