Marathon

I finished!

A little recap of my concerns....

1.) I've only ever run 20 miles, how is it even possible to run 6.2 miles further?  
Still can't answer this one.  I don't know how I ran 6.2 miles further.  I just said to myself..." 6 miles, well that's just one loop around the park, and then 5 miles- that's not too far, and then 4 miles- well that's an easy day run, and then just a 5K left, and then 2 miles---well I can do this and then 1.2 miles---oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh (sob!!) I'm going to finish"!!!

2.) How am I going to swallow another Goo at mile 20?  During my 20 I was DONE with Goos I mean really DONE and so thankful I didn't have to eat another one.  
I didn't.  For the whole race I took 2 Goos, some jelly beans and quite a few cups of Gatorade and water.  I think it was perfect.

3.) How will I not cry?  
 Too bad, I cried.  A few times.  Never out of exhaustion or pain though.  I cried for joy,  I cried out of gratitude, I cried to see other people struggling and in pain, and I cried for pure delight.

4.) Am I going to be cold in shorts?  Should I wear a throw away tee?  Those are kind of a pain.
Not a bit.  I wore a throw away tee but got rid of it before the race even began.

5.) Did I do enough hills in my training?
Absolutely not.  A few of the hills killed me.  

6.) How am I so blessed to have gotten to do this?  This one is where I wonder about #3 all over again.

I've no idea.  Trust me, a good deal of those 4 hours and 17 minutes of running were spent giving praise and thanks for the goodness in my life which then led to a little sniffling. 

I don't think I could have had a better race experience.  The weather was perfect, I had the best supporters ever and I felt well trained.   After an incredible celebratory brunch I've spent a couple of hours wasting time on FB and the Internet and watching TV.  The kids have brought me snacks and given me leg rubs and we're waiting on a pizza now.  I'm milking this for all I can!

Thanks for your prayers, they made a difference!