Marathon Madness!!!

Before the race:




We did it!!! Up until a few months ago, I had never even entertained the thought of doing a marathon. I would have thought it impossible for me, and I didn't even think I liked running. Well, all of that has changed, and I can now say that I am officially a marathoner! Crystal and I completed the Baltimore Marathon on saturday! It was both exhilerating and exhausing. I'm so glad that Crystal talked me into doing this, and it was amazing getting to run it with her (or at least the half that I could keep up with her).

Little did we know when we signed up for this marathon that it was one of the 5 biggest races in the country, with over 17,000 people participating in the various races that day (marathon, half marathon, 5k, etc)... and that it was actually a really challenging course, complete with long, steep hills at the beginning and unfortunately at the end. There were a few moments on those hills between miles 16-22 that I wanted to cry when I saw the next hill coming, but other than that, it actually wasn't as bad or hard as I expected. It just goes to show you that preparation really does pay off. When I started training, I was pretty tired after my first 2 mile run, and here we are 26.2 miles later, going strong!

I have to thank my sister for being one of those people in my life that encourages me to push myself and do things that seem impossible. I am pretty sure that I have the best sisters in the world. I also need to thank Bryson for being such a good sport about me ditching him and Davis for all of those long saturday runs. I am lucky to have a pretty amazing family. I love you guys!

So, these are not our most glamorous shots, but they are definitely blog worthy. Please notice the headbands. "I run so I can eat" It is our motto and our way of life. :-)

After the big finish!: