Run Liens Run!!

Woo-hoo!! We came, we saw, we conquered! The 1/2 marathon was so much fun; I am still on the endorphin high of finishing it! Really and truly, it was such an amazing experience. People lined the streets and cheered us on all day.

It was my personal goal to: A. Finish and B. Not get last place. For those of you who don't know this, I did complete a triathalon at the age of 18. I got 12th place of 13 people. So, even finishing 2nd to last would have been fine by me! Well, I have come to find out, I came in more than 500th to last....not bad!

Chris, Sara and I ran together for the first 8 or so miles. Then those 2 pulled ahead (showoffs) and I finished about 5 minutes after them. I, of course, cried when I finished because I was just so happy to be done and there were so many wonderful people along the way. A amputee woman running, a man pushing his brother in a bed-like wheelchair because he suffered a stroke, but wanted to be a part of the marathon, a very elderly man who finished the full marathon in 8 or so hours coming in after everyone else had been long done. It was just one incredible display of strength and endurance after the other. I loved it.

Ethan got to accomplish his own "kids marathon". We ran 1/2 a mile together. I'm not pointing at that random stranger and laughing at him. In fact, I am pointing out Chris and Emma who were cheering him on. I was so proud. The wind knocked him over at one point and he kept going. Running the whole time.

Now he saw them! This is almost the finish line. The last marathoner (must have been 90+ years old) came in just before the kids race. Everyone cheered loudly and gave him a standing ovation.

Here's all of us with our medals. Elliot will be running soon enough and hopefully, we can get Emma back into it. (She fought us on it for months....we let her have her way and sit out....she regretted it today and talked of running next year....you really should listen to your dad and stepmom sometimes.) All in all, it was such a great day. I encourage any of you reading this to try this at least once....it is an indescribable experience. -RL