So worth it!

We did it!!! We crossed the finish line to help save lives!!

All of the hard work and anticipation towards the big event finally came! My Team and I arrived in San Francisco Friday evening. Our hotel was located right in Union Square. We could not have asked for a better spot. Union Square was the epicenter for the weekend. It was covered in huge, white circus tents. Thousands of women filled the streets. The tents were filled with all kinds of goodies; pedicures, manicures, back massages, shoe fittings, picture booths, and tons of give-a-ways. We did not know where to start! We did get our fair share of free-bees!

We spent Saturday touring the city. Most of the girls have grown up in Idaho and have never been to San Francisco. We rode the cable car, went to the pier and did some major shopping! That night was the BIG pasta party. We arrived at the convention center and the entire place roared with loud cheering and nose makers. Our coaches, mentors and staff cheered us on as we entered. The feeling was breath taking. The chills rushed my body as hundreds of people greeted us with excitement. The two girls I was with even said that the feeling we had was the same thing they felt on their wedding day! It was that good. We devoured our pasta and meatballs as we listened to inspiring stories from cancer survivors. The night was truly magical.

Then comes race day….

I ran 20 miles in my training, what is six more? This was my thinking coming into this marathon. Besides hurting my hip four weeks prior to the event, I was feeling pretty good. I had decided to take some time off thinking that things would be fine for race day. That did not work out quite as planned. My legs tightened up around mile 10. The psychological thoughts began at this point too! I kept telling myself I can’t start thinking this way until at least mile 20. No use. My legs felt as though I had a ton of bricks tied around them. I kept going…. I saw my cousin and aunt around mile 17 which helped boast my energy. It was short lived. About a mile later I came up to the lake that we had to run around, I tell you it was a lot bigger then I would have liked! That had to have been when I hit the wall that so many talk about and I had yet experienced. I kept going… Two of my friends had caught up to me about half way around. This got my energy up until I realized that I could not maintain at their pace. I still kept going, with a few extra walk breaks, but I kept at it. One last stretch on the highway. I finally saw Jay and my family. I was not very happy at this point, I just wanted to finish. And that is exactly what I did!!!! 4 hours and 9 minutes! Not the par 4 I was shooting for, but hey it was my first! The only thought in my head as I finished was what the ** was I thinking! Then I laid eyes on my prize, a sexy man in a tux with my Tiffany’s necklace! So worth it! Whether or not I will do it again that is still up in the air.

I was very fortunate to be so close to my family and friends! Several of them came out to cheer me on. After the race we went out for a great lunch and nice cold beer. It was great to have them all there!

As if my body was not sore enough, we still had the victory party to attend that evening. Back to the convention center for more food and lots of fun. The stress levels were finally down, now my only concern was getting up and down from my chair. That did not stop us from dancing our booties off. We rocked the dance floor! What a night!

The entire weekend and journey leading up to it was truly life changing. I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt, I shed tears of sadness and tears of joy, I challenged myself in ways never thought possible, met life-long friends and I absolutely loved every moment of it!

Thank you everyone for being a part of this journey!