I did it!

Yesterday, I completed my very first marathon! What a rush of emotions it was....there were times I wanted to give up (mile 14, 18 and 20), there were times I cried (mile 21) and times I wondered why the heck I was doing this (miles 1-26!). In the end, the tears and sweat were worth it: I crossed the finish line!

It took 7 hours 37 minutes and 45 seconds to complete the course which I think is not too bad for my first marathon. The amount of support along the course was amazing. It really helped me stay motivated. Cassie and I saw our hubbies at mile 7 and we were able to stop for a quick kiss for motivation. We saw our families again at mile 12. It was amazing to round the corner and see our husbands, parents and sisters holding up signs and cheering for us.

There were spectators pretty much from the start to the finish to cheer us on. People I don't even know were shouting, "Go Rebecca! You can do it!" They had water, orange slices and pretzels for us if we needed it- the marathon provided this as well, but people out of the goodness of their heart and support for us were out on the streets with it as well. Part of the course ran through a residential area and people had their sprinklers set out in the streets for us to run through to cool down. The amount of support along the way wast just overwhelming and incredible.

When I reached mile 21 and realized that I was actually going to cross the finish line and complete a marathon was incredible! The finish line was about a mile into MCRD (the Marine Corps Recruit Depot) and when we rounded the corner, there were marines along the route to cheer us on. Cassie and I wore bright pink tank tops and one guy yelled, "Go team pinky!" As we neared the finish line we saw our families and ran over for one last hug. Jeff placed a lei around my neck and told me he was so proud of me.

This is an experience I will never forget and I am so proud of Cassie and myself for training, for giving it our all and most importantly: crossing the finish line!!

If you want to see photos of me during the race, go to rnrmarathon.com
You can enter my racer #23286 and you'll be able to see me in action! You can also go to http://www.nbcsandiego.com/finishlinecam/index.html
to see video of me crossing the finish line. I am in the 2:20-2:30 time slot.