Truth be told...

...the marathon was a bust.



All the training was done, all that was left to do was run the marathon. Believe me, the thought of running 26.2 miles by myself was intimidating, but I was excited to do it! The longest run completed, while training, was 20. 6 more miles, I can do that!



Friday we packed up and headed south for Jacksonville. We got in later than usual, Landon had some sort of bug and threw up 4 times on the way down and we hit the usual traffic in Georgia.



Saturday, Landon spent recuperating and I went out for a short run to stretch the legs out from the drive. Mom made a wonderful spaghetti dinner in preparation for the big day. Soon after eating, my stomach started bothering me. Andrew thought, "maybe its nerves." I agreed, but the ache got worse and I new it wasn't nerves! I had some sort of stomach bug. The kind where your body feels fine but your stomach just aches and aches. I decided to head to bed, in hope that the ache would go away, but of course it didn't. I spent most of the night in the bathroom, either huddled over the toilet or sitting on it (without giving too much detail), all the while getting little sleep.



Sunday came, and the my stomach wasn't any better. To add to it, there was no food in my body and all the hydrating I had done was probably done in vain. I had no desire to eat, though I did eat half a banana and drank some fluids. I wasn't sure if I should head out for the run, and against my husband's advice, I did. How could I not try. So, I did and I actually felt alright. My stomach had settled a bit and I kept going. Andrew and my youngest brother, Danny, saw me off. I even got a little motivation from them around mile three. My pace was great, and I was still feeling ok. Around mile seven, my mom was there cheering me on. At mile eight, Danny & Andrew were there again. By now, I could feel my body tiring, but I needed to keep going. Mom was around mile 9 and now the fatigue was really starting to set in. I made it to mile 10/11 and decided it was time to call it quits. I was trying not to, but I slowed to a crawl and felt horrible.



So, once again, my efforts in completing 26.2, were lost. I have no great pictures of the run or the great finish across the line, just the beginning before the race began.

Am I disappointed? yes. I was so close this time, much closer than last time. All that was left to do was the actual run.

I do want to thank all of you for your support, encouragement and well wishes in my quest to run a marathon. Maybe there is another in the near future...any takers??? Third times a charm...right???!!!!