Moab Half-Marathon

We had to get up at 5:30 AM to be ready for our race. Everyone meets at the local elementary school for buses to take us to the starting line 13.1 miles away. Here we are waiting to get on the bus. It was really cold that morning. Luckily Brooke's dad gave us beanies to run with until our heads were toasty and then we threw to them to the side of the road. All the clothing found along side the road of the marathon is donated to a local charity. Three lucky people got our beanies!

At mile 6 my calf's felt like 5 lb weights on the back of my legs. At mile 9 there was a killer hill, where the only reason I was able to keep moving was because of drums I heard beating in the distance. When I saw the first crowd of people cheering along side the road I gasped for tears that didn't come. I kept one foot in front of the other. It was powerful that people I didn't even know were cheering for me. The last mile was so painful. It was past what I thought my body would let me do. I was tired physically, mentally and emotionally. As I came running into the finish line I saw my Dad, Mike (Brooke's dad), Gavin and Jessica all screaming at me, then I saw my mom, and Lisa (Brooke's mom). I was so excited they had made the trip. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Jess!
Almost crossing the finish line...
I would do a half-marathon again. I would probably train more, and stretch better before the race for my next one. It is empowering to cross that finish line and have all the people you love most there to cheer you on and rub your calf's (Thanks Jess ;))