You've come a Long way, baby

Completing the LIVESTRONG Austin Half Marathon was...simply amazing.

Haley and I trained since around Thanksgiving for today. We trained for hours and hours, miles and miles, to do a 3-minute run/2-minute walk for 13.1 miles. I loved having Haley as my training partner, and my half marathon day just wouldn't have been the same without her.

I've always heard legends of that runner's high that so many runners feel. I felt it a few times during my longer training runs, and that adrenaline definitely kicked in today and carried me through the half marathon.

I felt great, but it wasn't easy. The beginning was particularly challenging. Haley and I started a bit faster than our normal pace, mistakenly skipped our first 2-minute walk due to a watch malfunction and stopped for a port-a-potty break (with no toilet paper!).

For that first 2 miles, whenever it felt tough, I thought of Sadie. And when I thought of her, I was so overcome with emotion I truly thought I might break down and sob. Thinking of Sadie propelled me forward and helped define my half marathon experience, as I did it in her honor.

Here are some half marathon highlights:

Heading up South Congress, I saw the most wonderful sight and the literal answer to my prayers. Thank you to the 2 Vaseline fairies who allowed me to scoop plenty of the sticky stuff and apply it where I was chafing.

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Between miles 5 and 6 was one of my favorite moments. Suddenly we heard the song from the end of The Karate Kid when Ralph Macchio's character is taking out his karate tournament opponents one by one.

"You're the best around...nothing's gonna ever keep you down...you're the best around...nothing's gonna ever keep you down."

And while the song blared out of a house on South First, two hipsters danced around on their front lawn. It was awesome!

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Haley and I were looking forward to the LIVESTRONG Mile at mile 9, and we were determined we were going to be running - not walking - when we passed our colleagues and other LIVESTRONG supporters.

To make sure we'd get the timing right, we walked for the yards leading up to the LIVESTRONG Mile so we could be running through the LIVESTRONG section, but then we spotted our colleagues Allison and Mandy walking our way. We should have started running a few minutes earlier! Oh well.

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At mile marker 9.5, the LIVESTRONG Mile did not disappoint. It started off with Devon, the best cheerleader ever, screaming and smiling and cheering her head off and running alongside Haley and me shouting words of encouragement.

We continued through the LIVESTRONG Mile and it was a lot of fun to see so many friendly faces. I was proud to be participating as a member of Team LIVESTRONG.

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Right after that, I saw my family - my absolute favorite moment of the day. I spotted Matt first and could see him smiling and holding Larkin and pointing at me headed toward them, saying "there's Mommy!"

Larkin looked confused, and I'm sure she wondered why she was standing in the middle of the street watching thousands of people run past her.

Haley pointed out that Layne had worn her Nikes, just for the occasion.

I kissed everyone and kept going, and I was on an amazing high after seeing them that carried me further than any Goo or Gatorade possibly could. I really appreciated the effort that Matt, Sara and Jim put forth in bringing the girls out that morning to cheer me on. It meant so much to me.

After my emotional start, I had anticipated that seeing Sadie was going to make me cry. That came later, but what really affected me at that moment was seeing the pride on Matt's face - I was proud of myself, but what a great feeling to know my husband was so proud of me! - and seeing Larkin and Layne.

During my training runs, and after seeing them, I kept thinking about how I want to instill in my daughters the confidence that they can accomplish any goal they set out to achieve.

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Mile 10 was the longest mile ever. We never saw a sign, so it felt like we were on mile 10 forever.

Headed east on Enfield, we heard someone playing Eye of the Tiger, which totally pumped me up. Feeling good lasted about 2 seconds, because then I heard Haley say, "That is the hill I've been thinking about for a year!" It truly felt like slow-motion looking over to where she was pointing at the biggest hill I've ever seen, right ahead of us. We walked up the hill, and that was just fine.

We still never saw a sign, but a little later someone nearby asked a 12 miles - finally, we knew where we were!

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Right before the finish line, Haley started sprinting. I wondered where this sudden burst of energy was coming from, but I followed suit. I remember thinking, "Oh, we're doing this now? Okay!"

We crossed the finish line (3:16:48), and that was an amazing feeling. Haley and I hugged and got our finisher medals, and then I saw my family again.

This time seeing Sadie brought me to tears. I could hardly speak, I just wanted to hug her and let her know that I loved her and had done this for her.

Larkin reached for me, and she wouldn't let me go. Despite the fact that I had just finished 13.1 miles, I carried her through the booths of bananas, bagels and finisher shirts until I just couldn't carry her any farther. I know she didn't understand what I had just done, but I know for certain that she was proud of me.



The final person I needed to see for my half marathon experience to be complete was my running coach, Mellie. Haley and I had seen her and Kelsey run past us during Mile 1, and then I spotted them through the crowd after we crossed the finish line.

Mellie coached me physically and emotionally throughout my training, and I was thrilled to celebrate our finishes together...all of us, really, sharing stories and things we'd seen along the way.

It was a memorable day, and I am very proud of myself.