Celebration Marathon

The blog has been neglected.  I have hundreds of pictures that need documenting, and there are countless special moments from the past few months that I want to record, but other things have taken priority.  As I sit with a few quiet moments, I want to highlight the most recent event.

Phil and I ran another marathon this past weekend.  

It was Phil's third and my seventh.  Perfect 10?

The 26.2 miles wound through the quaint little pleasantville of Celebration, Florida.

We stayed in a hotel...just the two of us!

CELEBRATION!

(Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Hillary!)

We enjoyed a tasty Italian meal at D'Antonio's.

CELEBRATION!

We filled our bellies with all sorts of carbohydrates. 

CELEBRATION!

That is, after all, is one of the perks of running races.  :)

Another perk was having a 24-hour getaway.

CELEBRATION!

Just in case we didn't fuel our bodies with enough carbs at dinner, we had to pack in a few more with ice cream from Kilwin's.

Need I say it again?

CELEBRATION!

We went to bed early and woke up early.  

After months of training, we were ready to "get 'er done!"

We didn't actually run together this time.  For one, Phil is a foot taller than me, and he has a much longer stride.  Secondly, Phil is just faster that I am.  Lastly, we trained differently and had different goals.  For several years, it has been my goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  I can now cross that off my life list.  I needed a 3:40 to qualify, and I finished in 3:34:22.  Phil, who finished over ten minutes before me, was waiting for me at the finish line.  It was very exciting!

It's kind of hard to see on this picture, but our faces were covered in salt.  Our toes were blistered, and I have three black toenails as a souvenir.  We could barely get ourselves on and off the toilet without assistance, but it was still worth it! 

Running 26.2 miles takes a toll in many ways, but it is an amazing experience every time.  Now that we're both walking normally again, we can start thinking about Boston in 2016!  :)