The Art of Life
Photobucket I'm so glad you're here! "The Art of Life" is where I share my journey as an artist & Momma. It's a place where I hope to encourage other women that they are artists too. In this small little space I seek to share, document, and be reminded of God's wonderful grace, all around us. ....And I would be so happy to have you journey alongside me! So grab a cup of coffee and linger for a while. I hope you leave feeling refreshed. Photobucket

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Las Vegas Marathon 2007


~~If you put your mouse on the pictures, you can read the captions.
~~Wow! We had such a wonderful time. I don't know where to begin. The race was amazing. It started cold (somewhere in the 30's) but it warmed up into the 50's and ended up being perfect. I was very glad that I was able to stand with Dustin at the start. (In OKC they line you up by pace.) It was an incredible feeling to be standing with thousands of people, right in the middle of the Las Vegas strip. Helicopters were flying over. Fireworks were going off. It was overwhelming. They started us and we ran all the way down the strip. It was still dark so everything was all lit up. I carried a disposable camara while I ran, but the pictures are dark and blurry.
~~There were bands playing at certain miles. Blue Man group was performing at a hidden location, and they set the record for the most running Elvises (which was hilarious!) I ran behind a whole group of them for a while. At mile 6 they were performing run-through weddings and vow renewals. It was so cute to see the brides running with their veils sticking out the back of their caps. I told Dustin that we may just have to do that on our 10th anniversary!
~~I felt really good during the race but at mile 12, something happened to my left knee. I pushed through and finished but I could hardly walk afterwards. Thankfully it didn't last too long and by late evening my knee was feeling better.
~~Dustin did great for his first full marathon. He had some problems with leg cramps late in the race, but he still finished with a great time. I was so proud of him! I think full-marathoners are awesome!
~~It was so neat to have all the people there, cheering you on. It really helped me. I remember when I had about a mile left and I was so tired, there were two little boys jumping up and down screaming "You're almost there! You're almost there!" That gave me the boost I needed!
~~We were very crazy and ended up walking miles that evening and the next day. There was just too much to see! My feet are still sore! We saw Cirque du Soleil Mystere on Monday evening. Oh my goodness!! I don't even know how to describe the show. You can watch the trailer here. It's acrobatics, dance, music, and art come to life. Truly amazing. I think I sat there with my mouth open the whole time!
~~It was such a refreshing time for Dustin and I. It was nice to be able to just laugh, talk, and spend the whole day together. He really is my best friend.
~~We were glad to get back to our little munchkins. They wouldn't stop hugging and kissing us!
~~I definitely got the running bug! (Although it's safe to say that I'm not running for at least 2 weeks!) I'm already counting down to the OKC Memorial Half in April, lol.
~~I just want to thank you all for your support and encouraging words. It meant more than you'll ever know. You guys really did encourage me on when the training was hard. I knew that I had to keep going or I would let you down. And I actually did it! Six months ago I couldn't run 1/2 a mile and would never have imagined that I could finish a half-marathon. Now I have this as a milestone in my life to always look back on. Viva Las Vegas!!

ETA: I've had several people ask how I placed, which makes me laugh. Placed? I was just happy to finish! :) I was 4,380 out of 8,166 total Halfers and 2,106 out of 4,776 female Halfers.
Dustin did great. He was 1,052 out of 4,289 total Full and 817 out of 2,703 male Full. He was actually 91st in his division (which is gender and age group.)

**Just a quick question: Can those of you with dial-up see the slide show, or does it take forever to load?

7 comments:

Missy Sue Hanson said...

Love the pics! I admire your dedication! Good for you!

Valaine said...

Wow!! Congratulations! You too are so inspiring together, and are very blessed to have one another! I can tell that you are very close to one another and that you had a great time :)
~Valaine

Anonymous said...

Wow! What an amazing accomplishment for both of you! I'm so glad you two got to do this together! I'm so happy for you both! Thanks for sharing your victory with us!

Anonymous said...

Congrats! It sounds like fun. What a great way to finish off all those months of dedication. :D

Anonymous said...

YAY! Congratulations on finishing and you did pretty darn good for rankings! What was your fastest split?

I'm thinking of getting ready for some spring 5k's and maybe a 10K. We'll see!

Jo Castillo said...

Wow! Very impressive. Nice photos and sounds like you had a great time. I will be rooting for you for the next one, too.
Jo

Kriscinda ~ said...

Congrats! It sounds like you guys had a great time.