taralin runs

we headed down to Memphis on friday morning, certain we were going to be rained on the entire trip.

we were right!

we stopped in cape girardeau and met with bre for breakfast.

that girl. we laughed till our bellies hurt!

more rain...

but we finally made it into tenessee.

as soon as we pulled off the highway, you could see the St. Jude campus in the distance.

we got checked in at our hotel, and traipsed across the street in the rain to the expo.

loved the saying on these shirts from the expo.

this run for a reason shirt came home with me.

i sported my Princess Margo shirt for Expo day.

Each letter of the alphabet was drawn by patients at St Jude, and were used as mile markers during the race.

you could write special messages on the wall at the expo as well.

and these messages were posted at the expo and were supposed to be placed somewhere on the race course (i never them on race day though)

this. this is what this race was all about.

after the expo, we were too tired to brave the rain again so we settled on the hotel pasta buffet for dinner. it was NOT stellar. but, i was back in my hotel room and in my pajamas by 6:30 pm!

and by 7:00... i was ready for bed!

*******************

Race Day

Dawn and I before leaving the hotel

a few running Elvis'

before entering the corrals

race corral fun. did i mention, it was freezing?! the temp said 50 degrees. I was poorly dressed for this race!

the excitement at the starting line was so fun!

shortly after crossing the start line.

there were 19, 000 people participating in this race, over 12,000 of the were participating as a St. Jude's Hero raising money for the families of St. Jude.

at mile 5, the course took you right onto the St. Jude Campus.

this was the first time i teared up during this race (yes, i said the first... there were a few)

St. Jude is a wonderful place for families of children fighting cancer. These families never pay a dime for any of the treatment they receive while at St. Jude. I want to say thank you to everyone who helped by donating to this cause. i was able to raise over $900 to help out these amazing kids and their families!

{i think my grand total by the end of the race was $920!}

i was smiling at the finish line, but my race wasn't without it challenges. tummy troubles, weather and some IT band difficulties. these things all challenged me during this run, but also reminded me that our patients and their families go through much more difficult things than this. if any race should have been hard for me, this was the one.

i pushed through, struggling a bit through miles 16-18.5 and again from mile 21.5-24, but... i found the courage to go on... and i ran my heart out for those last 2 miles.

ahhh. the finish line!

not the proudest of this finish time (i think it is still my 2nd best marathon time though) however, i have to remember i came into this race without a goal time. i wanted to be able to have a good time, and come out on the the other end of the finish line a better person.