Message from Allison:
hello everyone!  it's done! 

One more mile, one more water stop, or is it gatorade this time?  Gatorade at the odd miles.  Which mile are we on?  Where are we?  It's ridiculously hot out here!  What was our split?  See the banner with the next mile marker?  Repeat 25 times.

That was our day.  It was incredibly hot - 91+ degrees and probably the hottest on record for the LA Marathon.  Uncle Tom would know - he's done all 19 of them now!  People were spraying us down with their garden hoses...

We finished together and enjoyed the camraderie of the experience even though we don't remember much to distinguish one mile from the next.  We were 30% slower than we thought we'd be, so we were out there a long time.  It was such a memorable experience.  Here are some of the highlights:

·        Getting up at 4am for an 8:32am start (what?!)

·        The sight of 25,000 people running shoulder to shoulder as far as your eye can see. 

·        The old man carrying two large American flags throughout all 26.2 miles.

·        The African American man chanting cadence while carrying a POW-MIA flag and wearing a Ranger shirt.

·        The man with only one leg, wearing a roller skate and completing the race with crutches.

·        The guy running in a kilt, a guy in a purple afro, the crazy Brit wearing a British flag for a cape...and many other characters.

·        All the great people who cut up oranges and bananas for the runners - just random bystanders trying to help out. 

·        The music - gospel music started us out in the morning from the lawns of the churches lining the course in west LA.  Many other large and small bands set up along the course.

·        Uncle Tom's humor...more of which came out once we were safely ensconced at Red Lobster!  I'll give you a sampling - two nuts were walking in the park - one was assaulted.  Or - what is Mozart doing now?  decomposing...  Jokes that even I get!

·        Uncle Tom's gear list - spray for the feet, powder for the shoes, blistershield, sunscreen, hat, glasses, porta-potty for the parking lot (in case the jons are too far away), and for real emergencies on the road - the c%^p sack!  A bag with kitty litter in it...  Yes, it's true!

So now it's the day after the marathon - a day I've been looking forward to as long as the event itself!  All the preparation, running, stretching, lifting, hydrating, eating, vitamin-chugging, trying to squeeze runs in before hanging out with friends, and obsessing is behind us.  I feel great - stiff and sore but only like the day after a long hike.  The heat forced us to walk most of it.  Crazy as it sounds, I still felt like running after the race because my legs were so looking forward to 26 miles of running!  We were both well-prepared and ready to run a great race, and it's hard not to be haunted by the what-might-have-beens.  It must have been God's design that my timing chip fell off near the beginning of the race so that I wouldn't be tempted to run ahead and miss spending the day with Tom, which was my primary objective.  I feel so much different today than I did 5 years ago after my first marathon.  All the running has paid off and I can't put aside the desire to put all that training to work.  I hate to admit I'm already looking forward to another marathon some day when the time is right.  Dave knew I hadn't kicked the habit when he saw me at mile 17...

Credits...

·        Mom, for a great pasta dinner the night before.  And for the use of your washer and dryer :) 

·        Chris and Dave - for joining us and cheering us on.  Thanks for spending the weekend with us!   It was wonderful.

·        Dave - for being my coach.  Thanks for your unfailing support and belief in me.  And most of all for your love.

·        Uncle Tom - I would never have believed this would be worth it without you!  Thanks for getting me hooked.  And thanks for keeping me safe and healthy all the way though.  You have a great track record - I have only one blister on one toe (which Caffrey already popped!).  Thanks!  You are the best...CONGRATULATIONS!