The Best $49 I Ever Spent...

Once upon a time, I had an iPod nano but it was a gift that I did not take full advantage of. OK. Fine. It was something that I had no clue how to use so because I am so true to my word and said that I would, I gave it to a friend who could actually take full advantage of it. grrrr...I can be too nice sometimes??!!??
Needless to say, I knew that I would die of boredom during the marathon if I did not have my important music to keep me on track. (That is why I can never do any type of exercise for a long period of time...BOREDOM. I don't know what that says about me but it is what it is) So on Friday morning, I went out and made the best $49 purchase of my life...a cute little iPod shuffle. I made a phone call to Thomas, who would be meeting me down in St. George, to bring up her lap-top since I knew that she would have the best and the most up-to-date music possible for me, (her), to download. hehehe...and boy was I right!!!
I got down to St.George, checked in, got my number, and met Thomas close to 8 pm. The plan was to head over to her friend Becka's house, visit for awhile, and go to bed...EARLY...since I had to be up at 4:30 am for the race.
Um. Yeah. Not so much. We had way to much fun talking, laughing, and Thomas HOOOOKING my iPod up with the best mix possible. Before we knew it, it was 12:30 am. I know that I was in denial because I hate waking up early and I'm so NOT a morning person. I got dressed in my race attire so that I could literally wake up, go to the bathroom, put on my shoes, and be out the door. I was so excited to listen to my tunes that I could not wait...notice the red and tired eyes? But I will say that I had the best 4 hrs of sleep that I've had in a LONG time!?! hehehe
Thomas was so excited to be my "play by play" picture taker which I was all too happy to have :) !!!

The nervousness is quickly setting in....it's dark, early, and..... ...it's F'ing RAINING!!!
I was so not prepared for it to be cold and raining! I did not have a rain jacket to keep dry or have gloves to keep my hands warm and able to properly grip. Yep! Freaking out at this point...

Thomas is one of my BFF'S! She was such the trooper and was totally there to help and to support me. She was not prepared either but that did not stop her from being right there with me...in the pouring rain!
They had some garbage bags for those who wanted to use them to try to keep dry so you know I of course grabbed one!

Fearful and Focusing...getting all pumped up with my tunes..

I laughed when I saw this picture because I am sticking out like a sore thumb. I had no clue what I was really doing or of what to expect. Look at the rest of the guys who are all prepared...gloves, glasses, jackets, clothing, etc. etc.!!!

They had their desired finish times all set and all that I was worried about was actually finishing the race. I had heard stories about the 3 main hills on the course and it had me really nervous. Plus, since it was still so dark, as the race began, you could not see squat which made me a little more cautious.
26+ miles, 2 hrs 26 min later, right behind the "regular" male race winner, I came in to the finish line! It was such an experience! One that is impossible to describe with words. I fought to hold back my emotions as I went past loud cheers of encouragement and praise...the whole entire race! It is the greatest feeling EVER to know that you've made it and that you've done it. Once again...there was Thomas and Becka right there to support me and to cheer me on!

I'm DONE!!!

This is Niel Harding of Bountiful who won the male division and YES...this is me who WON THE FEMALE DIVISION! In fact, not to brag, but I am the first female to EVER compete in the hand-cycle division in the St. George marathon. I did not even know that when I signed on but an accomplishment like that just adds to how proud of myself I am! I am also so happy with my finish time. The hills were tough but not as hard as I thought that they would be so that only helped my time. The key was to not look clear up ahead and see how steep the hill was. If I just looked a bit ahead of my front tire, it did not feel as tough. You would think that 2 hrs would have felt like a long time but it was not that bad at all. I will attribute that to my iPod which kept me going hard core! Thomas...you are the best and all because of the music, I was not "A D D musically challenged"! hehehe :)

...did I mention that I was completely soaked and was freezing to death! There were times during the race that I could not see because the rain was coming down so hard. Then my front wheel would just add more water to my all ready soaked face because it would kick it back on to my body :( boo hoo hoo I KNOW!

...yes...looking like a drowned rat!
Thomas giving me crap about how disgustingly dirty that my car is...
I met Tara down there who also ran the race. She was also happy with her time though the weather was a huge factor to those not being able to beat their last years time. Rain, wind, and being cold honestly sucks! She too was completely soaked and freezing to death!!!

The Awards Ceremony...For winning I received a travel bag, a plaque, a huge chocolate bar, a ring (like a graduation ring) which I had them inscribe on the inside--- "hotwheels" to keep the "name tradition" alive, and the best of all...a $250 travel certificate from Morris-Murdock Travel!!! I can hardly wait to start planning our next trip! :)
I liked how on the medals that they just stated that you were a "finisher". That way they gave everyone the same one, not making anyone feel better or worse. The point is that you did it and that you accomplished such a huge goal!

You need to go and check out this link that is a news article about the race which I think is pretty cool. Come on...it's always fun to see your name in the paper especially when you are quoted!

http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081005/SPORTS/81005020

Once again, another great weekend because of what I was able to accomplish. As I was on my way home, with alot of time to think, I realized how thankful I am for these opportunities. Back in the day, even a year ago, I would have never imagined myself doing/accomplishing these types of challenges. It has helped me to grow in ways that I never would have imagined and I feel so lucky! I heard something yesterday that I would have to agree with. Even though I know the concept, it helps to hear it every once in a while. "Trials, hardships, bumps in the road are necessary so that we can recognize the challenges that we can overcome. This will lead to a personal growth that we need, to be able to reach our full capability. It will allow us to grow in ways that we never would have imagined. One day we'll look back and realize what it all had been for and for how thankful we are of it to have happened." I totally agree! It can be miserable while we are enduring it but afterwards, we can see the blessings that we've received and the lessons that we were able to learn.

Shout out to those who helped me to realize that once again, I could still do it! Thank you for supporting me 100%. You have never let me give up or to give in! Thomas...thanks a million times for being there with me this weekend! It meant so much and our "good and funny times" absolutely MADE the weekend! YOU R THE BEST! Thanks Becka for letting me crash at your place!

I can hardly wait to see where the next one will be but let's just hope that the weather will be SUNNY!!! :)