21 Miles!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it's official. After 4 hours of running I finally passed the 20 mile mark. In the spirit of the marathon (since MP3 players are not allowed), I decided to forego my MP3 player and actually run without music! Crazy you might say?! Well, actually today it was kind of nice--for the most part. Since I was missing my usual running partners to talk to during the run, I had some quiet time to myself to think. A LOT of quiet time. What did I think about during those long hours, you might ask? Well, here are my thoughts in a nutshell--I made out grocery lists, Christmas lists, sung a few Christmas carols over (and over) and even had a Kenny Rogers song stuck in my head for about 2 to 3 miles (who knows how that got in there!) Anyway, after about 14 or so miles of singing (in my head) and pondering life's mysteries, it started to pour! I'd like to say that it was a nice warm rain, but in reality it was freezing! I was actually beginning to wonder if hail was coming down, it was hitting me so hard. Did I mention that there were 40 mile an hour winds blowing at me for several miles?! Okay...maybe the wind wasn't blowing me that hard, but it was enough to push me back in my steps a few times. With the cold rain pelting me and the wind in my face (not to mention a few cars that got too close to the side of the road and splashed water all over me--nice!), all I could do was put one foot in front of the other--it was brutal! Sorry, to have such a flair for the dramatic, but let's just say I've seen better days. But one image kept playing over and over in my head to motivate me to keep going. This....

My dear husband put this note in my car (taped to my steering wheel) the night before. In my whole conglomeration of random thoughts, this note kept popping up in my head. My motivation to continue on (besides get out of the rain!) was due to my loving husband and kids who believed I could do it. And I did.