I started running hard core in April and after my half-marathon in July I decided I wanted to run the first annual Layton Marathon. It started at 6 a.m. 17 miles out on Antelope Island. It was so cool to look East and see the distant city lights and see the Bountiful Temple. It took so much time and effort to get to this point that I couldn't believe that I was standing at the starting line in complete darkness with 300 other runners. This first picture was at mile 17 just as I was leaving the island. This was the first glimpse Cory and the kids had of me that day. I honestly felt really good at this point and I was able to keep the pace I wanted.
My cute kids waiting to see Mom.
The boys came running up to me with big grins. I told them to look for me with the "Halloween arms". I bought Halloween socks and cut the toe off and wore them on my arms to keep warm and it worked great. Running along with the boys made me feel like I had already won the race and whatever happened the next 9 miles didn't matter!
Cory was so awesome because we only planned on him and the kids being at mile 17 and 22, but from about mile 18 on he stuck close by and they stopped frequently and cheered me and and that made me feel great! He said he could tell the last 5 miles seemed to be taking a toll so he wanted to keep cheering me on a little extra! What a guy:)The picture above is a smile of relief because I only had a little over a mile to go!
Rounding the last bend. When I saw the finish line I got emotional after running for 5 hours it felt at times that I may never see the finish line...lol!
I got a cool medal at the finish line and Spencer said, "Mom, you got a medal did you win?" I said, "You bet I did!"
AWWW....the post race massage! "I've learned that finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement. It's a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible"--John Hanc
