My 26.2 Mile Journey

Above: probably around mile 8, I'm guessing?


The finish line...so relieved to be done!

Pictures will have to wait...until I can get the download figured out. Here are two from the marathon photographer until I figure out what "HTTP Bad request" means. I had to get the details down before I forgot them. My husband took almost 200 pictures of me running the marathon. I'm not kidding! :) I've spared no detail and in doing so. When I read this record in the future it should remind me why I don't want to do this again. ;)

The Journey of 26.2 miles started long before October 2, 2010. A marathon has been something I've wanted to do for years but was waiting for the perfect time to do it. I discovered this year that just like having a baby, there is never a perfect time to run a marathon. This year I knew that I wouldn't be pregnant or nursing, so even though life was crazy after our big move to Oceanside, I decided that this year was probably as good as it was gonna get, so I submitted my name for the lottery.

If my memory is correct I believe that registration opened on April 1, 2010. Lottery results were posted on May 4, 2010. When April 1, rolled around, I was so overwhelmed by getting started in a new area that I couldn't even imagine training for a marathon, but I knew that things might change within a 6 month time frame and I didn't want to regret not putting in for the lottery. I registered, but deep down I kind of hoped that when May 4 rolled around I wouldn't see my name on that list. I didn't have anyone to train with, and I didn't know how I was going to fit it into our family's schedule. (Joseph also submitted his name to the lottery for Lotoja at the same time.)

The morning of May 4, Joseph brought his laptop up to the our bathroom where I was getting ready and connected it to the St. George Marathon page. I typed in my name, and then pressed enter...wala....There it was first on the list. Joseph was ecstatic, and I think I said something like, "Oh great, what have I gotten myself into?"

I chose a training plan with the least amount of running days, in order to make it work for the family. Probably not the best idea, but it was the best choice for our family.

I did my weekday runs on a treadmill at the gym at 5 AM and I did 2 training runs (my 20 milers) outside, along the coast. It was beautiful, but a big mistake! I was not prepared to run a marathon with the training that I did. It's funny how hindsight is 20/20. Some weeks I did my long run and it wiped me out so much that I didn't run for a whole week until my next long run. My training was anything but ideal.

I learned many lessons through the entire experience. Perhaps even more lessons than I would have, had I had a smooth training and perfect conditions.

The week before the race, I did not feel good. Between stress and some allergies, I was feeling really lousy. I was achey and had no energy. I could hardly run 3 miles, how was I going to do 26.2? One night I went to bed about 8:00 and the next night I lay in bed, crying because my head hurt so bad. My temples hurt and my cheekbones ached (probably sinus). I took a decongestant and a antihistamine earlier that week, but these always zap my energy so I decided not to take them within a few days of the run. I cried and cried because I was in so much pain and I just wanted to sleep. Joseph offered to give me a priesthood blessing. I remember thinking that I really needed to exercise faith for the blessing to work, so I did just that. I was amazed because by the time the blessing was finished, I felt some relief. While small, it was immediate and enough for me to get to sleep.

We left for St. George on Thursday afternoon and stopped in Las Vegas for about an hour or so to see some of our good friends from law school, Scott and Stephanie Davis and their kids. It was so great to see them again. We met at Jason's Deli for dinner, which was perfect because all week I had tried to be very careful about what I was eating and drinking. It was nice to go somewhere light and good.

We headed to our hotel in St. George and went to sleep. The next morning we woke up and when hiking in the red rocks in St. George. Around noon we headed to the Expo and that's when it hit me. We were there, in St. George, for the sole purpose of me running 26.2 miles. I started to think, "What in the world am I doing here?" I went to the first timers clinic to get any last minute info about race day. It was helpful, but at that point really, there's not much that can get you through 26.2 miles but your previous preparation. One thing he said was that the St. George Marathon is known for being a race you can run with a negative split. This means many people run the second half alot faster than the first half. In my case that was a bunch of malarky...I'll explain later.

My parents, and sister (my cheerleaders) arrived while I was at that clinic and we headed to Brick Oven with them for some pasta. After our late lunch of pasta, I went back to the hotel and prepared my things for the morning. At about 6:30, Joseph went with my family and our kids to Tarzan at the Tuacahn Amphitheater (they said it was awesome!) I opted to stay at the hotel and hit the sack to prepare for my 3:15 AM wake-up call. :) The problem was I couldn't sleep! The last time I looked at the clock it said 12:28 AM. The next thing I remembered was my wake-up call and alarm that went off at 3:15. I went into the bathroom and saw a good-luck bag from my sister-in-law Annette. She was so sweet, she has done the marathon 6 times, so she knew what was ahead for me and she prepared a gift bag with quotes and scriptures about running and goals and stuff along with energy snacks and supplies. It meant alot to me.

