Blah de dah

It's been a blah week so far... I wish it would stop raining! This past weekend was great though. We went to Nashville for Wes' family's Christmas. We stayed at a hotel near his uncle's house. We did nothing but eat! I feel like I've gained a few pounds back. I haven't run but once since the marathon. I was going to run this morning, but it was raining and I didn't feel like getting up at 5am... So I didn't! Nice not feeling guilty about it. Although I feel a little bit of guilt.
Anyway, I'll post pictures later of our Nashville weekend. The rest of the week, I have to work the morning show. yeah. Not looking forward to it, but I'll be able to run after work. (That's the only positive thing I can find in it!) This weekend, we have nothing planned for Saturday (we hope to keep it that way-we don't want to have to drive anywhere at least). Sunday we'll be going to Wes's parents for their Christmas since they'll be out of town next week. Wes has been really helpful this week and last, getting stuff mailed off and helping my Grandmother with her new TV and other stuff. :) He found out last week that he'll be going to Hong Kong and South Korea in May for a school "Global Leadership Initiative" trip. There's only 30 or so people going. He's the only one from MSU Meridian. Now we just have to figure out how to pay for it!! :)

Memphis - Lorraine Hotel

Before we left Memphis, we drove by the Civil Rights Museum. It's built around the hotel where Martin Luther King was shot. The hotel isn't open anymore. The museum is build adjacent to it. It was Sunday, so they were closed.

FINISHED!!

I DID IT!!!!!

5:32:53!

This was definitely one of the most mentally challenging events in my life! And one of the hardest. But definitely AWESOME!!! I was really glad that Laura & Jay made it! Mom, Wes & I got to Memphis around 4 and went to the Expo. I bought a short sleeve tech shirt (we all got a long sleeve tech shirt with registration) I also got a 26.2 magnet for my car and a cap. After that we met up with Jay & Laura and ate at the Hard Rock. It was REALLLLY COLD! I knew it would be cold during the race, but it was really cold the whole time! We nearly froze!
(Here are pictures from Hard Rock)

I didn't bring a big jacket... Mom let me wear one of hers.

I wasn't real nervous, yet still I wasn't able to sleep that well on Friday night. Tossed and turned most of the night. We got up early and met Tim in the lobby. Took a few pictures of us before we headed down there. (The hotel was about 3/4 of a mile from the start.) The trolley stopped next to the hotel. I took a picture of the D-tag (timing chip) because you'll notice a misspelling on it..... (Click on the picture to see it more clearly-It says "Tear along Hear.")

Mom & I heading to the start... The 5K start was in a different place.

Don't know why I look like this... Maybe my eyes were froze open! I was seriously cold! (Have I said that before?) The temperature at the start was around 28 and it never got above 40 that day. I wore my Under Armour cold weather shirt, a black athletic jacket, full length tights, my blue raceready shorts, hat, toboggan and headband that covered my ears, and two pairs of gloves. I had on a pair of Addidas pants over this to keep warm before the race. My toes got the coldest of anything. I only wore one pair of socks, the same thin socks I've worn for training. I didn't want to chance getting blistered by wearing more than I was used to. Next time I'll know to train with thicker socks.

The race was started in corrals (yeah, like cattle!) The first corral was for the elites. (here's some pictures of them leaving). Tim was in the 2nd corral. I was in the 12th! Each corral started two minutes after the one before. I crossed the start at 8:21.

Here I come... Wes is videotaping me (on the left in the brown jacket)

Mom was manning the camera.

Ready to go!! I was so cold!! I could not feel my toes or fingertips for the first 4 miles. My left foot toes started to go real numb and hurt a little bit. I got nervous about it. I kept praying that it wouldn't cause any problems. About mile 4, I started to feel them again! My fingers took longer. I kept both pairs of gloves on until about mile 15, then took the top pair off. (People with red numbers are running the full marathon, green numbers were for the half marathon)

There were a few folks dressed up... Here's some bananas. I saw a couple of Elvis's and one spongebob. There were a lot of people with special shirts made for their St. Jude patient. Some said in memory of, some had phrases like "Sommer's Crew," "trotting for Trevor," etc. Lots of people had pictures pinned to their backs. (These are pictures from mile 3)

Here I come....

