St. George Marathon

I did it! I ran 26.2 miles! My goal was: 1st to FINISH, 2nd to do it in 4 hours. I did it in 3 hrs, 59 min, 5 sec. I couldn't have done it without the support of my family. When I saw them cheering me on from the road - I really can't describe how I felt. I was so overwhelmed with feelings of love and happiness. Aaron's dad, Evan, waited for me a block from where everyone was stationed and jogged with me until I met up with Aaron and the girls. He gave me words of encouragement and complained that I wasn't wearing purple like Aaron thought. (Very funny actually because I woke Aaron up right before I left and said: "Remember what I am wearing" and it wasn't purple - it was white and green!) When I caught sight of Aaron, he had Sydney on his shoulders, his mom was holding Haylee and they were waving homemade signs. I am almost crying just thinking about it. I only had 4 miles left - I knew I could do it. I could do it for them. I could do it for Grandpa Winn in Las Vegas who knew I could do it. I could do it for my parents and siblings. I stopped, kissed Aaron, Sydney and Haylee and finished the race. What a day! Thank you Aaron for being so supportive! You never complain when I leave early in the morning to go for runs or when you have to get up early Saturday morning with the girls because I am out for a long run. You've encouraged me at times when I haven't wanted to get out of bed. Thank you!


Why did I decide to run the marathon? Last Christmas Aaron wanted to buy me a wetsuit and I was so ashamed of my weight, being heavier than I had ever been, that I threw a fit and wouldn't let him buy me one. That may have been the catalyst but once I started running with two wonderful women from my ward, Colleen and Ruth, I remembered the love I have for running.

Ruth talked us into signing up for the St. George Marathon. There was a good chance we wouldn't get picked in the lottery, so I felt safe in agreeing to participate. We were all shocked/excited/nervous when May came along and we were picked! We needed a plan of action to make sure we all trained properly so we met at Colleen's house with our calendars and planned our long runs around summer schedules.

Unfortunately, Ruth suffered two major injuries during our training. Poor lighting and an uneven sidewalk gave her a sprained ankle and then an injury to her hip on our 15 mile run made it impossible for her to properly train for the marathon. She was the one who pulled us together and kept us running. It was disappointing to have this happen. Fortunately, Ruth is back running and will likely get us committed to another race soon. She also helped Colleen by watching her children so Colleen could go to St. George for the marathon.

Although I felt we had prepared properly, I started to get nervous a couple weeks before the run. I tried to remind myself of the beautiful run I'd had on Sept. 1st in Provo when I ran down Provo Canyon and nearly to Springville totaling 18 miles. But, I also had the memory of running Mission Bay two weeks later and dreading every minute of that nearly 18 mile run. The Mission Bay memory - compounded by my tapered work-out schedule, left me feeling insecure. Lucky for me I have a wonderful sister who gave me a pep talk and helped me prepare emotionally for the race. Thanks Becca!!

Race day was incredible! We got up early - I woke up every hour starting at 12:45!! - and was at the buses by 4:30 AM. They shuttled us up the canyon to Central, Utah. We found a bombfire and hung out until it was time to line up. We lined up along the road based on our expected finish time. I don't remember a gun or even hearing them announce the start, but suddenly the group started moving forward. It took a little while for me to cross the start line - but I remember starting my watch and thinking here we go!! I actually needed the bathroom and wondered how long it would be until I could find a port-a-potty without a line. I couldn't believe how shamelessly men were relieving themselves along the way. A few barely even stepped off the road. Ok... that was pretty disgusting! I held off until mile 13 and then found a potty. I remember feeling a little sore and tired after I started off again. The hardest part was between 13 & 15. I just kept pushing myself and got past the pain. The course was mostly downhill - so I started to look forward to the slightest incline. My left shoe was a little small and the constant downward pressure was causing some pain in my toes. The view was spectacular! After I passed mile 18 I felt great! Each mile after that became my new personal longest distance run. That was pretty motivating. There weren't many spectators until we got into the city. When I saw my family at mile 22 - I was SOOOO happy. I handed off my water bottles to Evan and kept going. The last 3 miles felt like forever! I tried to distract myself by thinking of what fabric I would buy later that day at the Lazy Daisy Fabric Store to finish one of my blankets. The finish line was lined with cheering people. I couldn't stop smiling. I remember seeing people stop and walk the last few miles. I wanted to help them - they were soooo close. After crossing the line, I tried to jog a little bit to cool down but didn't make it very far. Everyone was standing waiting for water and ice cream cones. I pushed pass the crowd and tried to walk off some of the cramping and dizziness I was starting to feel. I tried to assess the damage. I was pretty sure I'd lost a nail at mile 25.2 but it ended up being a burst blister on my middle toe. Once the dizziness passed, I sat down and stretched out. I kept looking for Colleen and my family. I decided to get my bag that had been picked up at the starting line. Once I had my cel phone, I called my parents to let them know that I had finished and was doing well. They were happy and made me feel so good about my accomplishment. Finally, I met up with my family outside the tennis courts. What a happy reunion! Sydney jumped up on me and didn't want to let go.

I just have to say - I am so glad I did this. I am so pleased that I finished. It really gives me confidence to know that I can do something hard if I break it down into manageable pieces and give it my all!