I prepared my instant oatmeal and ate my 3:45 AM breakfast and headed to the lobby. I was a little sleepy, but mostly full of adrenaline. The hotel provided a van to the park in order to catch the bus to the marathon start. That was very nice, so I didn't have to wake up my family.

When I arrived at the park, I got on the bus with all of the other crazies who were also going to embark on this journey. One thing I noticed is that most of the people I saw, were there with someone else. I wished I had someone with me. I closed my eyes on the way up the marathon route. I noticed every ascent and especially every decent because I knew that my legs were going to have to carry me up those hills the bus was decending. I heard whispers from other people on the bus "wow, this is a big one.....this must be Veyo...wow this really rolls alot..."

When we arrived at the marathon start, I again had thoughts like, "This bus has dropped us off all the way up here and the only way down is with these two legs." :) Upon exiting the bus, we were handed mylar (space) blankets and gloves to keep us warm. There was lots of positive energy with music playing, an announcer, lots of volunteers, support stations, and bright lights. The temperature was cool, but they said it was actually the warmest start to the marathon they had ever had. That was not what I wanted to hear. I found a spot to sit and was hoping to have some anti-social time, but the girl/woman next to me wanted to chat. Our conversation was awkward to put it nicely. She asked me a bunch of random and odd questions for the next while. Looking at her, you wouldn't think she would be capable of running a marathon, but that's what is crazy about these types of events. You see so many people that don't look like they could run 3 miles, yet, the reason you see them is because they're passing you. :)

After answering a bunch of her random questions like whether or not I had shorts on under my warm-ups, what my running resume was, and where I was from, she told me she was shocked I had four kids because I looked like I was about 21 years old. A nice ego boost. I told her it was because I wasn't wearing make-up and that I had my hair pig-tails that threw her off and then headed for my first session with the port-o-potty. You hydrate for a whole week and then are expected to get rid of it in 30 seconds. Then I sat down for a few more minutes.

After that, I dropped off my warm-ups at the clothing truck and then decided to wait in the long potty line again, just in case I had to go again. The lines were really long by this time, and I waited and waited and waited. People started getting nervous that they were going to miss the gun, and so they got out of line. I stayed in line. I heard the gun shot, but with about 7000 people running I knew it would take a fair amount of time for all of those people to cross the start line, so I opted to pee one more time.

I then joined the herd. I cranked up my ipod and started the journey. I started to tear up as I ran, I kept thinking, "I'm running a marathon, I'm running a marathon!" I wasn't able to stretch as well as I would have liked, so my shins ached a little and my 3 middle toes on my right foot were in some pain, but what could I do? Nothing, I just kept running. I had alot of adrenaline and I think that helped with the pain a little. When I looked at my watch after the first mile it read just a little over 9 minutes. I was pleased. It was a comfortable pace. I was with the 4 hour-marathon-pace group. I remember thinking, "I have to keep up with this group to Veyo, Joseph will be so proud if he sees me with this group." I did! Those first 7 miles were a breeze!

The St. George Maraton is very well supported. About every 2 miles there were aid stations with gatorade, water, icy-hot, vaseline and other medical supplies and support. I brought along a water bottle and some gatorade and guzzled a ton the entire way. I just kept drinking. We were told it was going to be a hot day and that we needed to keep hydrated. I consumed a ton of liquid. I did not want to get dehydrated.

I had Joseph and the kids help me choose a few songs that would remind me of them so I could get through each mile. The girls chose Dynamite, the boys chose Two Worlds from Tarzan and for Joseph it was a few different songs that we both came up with together. These songs totally helped, but there was one song that literally pushed me through the race. A few weeks or a month or so before the race, Joseph's brother Josh, randomly sent us a youtube clip from a David Archuleta song and told us that it reminded him of us. I watched it when he sent it and then kind of forgot about it. I was in the store Justice with my girls a few days before we left for the marathon and we heard it. I recognized it and realized it was the song Josh sent to us, so I went home to find the email so I could find the title and artist (I'm totally out of it when it comes to pop culture). I then purchased it and downloaded it to my ipod the day before we left. The song was "Something 'Bout Love."

