I MADE IT!

I MADE IT! I finished the race that I have been training for since January - and met both of the goals that I set for myself from the very beginning - no walking, and finish under 45 min! I am on top of the world right now! This morning when I was standing in the middle of the street at 7am in Chapel Hill amongst 2,000 other people - I thought that I was a little insane, but that was quickly laid to rest once my feet started moving! I established a good pace right from the beginning and stuck with it all the way through! The hills def. got me one time, so I had to make up for it once I hit the flat road around mile 3.

Y'all wouldn't have believed me! Once I turned the corner and knew that I was making my way into the stadium I turned up Coldplay's "VIVA LA VIDA" all the way and started sprinting around the track to the balloon finish! I felt such a surge of energy and excitement! As I turned the corner I saw Hadley & Mallory screaming for me in the stands - so I waved and cheered back. Then I realized that I was turning the last corner of the football field. I saw the clock just ahead of me - and realized that I was going to achieve my goal of finishing under 45 minutes! So I threw my hands up, screamed ridiculously loud and crossed that finish line loud and proud! Just like you would expect a southern gal to do :)

Girls, I can not tell you how exhilarating it was to cross that finish line - actually y'all already know how it feels, but can you remember your first race and the feelings that were running through your body? It was simply amazing - I've never felt better! The personal accomplishments that I met in this race have given me the energy to want to do more and to keep running! I know that I can try my best to compete in a 1/2 by the end of the summer! I'm going to do it!

One last thing... check out the pics on facebook. there is one photo that i took during the first mile, and in it you can see a man who was competing in the 4 mile race in his wheelchair. I came across this man several times throughout the race and watched him intently. One moment when we were both going up hill my emotions got the best of me and i just started to cry (go figure :)) while listening to Jay-?! Despite this man's obvious disabilities he was still competing and not letting anything get in his way. He had no barriers. If he could keep pushing, then I could keep on going too. It made me think about how blessed I am in all areas of my life and how meaningful that finishing this race was to me. I set a goal and I achieved it. That is what I am most proud of. I couldn't have done it without all the love and support from each of you (mimi, had, mcp, amy, & UJ included). To each of you - thank you SO MUCH! ...This is only the beginning!

xoxo - MJE