The Marathon was ran!

Well then. . .

I ran the marathon. :)

This is how it goes.

I went and got all my stuff the day before at some expo thing they had.

I felt so nervous all day long.

I even broke down to my mom.

It's nerve racking to think that you have a 26.2 run ahead of you!

But I got through it.

I started out and I thought I would be awesome.

It was a strong start. 

I even passed up the first rest stop!

Ha ha!

I ran Veyo Hill without stopping. . .

It was around the 14th mile that I started braking.

My knees,

oh my poor knees.

Every time I would slow down to get a drink at the aid station

and then start up again

it felt as though knifes were stabbing me between the knee caps.

It took everything I had to keep going.

Knee braces and all I was dieing.

I prayed

I cringed

I stretched

I prayed again

I texted my parents every other mile

so they would know where I was.

I wouldn't stop.

All I needed was to see my city.

I kept thinking that as long as I could find my way there I would be safe from quitting.

Something goes crazy in your head when you run that far.

It's almost survival.

I thought about Jeff

How he would've loved that sunset. . .

But then the 20th mile came.

There's this thing your body does.

It reserves a little pocket of energy deep in your heart.

Mile 20. . .

I could see my city and something happened.

I got a little faster.

More people were on the sides helping us along.

One family was handing out popsicles.

I glided by everyone in my own world.

Something came over me as I saw the finish line.

Remember last year. . . ?

Remember when I started this blog and I said I would be running a marathon?

Remember when I would run to take the stress from waiting for a missionary?

Remember when I would stop and cry because it didn't work?

Remember when I was finally strong enough to run for 2 hours?

Remember how I trained and trained?

Remember the sweat and tears?
Remember trying to do something life changing before Jeff gets home?

It was all coming to an end

and I was starting to cry.

I had accomplished something great.

Something I did all on my own.

Something life changing.

The 7th mile in Veyo. My iPod stopped working, so I dropped it with my family. My brother, Tyler fixed it a couple minutes later. Unfortunately I was already gone.

Veyo Hill lasted 1 1/2 miles. I ran/jogged the whole way. . .

Coming into the finish line. . .

 

This is when I cried.

The time up here is not right. I got a solid 5:40 time. Everyone starts at different times. There are chips in the runner tags that activate once you cross the start line and deactivate at the finish line. That's how they get each runner's specific time.

Me with my medal and my brother, Tyler.