At mile 7 of the marathon, there's a "lovely" place called Veyo. I say "lovely" because there is a steep hill about a mile long. Joseph told me he was determined to see me at 4 different points in the race. The race organizers told spectators that in order to see runners in certain spots, it would be impossible to see them in other spots along the course because of traffic and timing. Um, apparently they don't know my husband. Where there's a will, there's a way. His will was to see me and he was going to find a way to make it happen and he did. He had to drive an hour on the back roads to get to Veyo and then another 45 minutes to get Snow Canyon where he hiked/ran to up to see me and then another 25 minutes to get from Snow Canyon to mile 24 in town. Then he ran to the finish line. He completed a little marathon of his own kind that day. :)

When I ran through Veyo at mile 7 it was energizing to see so many people I smiled at the crowds of cheerful people. I didn't see Joseph in the crowd. I was a little disappointed because I was running a great pace and I knew he would be so proud of me. I knew the hill would slow my pace a little, so this was my chance to impress him and look cool. ;) After I ran through the little city, I noticed Joseph's red North Face tech shirt up ahead standing on a bridge waving his arms and cheering as only he would cheer. All who know him, know exactly what those big waving arms and broad smile look like. I was so happy to see him. Honestly, a part of the reason I run is because it makes my husband think I'm cool. It sounds funny, but I am not joking. He loves it and no one in the world is as supportive as he is.

I slowed my pace as I did the Veyo hill to save some steam. I listened to Dynamite singing Vey-ooo baby let's go....;) I let the 4 hour group pass me. But hung with the 4:15 pace group. After the hill I picked up the pace again and was excited about how I felt. About mile 13 + or - a few miles I started to feel lots of lower back pain. I had one of the aids rub icy-hot on my lower back and it felt like heaven. (poor girl probably didn't know what she was getting into). The icy-hot kept me going. About mile 14 I started to feel a little weird, so I pulled out a mini-Luna bar to see if that would help me a little. I couldn't make myself eat it. I held it for a while and just kept running.

I had lost my 4:15 pace group and was near the 4:30 pace group, but they were inching ahead of me. Mile 17, near Snow Canyon was another spot available for spectators who wanted to get in and out. I again didn't know if Joseph would make it because traffic was thick getting in and out and he was told by race officials that it wasn't smart to try. He parked his car along the road and ran, I-don't-know-how-many-miles, in order to come and watch me and take pictures. It was great to see him. I was starting to feel really lousy at this point. REALLY lousy! His face was a boost to my spirits. It meant so much to have his encouragement and support. I remember hearing him say, "Only 8 more miles." (He was mistaken, it was about 9.) I thought to myself. "Only 9 more miles...let's see that's only 90 more minutes. " At mile 18, same thing, "Only 80 more minutes of running. But then at that point, I started to feel so terribly gross. It was really hot and the more time that passed the hotter it got. I decided that no matter how lousy I felt I would keep smiling. I firgured it was bound to help give me positive energy and it's alot more pleasant for people to look at someone smiling than someone who looks like their about to die.

At that point, I did not care what my time was, the goal became to finish the race. I received icy-hot rubs at every aid station. I wanted to kiss the aid workers. I thanked them sincerely. I honestly don't know how I would have made it through without them. Sometimes I had them rub my calves, sometimes it was my shins, sometimes it was my ankles, quads, hamstrings or lower back. I stopped at buttocks. Having them rub my lower back had to be bad enough. ;)

I don't know exactly what was happening physiologically but my abdomen started to feel crampy. I pushed on it and it felt extremely full and bloated. I had consumed so much water and gatorade since starting the race and I wasn't able to urinate at all. I didn't feel like I was sweating enough either, which is not a good sign. Keeping the body in balance during endurance events is such a science experiment. I stopped atleast 2 or 3 times and tried to pee, but couldn't. I don't know if my organs had slowed down a little or what was going on. I just felt awful. I was nauseous. I wasn't sure if I was dehydrated, if I was suffering from hyponatremia, hyperglycemia, or what was going on. I had cotton-mouth, and wanted to throw-up, but knew that no matter how bad I felt I couldn't stop. (For personal future reference, I think I had a gu at miles 7 and 14 and maybe 1/2 at some point toward the end, I don't remember.)

I remember hitting mile 20 and thinking, "I have a 10k left, atleast an hour. I can't do this anymore. I have been running too long, it's too far, I don't want to do this anymore." I felt so alone. I cried a little wondering if mentally I was tough enough to get through this. I prayed over and over and saying, "Heavenly Father, I have to finish, I have to finish, please help me, please help me." I remember feeling so sick and still wondering if I was going to be able to finish. Temperatures were reaching the mid 90's, there were people around me that didn't look good at all! As I ran down one hill, I passed a girl who looked delirious and like she was going to fall over. She looked awful. I gave her some gatorade and asked her if she needed anything else. After a few drinks, she told me she would be okay. I don't know what ended up happening to her.