We ran through St. Jude Hospital's campus. It was MASSIVE! There were lots of people there lining the road, waving and holding signs. Lots of signs. What hit me the most was the kids. There were lots of kids there waving and holding their hands out to give "high fives." There were a few kids whom you could tell were sick. Most were smiling and cheering for us. Some were too weak to. It was really emotional, but uplifting at the same time. I thought about Maddie. A girl I went to high school with, Candace; her little girl has cancer and is at St. Jude. I don't really know them that well, but I prayed for her.

The first half of the race went pretty well. I felt good. I didn't start too fast and didn't get tired until about mile 15. Throughout the race, there were people scattered. We ran through several nice neighborhoods. Some people were giving us candy and pretzels. I grabbed a handful of candy, but all I got was an Oatmeal Raisin granola bar (I don't like raisins!) I ate a bit or two because I needed something. There were several places where people were handing out Beer! At one point, this guy started jogging with me. He said "how long do you want me to stay with you?" I said as long as you want. He asked me where I was from and encouraged me. He said he'd better turn around now. I said "yeah, I think the beer's back there!" His cup was almost empty. He said it was Mimosa's. I said "better than nothing I guess!" That was uplifting. I don't know his name. But it helped!

My original plan was to stay with the 5 hour pacers. That didn't last long, because they weren't stopping at all. I planned to walk some. I ended up loosing them. But at around mile 14 or 15, the 5:15 pacers came up behind me. I decided to stick with them. I did for the next 4 or 5 miles. I still stopped and walked periodically, but caught back up with them. About mile 18, they had gotten a good bit ahead of me. I didn't care. I just wanted to finish. I wasn't worried about time at that point. I started to hit a mental wall. (the last 8 miles were the hardest, mentally) I was sore all over. I was tired. I was mostly alone. I was cold. I needed some motivation. So I called Kelly! She told me to call her if I needed a pep talk. I definitely needed it them! She talked about random stuff and then let me tell her what was happening. I told her about the bananas and the spongebobs and some of the kids and the signs people had made for the race. Talking to her really helped boost my spirits. I wish I could have kept talking to her, but it was hard to hear and hard to hold the phone as well.

Around mile 20, I got a little boost of spirit. Going from the 'teens to mile 20 is like a big milestone. You're out of the 'teens. 20 sounds better than 19 even though it's only one mile difference. Then it seemed like the miles went by faster, even though I walked a good bit more. I got water and powerade at every stop. (I had used 5 gels throughout the race). I stopped to stretch several times to loosen up the stiffness in my thighs. (Next time, I'll try some strength training) After the water stop at mile 24, I walked for a minute. When I started running again, I felt it! I had to pee sooooo bad!! It was serious!! I tried to walk again, but that made it worse! So I ran a good pace till mile 25 so I could pee at the water stop (each water stop had two porta-johns). Maybe it was all that water and powerade I had in that last hour. I wasn't dehydrated at all. After I peed, I felt much (much) better. We turned a corner and I saw the downtown area on the horizon! (Thank GOD!!! I thought). Then I saw the mile 26 sign! (It was beautiful!) There was this guy there who had already finished the race. He was dancing in the middle of the street. There were only two or three people around me. But he was getting down like he was in a night club! It was great! I laughed and cheered as I passed him. He said "You're there baby, You're there!!!" That's when I started tearing up! At that point, I didn't really feel the soreness anymore. I knew I was done! The finish line was in the baseball stadium. Wes, Mom and Laura & Jay and Nathan were there. I was super excited!! ( I know this sounds cheesy! Oh well!) I crossed the finish line and the girl gave me my medal and said "Congratulations, you are officially a marathoner!" :) That was awesome!!

Here's the pictures Mom took of the finish... Wes was still videotaping... (I'll try to get that loaded later)

I crossed under the finish at 5:53. My official time was 5:32:53.

Mom immediately called Dad and I told him I finished! He was excited for me. He had been on pins and needles at home. Mom said that he actually had the phone with him in the barn while he was fooling around in there. He didn't want to come to the race because he saw me run in July in the 5K in Jackson. That day it was seriously HOT!!! It scared him. He didn't like to see me about to pass out.

My face was seriously wind-burned! It was so dry and irritated! I still haven't recovered from that yet...

It's more obvious in this picture... notice the bright red nose!

After the race, Wes gave me a card that had a gift card to the Peabody Hotel Spa for a hot stone massage!! :) That was AWESOME!! (Thanks dear!!) After a shower and the massage, we ate at Rendezvous!! Awesome! I had a big plate of ribs and chicken. We got their early (like 5pm). It was really busy. We also ran into Kendy & Nathan (Wes' cousins from Jonesboro)! There were lots of marathoners there. When we left, there were people everywhere waiting for a table. (The Christmas parade was that night as well).

