Pages

Monday, November 5, 2012

26.2 done


So it's done. Marathon over. 26.2 or actually according to my GPS device 26.9 for me.  (I've heard courses are measured on the inside track, so unless you are far enough ahead of the crowd you can hug all the turns, it ends up being longer.)  I finished in 4:23, so I was extremely happy with that.  I know most people can run faster (in fact 50% of the people in my age group can), but I think because my husband kept telling me that I could go faster than I thought I could, I did.  My family told me that I looked great although I've seen the pictures, so I know they are just incredibly loving.

I don't think you can actually even see me in this picture, but it is my favorite one from the day because you can see how crazy and supportive my mom is when she saw me.

Some of my favorite things from the race were creative signs the spectators held out ("If Obama can run, so can you", "You run better than metro", "This was a good idea 4 months ago"), awesome fan and community support (including someone handing beer out at about mile 24), and although it sounds cheesy, the pride it gave me in our military and our nation's capital.  Plus, I got a really cool medal at the end and didn't feel guilty about not exercising all week.

Will I do it again? There were definitely times at miles 20-25 that I thought "never again."  Now that it's over though, I have toyed around with the idea.  Maybe if it weren't for all the time that goes into training!