Race Weekend

We had an amazing weekend. Friday, I spent the day at the Phoenix PF Changs Rock N Roll Expo with two of my close friends, Kristen and Suzanne, who also ran on Sunday. We collected lots of free goodies and treats and other giveaways. We also road the light rail to the expo to save on parking. Little did we know parking was $50!!!! So I think we made the right decision.

Saturday was the KIDS ROCK marathon. Collectively the kids ran a total of 25.2 miles before Saturday and then they ran their final mile and crossed the finish line on Saturday to complete a full marathon. James' training started with tears, I can'ts, hates and regrets, and as training continued those negative feelings dimensioned one by one... finally three days before race day he was SOOOO excited and could not wait to run it!

Pre-race photos:





Cheering on James from the sidelines:

James' final stretch to the finish line:

As he ran by, he looked at me and smiled! Tears started pouring down my face, it was a very emotional experience for me to see his pride and sense of accomplishment!

I am so proud of him!!


Sunday, was the PF Changs Marathon and Half-Marathon. For the last 8 weeks Kristen and I trained together 5 days a week, missing only one or two days, but other than that we ALWAYS made time to train. We decided that on Race Day, we were going to stay together and encourage each other until the end to run the whole thing.

Our families, husbands, children, and Kristen's mom and step dad (who made a surprise visit) cheered us on in three different places along the course. It was amazing to see them on the sidelines and always lifted our spirits each time giving us another push.

Kristen is blowing kisses to our kids on the side!


I wore my "Team Diana" shirt around my neck during the race. Before she passed she really wanted to run the Seattle Marathon. A large group got together a month and half after her death to run it for her, but since I could not be there, I decided to run this race in her honor. It was a great privilege, and during the toughest times, I thought about her and with the shirt around me, I felt as if she was giving me a hug and carrying me to the finish line.


The kids waited so patiently for us to pass them.

They all lined up and gave the racers high-fives. James told me he counted 300. Along the course Kristen and I slapped each and every child's hand that we saw. Even veering off course of those out of reach, including one in their own back yard reaching through a fence.

The kids met us here, between mile 8 and 9. It was soooo great to see them!!! I cheered along with the kids as I ran by and Kristen said I love you to each and every one of them. It was so incredible to have them there cheering us on.


Running mile 10-13 was so hard. It was painful as our legs tightened and feet hurt, but we kept going. We slowed a few time, but never walked. That was our goal, to run the whole thing and we did it!! We even made my goal time which was 2 hours and 20 minutes. Kristen never imagined she could run so fast, but she was running so fast it was hard for me to keep up! We each how our weak and strong moments and I believe it helped us both get through to the end. We crossed the line holding hands, and then felt like we could not take another step. Walking to the family reunion area was tough! But after a few minutes of sitting we were feeling much better. Its a good thing too because our husbands decided to park at a nearby restaurant a mile away - LOL! It worked out perfectly though because parking any closer would have been a nightmare.

Suzanne met up with us at the end also, she is the one who got me to run my first 1/2 marathon in Denver - it is her inspiration (and another MOMS Club friend, Jen who also ran in Denver) that got me to train for this, allowing me to run further than I have ever run before and lost 22.4 pounds in the process (from October 18th to January 17th).




I have such a supportive family. James told me he was proud of me, Josh gave up watching the Seahawks playoff game and drove three kids getting them in and out of the car multiple time to cheer me on in different places. Seeing their faces at the end made all of the training and hard work worth it. Love you Josh, James, Jacob, and Jaelyn. Thank you for a great day!