It's over and I've finished my first marathon! What an experience. As I look back, I can honestly say it was worth EVERYTHING and I’m glad to have been able to do this. I learned so much, met awesome people, and the support I’ve received from my family and friends has been phenomenal.Betty, my running partner, and I arrived in SF on Saturday afternoon. We checked into our hotel and went down to Union Square to pick up our race packets. It was a beautiful sunny day in the city. It was fun seeing all the women and shopping at the Nike exhibits. We had a huge Pasta dinner that night at the Moscone Center. There were 5,000 other runners from Team in Training from all over the United States. It was an inspirational night, full of testimonies from cancer survivors and people running in honor of a loved one. I left there feeling inspired and excited to be running for this cause. Thank you for all who prayed that I would be able to sleep on Saturday night because Betty and I got back to our room, laid out all our running gear, and went to bed. We both slept soundly until the alarm went off at 4:00 am. Betty even said that she’s usually unable to sleep the night before her marathons, so we were both very happy about getting a good night’s sleep.
Arriving at Union Square at 5:30 am was quite an experience. There were 24,000 women and 1,000 men warming up to run, plus all the spectators there to watch. It was so awesome when the National Anthem was sung and there was complete silence as everyone watched our Flag blowing in the wind. We were ready!! We took off at 7:00 am. It was a foggy morning but perfect weather to run in. The first 8 miles were really good. I felt strong and didn't even mind the hills. It was so motivating to see all the runners, especially those who had lost loved ones to cancer. Mothers with their child’s picture on their backs, running in their memory. People on the sidelines with banners and signs cheering us on. It was an incredible sight. Around mile 8 I started getting a pain in my side that I had when I had gotten sick just weeks before the race. The pain got worse as time went on and I was disappointed that I couldn't run like I wanted to. At mile 18 I was so excited to see family and friends and that got me going again…even my
youngest grandchild Beau Robert was there. Betty and I ran together all the way until mile 22 when I had to slow for a bit because of the pain. At mile 23 I hit 'the wall', and out of the blue a guy came up beside me and started running with me, talking to me, cheering me on and making me laugh and forget about the pain. I think he was an angel sent to me because he ran with me for about 1 mile and then he was gone. I kept going, but the last 2 miles seemed so far away! At mile 25, my sons Jon and Mark came in from the sidelines and ran with me for little ways, until my coach ran up along side me and we ran the last mile together. The last 2 tenths of the race, I met up with Betty again and we crossed the finish line at the same time.I was so overwhelmed with emotion all I could do was cry. It was crazy!! The SF firemen were all dressed in Tuxedos and handed us our Tiffany necklaces as we passed. My legs felt like jello and my side was still hurting, but I was so excited. Bob and all of my kids and spouses were there and handed me yellow roses. Robin and Brian were there with hugs and support. Vanessa's sisters, Christa and Melissa, were also there. It was awesome!! We all went back to Union Square to celebrate. John & Jeanette Krick and Cathy Tuxon met us there. John was one of my inspirations for running also. The whole experience was amazing.
I was also excited to find out that my time of 3hrs 50 minutes qualified me for the Boston Marathon! I also came in second place in my age group, which was really exciting news and means I’ll receive another gift from Tiffany's. I never thought I would run another marathon, but after talking to my running team, I have decided to run in the Boston Marathon. It is a privilege to qualify and who knows when the opportunity would ever come up again. I signed up this morning, so I guess I’m committed!
I visited Betsy this week and she was doing so much better. Her chemotherapy treatments are finished and she starts radiation treatments next week for 4 weeks. She still has a long road ahead of her so please continue to keep her in your prayers.Thanks again to all of you for your support and prayers. Eighteen million dollars were raised at this marathon for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, thanks to all of you!!