I saw a few people who stopped and sat under a bridge waiting for a ride from the shuttle for those who weren't going to finish the race. The air-conditioned shuttle would slowly drive along the road, tempting anyone to hop on. I felt like GARBAGE, but I WAS NOT going to get on that bus. I had parents, a sister, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, but most of all a husband and 4 children who were waiting to see their mom accomplish something hard and finish! It was hard to keep going. At the gym, during my workouts, when I would get sick of running or feel yucky, I would talk myself into stopping. Sometimes I would just go weight train or do something else to get away from the boredom. There was no way out of getting out of the hot desert except for the keep moving. I couldn't hop off the treadmill like I could at the gym. The only way out was to keep moving forward. I kept running. Actually, I don't know if you could call it a run, it was more of a shuffle. ;) I shuffled along. About mile 21 I really struggled mentally, it was getting even hotter. I still felt alone and I knew that the only way down was to keep moving at whatever pace my body could do. I discovered that when I ran I became extremely nauseous, to the point of not knowing if I was going to be able to finish. It became a mental battle.

I decided about mile 21 just to walk for a while. (I think it was 21 anyway). I felt fine when I walked, not great, but fine, as long as I was walking. I remember making a strategy at that point. I really wanted to finish strong, I wanted to get to the point where I felt better so that when I saw my family I would be able to run a feel great. I still felt alone and slow, but determined to finish. And I still knew that I needed to get some liquid out of me in order to feel any better. All my failed potty breaks were frustrating.

Around mile 22, it continued to be hard to keep going. I was walking a fast pace, but not moving as fast as I wanted to. The 4:45 finish-pace group passed and that was frustrating. I felt like a total slow-poke, but at that point, I was on a mission to finish and it didn't matter what time it was. Out of the blue I heard someone say, "Amy, how are ya?" Coming up behind me was my mom's friend's husband, Lynn. I had bumped into Lynn at the Expo the day before which turned out to be a tender mercy. This was Lynn's 24th marathon. He joked that he gets slower every year. Boy am I glad for that. Lynn asked me if I was okay and I told him that I was fine, that I just wanted to save a little steam so that I could finish strong. He encouraged me and told me that was smart. Then he did what I needed at that moment. He walked with me and talked with me. (Later, He told my parents it was only about half a mile, but it seemed like longer because it was so helpful). Our conversation was about small talk, about where all of his kids are now, where we live, what Joseph does. Like I said, I felt like garbage and was frustrated with just how awful I felt, but talking helped pass the time and got my mind off how hot it was, how much my feet hurt, how much my calves, and ankles, and quads, and hamstrings ached. I remember still feeling like if I could just urinate I would feel so much better. I looked ahead at the aid station at mile 23 and I remember asking Lynn, "Are those bathrooms up there? I sure hope so, I could really use a bathroom right now." We then had a conversation about how easy men have it and all the people who go off the side of the road to do their business. Running a marathon makes you do crazy things, like talk to 60 year old men about your longing to visit a port-o-potty.

When we approached mile 23. I headed for the bathroom...and I WAS ABLE TO PEE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 4 1/2 HOURS. I felt like a million bucks. It gave a me physical boost. Truly! The cramping and bloatedness became less severe and I felt like I could finally run or atleast swiftly shuffle. ;) I got my icy-hot rub down, took a trip through the misters to cool off and I was on my way...RUNNING AGAIN! I was aching and hot still, but I got a second wind, well as second wind as you're gonna get after running/shuffling for almost 5 hours. Walking and talking with Lynn was mental boost. It was amazing how discouraging it was to see the pacers pass and the times they were carrrying increase. I had to do my best to ignore the thoughts and feelings because it made me that I was so slow.

I ended up pushing repeat on my ipod on the song Something 'Bout Love about a million times during the race, but also during those last 3 or so miles to keep me going. There's something about the beat, the melody, certain lyrics that was really energizing, encouraging. It's probably because it made me think of Joseph. This sounds totally cheesy, but phrases like somethin' 'bout love sets you free....when the world falls down like rain, it'll bring you to your knees....don't give up....your'e day will come, the past is gone, so live and let live, don't fight don't hide those stars in your eyes...hang on, hang in for the ride of your life, it's gonna be alright, hold on tight....

