Marathon Report

It's Monday after the marathon and I am alive!!
I am very sore and could barely walk yesterday and this morning. I'm doing better this afternoon after walking 1/2 mile on the treadmill, sitting in the hot tub and then the kiddie pool at the Rec Center.
If you want a report on the actual marathon, go here.
I've been asked some good questions from good friends.
1. Has this been a life changing experience? Yes - in many ways. I proved to myself that I really could finish a marathon. It took disciplined training over 6 months time. That is the important thing - the consistent training is really what I was going for. I've always started exercising but quit after a couple of months. This is the most consistent and dedicated I've ever been in my whole life. Now I just need another goal to keep me going.
2. Would I do it again - the marathon itself and the training program? That was easy to answer - YES!! YES!!!
The marathon itself was very difficult and I can't imagine doing a lot of marathons but I do want to do at least one more (the St George marathon) in the future.
I learned a lot about myself in the process of training for this marathon. I liked the training program and having a specific training program telling me what to do each day was perfect for me.
I also learned that there are certain distances that I enjoy running. I don't really like doing the 5K distance - too short and I just get into the groove and the race is over. I enjoy any distance between 5 - 13 miles, especially our training runs that were between 8-12 miles. I really want to do some 1/2 marathons now - I think that would be the most enjoyable and do-able for me.
PS Some tidbits about the marathon not included in my race report:
**You can see in 2 pictures on the slideshow a guy who is all bandaged up and bloody. He was being worked on at the very first aid station (Mile 1). We don't know for sure what happened but we figure he tripped at the very beginning of the race and probably got stepped on too. He is amazing! I would have been out of the race right then. But he kept going and finished. I wish I could have talked to him.
**The first place finisher is from Kenya. We saw him the night before at the pasta dinner and I said to my fellow chics, "there's the 1st place runner and I bet he's from Kenya and I was right on both counts :)
**Just found out today that one girl who we know (Laura Whiting Kiessner) that was at the pasta dinner with her husband, ran in the marathon and finished just ahead of Desiree. She was at the pasta dinner with her husband, Honko, and he was feeling bad because everyone there was running the marathon so he registered and ran the marathon and finished with her - with no recent training. How does a person do that?

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THEIR SUPPRORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT!!