TheAZRichardsonAdventures: Phoenix Marathon (2/28/15)

I had never dreamed of running a marathon, but kept feeling the urge to do some kind of race. After talking with several friends they encouraged to give the marathon a try, telling me that I could totally do well in it. I starting running a little more back in Nov of 2014 just to test the waters and see how I was feeling. I enjoyed how I felt after some of the longer runs and decided to go for it.it was a HUGE sacrifice for the entire family because I was gone running for several hours each Saturday morning, but I'm glad I put in the effort.

On race day, we had to be getting on the buses (near the finish line) by 4:30am so they could shuttle us all up to the start line, Usary Pass, right behind our house. They had set up tons of bathrooms and had little fire rings and lanterns you could stand by. It was super hard to stay warm and it was so dark. I was so ready just to get the race started so I could warm up and get the show on the road. I remember my friends telling me to don't go too fast at the beginning, so I tried to keep that in the back of my mind once the gun went off. Once we got to the uphill portion in our neighborhood, I feelt great and it seemed like everyone was walking. Thankfully, I had done quite a bit uphill training so this was truly a breeze for me. Steven was like Waldo and fm found me at multiple spots along the entire 26.2 mile run. It was GREAT to see him and hear him encouraging me on. My sister, Kim (and her family), friends, and Brian's (Steven's younger brother) family were also along the route cheering me on as I would run by their homes. I felt dizzy for some reason around mile 22ish, but was able to run thru the feeling. The last 3miled were the hardest. It was all mental at that point and I knew that if I could just not walk, I would be passing all the people who had given up. I finished in 4hrs! Grateful for experience and also happy to have my life back! Only lost one toenail from the adventure. Yay!