Are we there yet?

The marathon was a smashing success. We had a great time in Hawaii, and it was definitely needed in more ways than one.

My favorite part was crossing the finish line. I started to cry when I realized that I finally accomplished this goal that I've thought about and wanted to do for close to 20 years. It took a lot of dedication and hard work, and I did it. Running has never come too easily for me. Even now, it's not "natural" and I don't feel like I"have to" run. But I love love love the feeling when I am done. It's a great feeling of accomplishment and overcoming my weakness.

My 2nd favorite part was laying on Waikiki Beach 2 days after the marathon. The weather was perfect. I was laying there and thinking about getting our bags packed, getting to the airport, etc. And I realized how stupid I was. Here I am on one of the most gorgeous beaches in the world, and I'm still not HERE. I shut off my brain, and just enjoyed BEING THERE for the next hour. It was so serene, it was wonderful.

8 days and counting down

The Honolulu Marathon is in 8 days, and counting. I'm running with my friend, and we ran our final long run today. It was so weird to "only" run 8 miles today. We did a 20-miler a few weeks ago, so this was short by comparison. I feel a few panicky moments every now and then, the kind where you wonder what the heck was I thinking 4 months ago when I signed up for this. Yes, I volunteered for this. On purpose.

We are leaving next week for Hawaii, and we are so stoked! We'll be leaving our husbands and kids behind while we go for 6 days. It should be a lot of fun, minus the marathon, of course. But it will be so great when we finish! This is a long-time goal for both of us, and we're excited to get it done. I'm not excited to see the state of the house when we get back. It should be interesting to see how Chris fares with the girls while I'm gone. I'm sure he'll have a new found appreciation for me, at least I hope so.