Around mile 24 I started into town and saw my sister-in-law with my daughters, Brynn and Abby. I was so happy that I had taken the time to slow down when things got rough, so that I made it to them without looking like death. (I probably still looked like death, but atleast I wasn't moving or feeling like death). I just kept pouring water over my head. It was so good to see them. I started to get teary as they approached me and started to run alongside me. A few steps later I saw my parents cheering me on with my sister and her baby ( I think they were there, I may have been hallucinating at that point), and then a few steps later I saw Joseph with Isaac on his shoulders. I felt so much love for him, so grateful to him for his support. He ran alongside me and then ahead of me to the finish line. The streets of St. George were lined with people cheering. I cried and smiled sincerely as I passed. Their well wishes meant so much to me.

Somewhere near the end I past the infamous mortuary that everyone jokes you don't want to end up at during the race, and then I remember turning the corner and seeing the balloons at the finish line. I know that it's not good race etiquette to push pass people at the end, especially when you aren't really finishing at an awesome time, but alot of people were walking, and so I ran as fast as I my aching body could. I hope they didn't mind.

I felt so humbly grateful to run across that finish line. My performance was not stellar, I had to change my strategy and adjust along the course, but I fought hard, I endured, and I finished strong with a smile!

Just to give you an idea of normal timing, when I run at the gym my easy pace is about 10 minutes per mile. Which would be about a 4:20 marathon. Except they tell you to add about 15 seconds to every mile just because of the length of the event. (I would add even more with aid station stops, but those who are really serious probably don't stop at aid stations.) My fastest 10k race time is an average of 8 minute miles, which would be about a 3.5 hour marathon. But there is no way I could stustain that kind of pace for that long. In the past, whenever I have heard of someone taking more than 4 1/2 hours to run a marathon, I've thought it sounded slow. My paradigm has shifted. I don't care how long it takes anyone to finish a marathon. Anyone who accomplishes it is awesome in my mind and if you run a sub 4 marathon, well, you are just super-human! My journey of running, shuffling, walking, doing whatever it took get through those 26.2 miles, took me 5 hours 23 minutes and 55 seconds. I figure I had some 9 minute miles, some 10, 11, 12, and probably even some 13, 14, 15 minute miles when I felt sick. But I made it! It was amazing to me how taking just a few minutes longer per mile added up to such a big difference in the overall time at the end.

I was spent. I sat down at the park after and literally could not get up. Aaron got lost and I felt helpless because I couldn't even get up to find him. We went back to the hotel and the kids went swimming, I went out with them for a while, but the heat was killing me, so I went to the hotel room and got in bed and watched General Conference as I drifted in and out of sleep. A couple hours later, I told everyone I was ready to eat. We all went to Cafe Rio and then the my dad and Joseph went to Priesthood Session while we while we hung out at the hotel. They brought back milkshakes for all of us and we all visited before going to bed.

I was so grateful to have so much support from my family. I received calls and texts from all of my family members that weren't there on Saturday and Sunday and I totally felt their love and support. It was so nice of them.

When I woke up Monday after the race, it was kind of a gloomy, cloudy day. My spirits were a little down, I still felt fatigued, sore, and I think that mentally I was struggling a little because it had been much harder than I expected it to be. I felt a little blue and so I turned on General Conference that I had recorded on our DVR. I obviously didn't get to watch all of conference on that Saturday because I was running, but as I watched it from our DVR on Monday I started to cry when I heard President Dieter F. Uchtdor's talk. Especially this part....

Therefore, it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions..... focus on the things that matter most.

I don't have his exact quote for his next part, just my personal notes, but he spoke about how it may seem logical during times of turbulence to slow down, but how easy it is to ignore this principle in our daily living. When stress levels rise, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same fractic pace or even accelerate thinking somehow the more rushed our pace the better off we will be. But it's really doesn't make us better off.

I learned this principle during the hardest parts of the race. Ironically, as I calculated the time this talk was given, it would have been during my most adverse conditions. I'm grateful I was able have this physically happen to me and then to learn that spiritual application after. Physically this is exactly what happened to me. I remember having that feeling while I felt awful that I needed to speed up to finish in time, but then there came a point where I knew that if I didn't slow down, I wouldn't be finishing. I had to focus on just moving at a comfortable pace and thinking about my family at the finish line. I think that's a great principle to live by.

