Here's the story...

Well, here it is! The play by play of our marathon:)

We got to New Orleans on Saturday around lunchtime. Also, we were starving, so we had some yummy classic New Orleans food! We stopped by the expo and picked up our race packets and finally checked into our quaint little hotel. The room had two queen beds, only one of them was in the loft. There was a cute little spiral staircase that led up to it. Matt and Morgan offered to sleep up there. I felt super guilty our second night there when poor Morgan had to make her way down that same staircase (which at that point was not so cute anymore) to go to the bathroom! The Spivey's had a wedding to attend there that evening, so Scott and I ate at this fabulous italian restaurant called Vincent's and had a little time to just enjoy the sites of New Orleans:) We went to bed early, but didn't sleep much with the anticipation of the next day!

We got up early Sunday morning and had the first of many energy gels! The boys dropped us off near the start and we found the corrale we were assigned to. That's right...a corrale. There were 18,000 runners, so when registering, we had to put in our estimated finish time and they assigned us a corrale number accordingly. It took us 37 minutes to just cross the STARTING line! And off we went!

The first several miles were pretty good. The crowd was really thick, basically the whole way through. Usually the runners thin out significantly after a little while, but given the nunber of runners, I guess that should've clued me in! When the half-marathoners split off it got a little better. My foot started bothering me not long after mile 4, so that slowed us down a little bit:( It just felt like the ball of my right foot was one big stone bruise. Apparently it can be a common injury in runners, and it's not something that makes you have to quit, just enough to slow you down though.

We ran...and we ran...and we ran. Our hubbies were the BEST! They found us at different points along the course and it was so encouraging for us. They cheered us on, passed out ibuprofen, and had energy gel on hand. Whatever we needed, they got for us. They were fabulous! They had a thing that we signed up for, to track where we were along the course, so it was easier for them to find us. That was cool:)

We also made a friend or two along the way! There was an older man about late 60's early 70's who was in a wheelchair. He was a funny guy and so sweet! He encouraged us, and certainly inspired us! I can't imagine only being able to use my arms to propel me for 26.2! We got a pic with him at the finish:)

Our boys met as at mile 24 for the last time before the finish. Scott had my kids on the phone and they were cheering us on as well. It was sweet! Also, Morgan and I prayed through the alphabet during the race. Each mile we each prayed for something that started with that letter. God really used that to encourage us and remind us that He alone gives us each breath, and makes our heart beat, and makes our legs move! It gave us something different to think about each mile which helped us focus.

We turned the corner as we approached the last .2 miles and could see the finish line! The crowd was great and our husbands, of course, were cheering us on the loudest:) The announcer said our names as we got close and we high-fived and crossed the finish together!!! It was so fun! We accomplished a goal we had been working toward for months and we finished! We hugged and were both a little teary:) It was such a rush!!

We joined the after party where concerts were going on. Oh, by the way, there were bands about every mile along the course! That was so great for us! It really is helpful and puts a little pep in your step when you need it! Morgan was a great running partner! We know probably too much about one another at this point:) She was so encouraging to me, especially when I was obviously slowing us down! We finished in 5:32 and I really think we could've finished in just under 5 hours had I felt really good as far as my foot goes. This was her very first marathon and she did fabulous!!! We are already planning to do more:)

So, again, thanks for all the prayers because the Lord truly blessed them! We had BEAUTIFUL weather! It couldn't have been more perfect! We made it without injury and finished strong! Our kids were healthy and my parents survived my 3 munchkins:) My husband took extra special care of me for a few days following and for that I am especially thankful! Now...it's his turn! He and Matt are running a half marathon in Pensacola in April and Morgan and I are hoping we can do as well as they did, and be the best cheerleaders EVER!