Landon and I had been looking for a reason to get in shape just right before this last Christmas. Some of the girls that I work with had decided to sign up for a half marathon in Moab in March. Some of them were going to be running with their husbands. So, I decided that would be a fun thing for Landon and I to do together to help us get in shape. We started our extreme training immediately with only four months until race day. Half way through training Landon hurt his foot and the doctor said it would not be wise idea for him to run in the marathon. I was on my own. I still had Landon's space I could fill so I coaxed my friend Darin into taking his place. For the last two months before the race we hit training super hard. Two days before race day both of us hurt one of our feet. We weren't going to let that spoil our hard work. Landon, me and Darin all drove to Moab. The morning of race day we had to get up at 6:00 to get ready and go get our race packs. Landon dropped us off at the buses and wished us good luck. It was pretty chilly that morning, but we had been training in 45 degree weather so we were okay with the low temps. The bus ride up to the starting line seemed to never end. We kept looking out the window seeing all the road we would have to run on until we would get to the finish line. When the buses got to the starting line we saw something amazing. There were about 4800 people scattered all over the side of the mountain, under rocks, on the dirt, waiting for the race to begin. After two hours of waiting in the chilly weather in the canyon we were all lined up ready to go. The gun shot went off and we were on our way. The adrenaline I felt is unexplainable. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. It was even somewhat of a spiritual experience. I was running in an absolutely beautiful canyon knowing that I was accomplishing something so big for myself. There were so many people around us in the beginning, but as we got further everyone split off into their groups who were on their same pace. Luckily Darin and I were on the same pace. At about mile 6 Darin's and my foot were throbbing, but nothing was going to stop us from finishing now. We kept trucking and had plenty of energy up to mile ten. Once we step into mile eleven we had hit our wall. The last 3 miles of our race seemed like another ten. As we turned the corner on mile 13 we saw the finish line within reach. There were tons of people at the finish line there to cheer everyone on. That was one of the most exhilarating moments in my life. I had done it. I had just crossed the finish line of a half marathon. What a rewarding feeling. Landon met up with us and congratulated us on our accomplishment. The took pictures all along the way of the race and at the finish line. We still need to get some off the website, but here are some Landon took for us.