Here's a link to the official results from the race. I haven't checked for pictures yet. They should be there soon.

On Sunday, I could barely stand up! It took me several minutes just to get out of bed! It was worth it though. Once I got moving, I was fine. Sitting still for too long made me really stiff. We ate breakfast at the hotel buffet (really good btw) and then checked out and went to meet Laura & Jay at a mall (Jay lived in Memphis once). We bought some stuff from Brookstone and then went to Old Navy. I made Wes buy himself some new jeans. :) We got back home around 6:30. Me being obsessive and all, I unpacked everything before I even sat down.

We are going to Nashville this weekend for Wes' family's Christmas. Yea! Back to Tennessee!!! :) Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Thanks for listening to me talk about nothing but running for the past 6 months as well. :) I DID IT!!!! It was all worth it!! :)

Marathon Mile Sponsors

Yesterday, Tim (my running partner) came up with the idea to get people to "sponsor" a mile during our marathon by giving us a quote to think about during that mile. The quotes can be funny, inspirational or whatever. I got multiple quotes for several miles. Here's my list....

1. John Johnson: The start is just as important as the finish.
2. Garren Warwick: What a great day for sightseeing-enjoy every mile and stay loose!
3. - Rachael Harper: Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity.
- Donna Jenkins: "Donna would be dead by now."
4. Johnathan Edwards: When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.
5. Staci Slayton Harrell: Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. -Ralph Waldo Emerson So proud of you! Good Luck!
6. Joey Gibson:
7. Josh Martin: Some people create with words or music of paint brush. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop & say, "I've never seen anyone run like that before." It's more than a race, it's a style.
8. Rachel Alig: Actions start out of motivation and continue out of habit!!!
9. Tammi McPherson: “Success is falling nine times and getting up ten.” Bon Jovi
10. Jan Cook Houston: "The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."- Sir Roger Bannister
11. Staci Slayton Harrell: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. -Lao Tzu
12. Thomas Burton: "Don't look back!, Suit & Tie man is right behind you!"
13. - Adam McPherson: I was watching you, and the whole time you were doing so well. But then on that last stretch, those guys passed you. I kept wondering, 'why is he letting them pass him?' Just run faster, Adam! It's that easy. Just run faster!" -Jennifer McPherson
- Charles Daniel: You're half way through this race. Now you make your own luck. Go get em!
14. Juliet Johnston: Hebrews 12:1-2: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
15. Dawn Brand: The miracle isn't that i finished. The miracle is that i had the courage to start. ~ John Bingham...
16. Michael Phillips: They shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and never faint. Go get em!!
17. Tim Irvine: "The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running."
18. Kelly Kowall: Philippians 4:13
19. Lauren Hodges: The miracle is not that YOU WILL cross the finish line... The miracle is that YOU had the courage to cross the start line!
20. - Carl Harper: At this point, don't think back, just keep going to the finish.
- Garren Warwick: only 10K left!
21. Randy Corbin: Pain, like this race, will end soon!
22. Wade Phillips: We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
23. - Tracie Clark Mallard: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
- Sheila Kowall: I will be with you always..You can so all things through Christ.......I will be there when you start and when you finish.
24. Lauren Castillo: "Keep on swimming...keep on swimming."
25. Johnathan Tullos: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
26. LaSandra Jennings: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 2Timothy 4:7
.2. Pete Kowall: You'd be done if you didn't have to run the .2!! Go Navy!

Various pictures from the week Papaw went to Heaven.

Not in any order.....

Dad hates Mayonaise...

Me & Kelly

Kelly & Kaine

Kaine wearing Papaw's Navy cap

Everyone playing games. (Bobby & Dad were playing too.)

Aunt Deb and Kaine making a scrapbook of fall leaves.

Mom & Marlinda

Nathan & Kaine playing together.

The family eating dinner after the funeral.

Me & Pete after the funeral

Wes & Kelly

Doesn't he look good in his suit!!

Ken & Gracie before the funeral

Gracie on the "Martin Grandkids Tricycle."

This is one of my favorites....

After the visitation, Becky&Jim, Pete&Kelly, Josh&Amy and Wes & I went to Outback.

Dad, Me and Uncle Chris

Grandpa Ken is training his Grandkids early... She knows how the remote works.

After church on Sunday, we ate at McAllisters.