Pain is Temporary...

I ran a marathon. I didn't think I could, and didn't believe that my legs would be able to make it. But they did.

"Pain is temporary, quitting is forever" was sort of the theme for this Sunday.

But before I talk about the race, I absolutely have to make a very important list, because without these people, I never would have finished:
1. My dad for driving at 6 am on a Saturday all the way to Virginia Beach, then wake up at 6 the next morning after sharing a hotel room with me, my mom, and Robbie, to make sure I was race-ready. Then, for biking the ENTIRE course, especially after my legs cramped and he spent 13 miles alternately cajoling and bullying me to finish the race. I would have given up long before the finish without him.
2. My mom for coming along even though she thought I was going to hurt myself and thought I shouldn't race, and for making posters saying "Eyes on the Prize" to hold up as I passed. And for crying when I crossed the finish because she was so proud of me.
3. Robbie for putting up with a ridiculous weekend, sleeping in a bed with me next to my parents, and helping me walk to the car after the race when my legs were so cramped that I couldn't move.
4. My parents as a whole, for paying for gas, hotel, and food just to watch me cross the finish line.
5. Every damn person on the course screaming and cheering for us.
6. Everyone who told me I could do it and motivated me.
(7. A specific NO thank you to Justin, who I was supposed to race with- in fact, he was the friend who got me to sign up for this race so we could race together- but then backed out without mentioning it to me at all until I texted him on Saturday asking when he was getting there. Yeesh.)

Anyway:
We got to VA Beach on Saturday after an IHOP and Panera stop (breakfast and lunch) and got checked in. I wasn't nervous at all, pretty relaxed actually.

Watched Dodgeball with the parents and Robbie in our hotel room and ate a bagel, then went to sleep and actually managed to sleep comfortably despite being on a small queen sized bed with Robbie while my parents were 4 feet away and dad was snoring.

The next morning, got up, ate a Clif bar and went to shower. Unfortunately... the shower leaked and got my shorts and sports bra totally soaked. I didn't have any alternative stuff packed, so I had to try to dry them on the heater. Didn't work. Luckily, Robbie and I had gone out to the tacky baordwalk shopst he night before and I got pink short shorts with Virginia Beach written on the ass. So, wearing gray thermal top, gray long shorts with pink short shorts on top, nad a bandana like a wide headband, I basically looked like Marathon Barbie.

Headed out, managed to get to the race start a few minutes before the starting bell. I was amazingly relaxed.

Gun went off, started running with the 3:40 group. Other than a super fast 3 miles race to a portapotty, I stuck with them until mile 13. But at mile 10, I could feel my legs starting to cramp, but I pushed through it. I got to mile 13 with the group, but I was tearing up and had to start walking. I was crying and called Dad so he could bring me the cane. But as I started walking, I started thinking about wanting to finish. By the time he came, I had stopped crying, had my head held up high, and was starting to walk a little faster. Dad says when he saw me and how I was walking, he couldn't believe I was even considering finishing. But I walked to 14, and then started running again. Then walked, then ran, then walked, then ran. And I hurt. A lot.

God, it hurt. But I just kept thinking about how much I wanted to cross the finish line for all of the people that had gotten me to try. So I pushed it. And when I saw the finish line, I started sprinting, giving it as much as I had.

I passed one guy, then another, then another. Saw dad, who biked ahead to watch, saw Mom and Robbie screaming. And then I crossed the finish. And yeah, there wasn't a camera and no one saw, but I totally threw my arms in the air and cheered for myself. Then, I got all my bananas, medal, and water, saw Robbie and mom, and collapsed on them.

And couldn't walk to the car, couldn't get in the car, couldn't lift my own legs up to straighten them, couldn't walk into the rest area bathrooms myself, and teared up this morning trying to walk upstairs to work.

It was worth it.