Salt Lake City 1/2 Marathon

After the run my friend Rebecca had a brunch for me......isn't that so sweet? We had yummy Honey Baked Ham, Muffins, Fruit, and Scrambled Eggs....it was so delicious. My friends Rory and Suzanne came and they brought me the flowers above...they are so beautiful. They fit perfect in my Spring Blocks. It really meant a lot to me and I really felt loved that my friends supported me.

These are the flowers Kerry and the kids brought me...my family and Rebecca came to the finish line to cheer me on. It was so special. I love my family so much. I am so lucky to have the best husband, children and friends in the world.

I ran the 1/2 Marathon starting at the Legacy Bridge. It went down 1700 South and twisted and turned at one point. It went down 2700 South back to 1700 South and so on. I ran up the hill towards but not all the way to the Capitol Bldg towards the end, eventually I ended up at The Gateway. A few years ago I would never have been able to run 13.1 miles. I wouldn't have even walked it although I could have. I would have been to embarrassed by my weight. This experience has made me grow. I saw very old people running very slow and very fast. I saw extremely overweight people trudging along. I saw people with disabilities. I was so impressed by those people and inspired to never let any of my shortcomings stop me from trying anything I want to try. It is okay to fail. In some ways I feel like I failed. I had a few start goals one was to finish and not to walk at all. When I hit about 9 1/2 miles my knee seized up and the pain was excruciating. I could not physically run. I had to stop and walk it off for about 1/2 mile. I started to cry. There was a lady there who talked to me and she was fabulous. I was touched by her kindness. After the pain was manageable, I ran in major pain for 3 miles to the end. It was extremely humbling. I truly did not fail because I did not give up. It was such a blessing to train with Michelle Williams and get to know her on a level that you don't always know everyone. She is a wonderful person with so many talents. She is definitely a runner. She ran the race in under 2 hours. I am so proud of her. It took me 2:39 kind of embarrassing time, but it is all mine and no one can take that from me. The atmosphere of the race was amazing. It was crazy how something like running can connect that many people. It touched me when people on the sidelines, who don't know you cheered for you. It was amazing how you can care for people you don't know and want them to succeed in their goals. My body isn't the prettiest or skinniest but I am thankful for it. I am thankful for what I can do with it if I work at it. It really is one the most amazing blessings from God no matter what shape it is in.