13.1

Yes, you read that right. I ran, jogged, walked, crawled the 13.1 miles to complete the Country Music Half and Full Marathon this weekend. I really didn't train the way I should have. I would start and stop and start and stop over the last 5 months. I wasn't sure I would be able to finish. Luckily, my girlfriend and 13.1 partner hadn't exactly trained well either. We pushed each other, and it WORKED! We finished! 13.1 miles - HILLY miles. This is Tennessee, NOT Kansas. We worked out a strategy after the first several killer hills. We would jog the flat's and downhills and walk UP. That worked for a while until I thought I was going to die.

Everything was fine until mile 8 - That's when I started to cramp. That's when my feet started killing me. I suffered through the next couple miles. The crowds were GREAT, UNBELIEVABLE! I can't imagine completing the race without the encouragement from the sidelines. We saw the most hilarious signs. Signs that said, "Run like you just stole something!" and "You are awesome insert your name here!" Others had signs with beer cans attached that said, "There's beer at the finish line!" Of course that one kept me moving. ;) We were suppose to have bad weather moving in and I saw a few signs with variations of "Run...There's a tornado coming!" There were also tons of bands around every corner. Those that were planned and also the impromptu singers on music row and downtown. This is the MUSIC CITY after all.

The weather was perfect until mile 10. They were calling for awful, severe storms, but it held off and stayed cool and overcast for most of the race. I hit a wall at mile 10. The rain started, my body was numb and tingling. My feet still hurt like hell and I could feel the blisters forming with every step. My partner was AWESOME! I got crabby, she stayed happy. Thank God!

At mile 12 I heard my name "Katie, Katie..." I looked over and there stood my most favorite people in the world. Seth brought the kids out, in the rain, with signs and loud cheers. I felt my body again and the emotions started pouring.

The kids made the signs at home while I was running! :)

The kids and Seth waiting at mile 12 to see me.
Cheering on the Runners!
Here I am! Here I am! It was not pretty, but it was 12, it was raining and it wasn't suppose to be pretty! In fact. I don't think I could even form a smile on my face. Hahaaa.
I didn't stop for long. The finish line was sooo close and I just needed to see it- and it HURT to stop! I needed to cross it. As I ran off, I got tears in my eyes. Susan looked at me with her constant encouragement and said, "We're so close now!" I knew we were. I knew at the moment we WOULD make it. But all I could think about was my family.

We DID finally cross the finish line. Holding hands and smiling. I cannot begin to describe the feeling. The HIGH when you cross and still feel days later, even if your body aches.

And you better believe we got out of the rain and went to the nearest bar to celebrate WEARING our medals. Wish would would have gotten pics of that. On second thought... haha. We were looking pretty rough.

I did order all the pics from the marathon website so, I will post more later.

IT'S ADDICTING! We've already signed up to do it again in September! I think I will train a little harder this time. :)

13.1 - Here we come again!

Get your RUNNING shoes on girls!