#10 RUN A MARATHON

This has taken me a long time to complete.  I signed up for a marathon almost 
10 years ago, but ran into some serious health issues related to my stomach 
that I could not figure out.  Interestingly as I have run over the last several months 
I have been able to manage my stomach and my knee has given me very little 
problems.  The hardest run was either the 18 miles on the tread mill or running 
hills in inclement weather - I still haven't decided. 

Before I left I started to think of the people that would not be able to run this race. 
Their challenges are far beyond the difficulty of running 26 miles. So I wrote their 
names on my shoes and decided I would run for them! They were the reason
 I think I made it to the finish - I could not give in and never give up! It was snowing
 when I got to the starting location for the marathon. 

There were people everywhere. It was a bit exhilarating and intimidating at the same time. The first three miles were down hill. It was a beautiful scene to run past the capital and the Salt Lake Temple. There are definitely more up hills then down hills through SLC. For many of the miles I ran next to a man carrying a US flag.  It was a great inspiration for me. At mile 18 I hit a wall and my legs started to cramp. 

I saw Sandi again. This time she was at the top of the hill and thought, I will 
just run to her and then stop. She was cheering alone - just for me! I grabbed 
water and she kept encouraging and I just kept going. The last 6 miles were brutal.
It seemed around every turn I would see Sandi smiling, cheering, and waving her 
arms. One step in front of another was my thought and just keep going! When I 
saw the lines, the crowd, and could hear the music it pumped me up and my legs 
went a little faster. I did it, I finished the race!