Things I learned from my experience, some things are great parallels for life:

*You should actually follow a training program. It may be convenient to cheat on your training, but you will pay for it later. I had a program, but I was too easy on myself. If I didn't feel like running I wouldn't or if I felt like stopping during a run and going home, I would. Could be compared to a training program for life. Praying, scriptures, study, personal righteousness. You can't just go through the motions. You have to really do things with sincere intent. Not only do these things help with the everyday challenges and joys of life, they are essential for our exaltation and to finish this ultimate race here on earth.

*You should try to train on the road, with elevation change. Training on a treadmill just doesn't prepare you well enough. Sometimes in life, it's easy to wish for ease and comfort, but what kind of training does this give us? I loved Elder Scott's conference talk, especially the point about how challenges don't build character, we build character through faith and righteous living and that character, built through faith, is what gets us through those hard times. Running the hills during the race wasn't going to make me stronger, I should have prepared by running more hills (building faith and character) during my trainning and then when I ran the marathon, I would have been more prepared to conquer the challenges because of the "character" I had built.

*You should train and run with a running partner(s). Running a marathon can be a great solitary experience if you are an elite runner, but for a journey that long, as a novice runner, you really need someone who can mentally be there for you and you for them, when things get tough. I am a pretty independent person. This is a strength, but also a weakness. This should be evident by the fact that I trained and ran a marathon alone. I like people, but sometimes I am like a child, "I can do it by myself." We need people in life to help us through our journey.

*Don't try to be the first person on the bus. Sleep an extra hour or so and get on the normal bus in the morning, not the early-bird bus.

*Just stay in the bathroom line at the marathon start, even if you don't need to go, you'll most likely need to go once you get to the front of the line.

*You need postive energy. Example: I had Lady Gaga Bad Romance on my ipod, I skipped it every time. It was totally negative energy and I couldn't listen to it. MoTab would have been better than that.

*A&D ointment isn't just for a baby's bum! I didn't have any chaffing on any part of my body. I wore Under Armour spandex under my running shorts and so I didn't have any chaffing on my legs either. I noticed a girl at the pool with raw legs. It looked awful. I didn't use vaseline on any part of my body during the whole race, and got through unscathed in the chaffing department. I did have 1 blister on my pinkie toe, I always get it, but that was it.

*I have the best husband in the world. He is my ROCK. If anyone ever needs a cheerleader, he is the best, whether you're having a bad day, in labor, running a marathon, he is the BEST. (The nurses always want to keep him when I have a baby because he is so positive, encouraging and fun, the marathoners thought the same thing)

*Smile at people as you run past them. You'll feel better and you'll be more pleasant to look at. No one likes a frowny face. :(

*Accept help from aid station workers in the form of icy-hot, water, gatorade, don't worry about the time you will lose, you'll be in alot less pain.

*Say a sincere "thank you" to those who help you or who cheer you on.

*Try to help others along the way. Look for those who might need a little boost.

*Really try to calculate your glucose, sodium, potassium needs and your hydration.

*When things get tough and you think you can't finish....slow down, focus and adjust your goals, but do whatever you can to follow through, stay on course and finish.

*Praying always makes you feel less alone.

*And again I learned that I am so grateful to be married to the man I am married to. My mom said to me in the car after dinner. "Amy, you are so lucky to have Joseph for a husband. He is so supportive and awesome." That, he is. I feel that I can get through anything with him. I am blessed.

*You're family, husband and kids don't care how long it takes you to do something hard. They are happy to cheer you on, and respect that you have done something hard, and did not give up. The kids think the medal I received at the end is evidence that I won.

*Whatever you are doing, you can keep going and finish, whether it is running, laundry, dishes, life, anything, you just have to keep on course no matter how slow you are moving.

*I've decided that I like half-marathons, they are a perfect long distance run. 2 hours of running is prime for a long run, after that, I think you get too depleted. If this had been a half marathon, I would have had a great race, but I wouldn't have learned as many lessons. :)

*Running a marathon was like a mini-pregnancy. I gained weight, my metabolism got out of whack with a need for extra calories. My joints ached. I was tired....ugh....now to lose the 5+ pounds I've gained...I weighed less 2 weeks after haivng all of my babies than I weighed 2 weeks after the marathon...I don't think my body was made for endurance events.

*If I am every crazy enough to do something like that again. Joseph will be by my side the whole way. I could have called the weekend a "marriage retreat" and it wouldn't have been more accurate, I came away with my love for Joseph mutilplied a million-fold.

*Lastly, writing about a marathon takes about as much time as running one. :) I apologize for spelling, grammatical and puncutuation errors, as well as rambling, but I'm too tired to edit.