FINISHER!!

That's right, I'm a Finisher!! I even have the t-shirt to prove it.

I did it!! I completed the TC 10 mile race!! Talk about an accomplishment. And not only did I finish, but I beat my goal time. I finished the race in 1:44:49, which is 11 seconds ahead of my goal to finish in under 1:45. 11 seconds is 11 seconds. That's 11 seconds that I could have walked but ran instead.

And I got a foil blanket wrapped around me! I felt like the coolest runner ever when I got it. Other than finishing, I'm pretty sure it's the highlight of the race. To me the foil blanket meant that I was finally a "real" runner.

I'm so happy that I completed the race. I remember a year and a half ago when Tracy suggested that we should run a 10k. That's 6.2 miles and at the time I thought that was going to be a feat to accomplish. And it was. And I was so proud of myself after I finished my first "Get in Gear" 10k race. We both ran the "Get in Gear" 10k this year and about a month or two after the race, it was Tracy who suggested that we run the TC 10 mile race. She had found out about a running clinic that the Running Room offered in preparation of the race. So we both entered the lottery, managed to get in via the lottery, and went about training for the race. In the middle of July when we started training, October 4th seemed so far off. I thought that I would never be able to run 10 miles! And now it's come and gone. The race has been run and finished!

Out on the course (and at the starting and finishing lines), we were definitely the "woot woot" girls. Anytime we saw someone we knew from running clinic we called their name and followed it up with a "woot woot". I mean, really, how can you not be excited as you're heading to the starting line?! And when we saw our cheerleaders along the course, we yelled the obligatory "woot woot" to thank them for standing in the chilly morning air just for us. Then at the finish line when we saw our fellow runners and finishers, we had to cheer out yet some more "woot woots" for them.

Tracy and I both had lots of cheerleaders out on the course cheering us on. So THANKS to all of you - Mom, Alicia, Bridget, Justin, Dee, Donna, Jean, and Aaron. Without you, I wouldn't have been near as motivated and inspired to keep on trekking. And also THANKS to Krista for the glittery signs you made. Without those, we never would have been able to spot our cheering section. THANKS to Lena, Amy, Dennis, Josh and Ellie for showing up early to the finish line. Finding you guys at the end made it all worthwhile.

I guess that's it... I FINISHED!! We'll have to wait and see what my next race is. Sara has suggested running a half marathon. We'll see. Right now, my legs and feet are asking for a bit of a break and I think I just might give it to them.