And Winner of the "I Made it Across the Finish Line" Award Goes To...

Me!  Yes, that's right, to the one who was nine months pregnant five months ago.  To the one who hadn't run since last February when she found out she was pregnant.  And to the one who had never run 10 miles in her life.  

<Audience cheers.  Diane steps up to the mic.>

Why, thank you.  I'm so honored to win the "I Made It Across the Finish Line" award.  But there are some key people I need to thank.

<Unfold my piece of paper.>

First, I would like to thank my sweet friend Kelli.  Kelli ran a marathon just a week ago, and at the 11th hour, she had to back out of the race so as to not aggravate a minor injury.  But she wouldn't give up on me.  No, instead, she gave her bib to my husband and took our baby for the wee morning hours just so I would have someone to run with.  I mean, she might as well have carried me over the finish line.

Next, I would like to thank Mike.  He gave up study hours and rest to get me to the starting line and then cheered me on the whole way. He also slowed up his pace by about a full 30 minutes so he could run across the finish line with me.  Oh, and he also surprised me before the race with two dozen cherry pink roses.  

And to Bella, you inspired this whole race before I even met you, and then you became my favorite running buddy for the past few months.  Yes, you do slow me down in that stroller of your's- and in life in general- and I wouldn't have it any other way.  

<Music starts playing to get me off the stage.>

Okay, okay.  I'm done.  Without further ado, here are some fun pics!

Mike and I at 6:45 AM watching the sun come up over the Capitol.  We're cold and ready to race in our matchy, matchy reflective hats.

The "Where's Waldo" picture around mile 6.  Although still running, I was feeling the burn somewhere between mile 5-7.  After that, I found a good stride until the end.  There were so many fun runners, volunteers, and crowds cheering us on today!

The "Eat My Dust" picture (ha!).  Do you see those amazing trees above me?  They literally line the last 3 miles of the race in a white blossom canopy.  Awesome!

So, what was the best part of the race, you ask?  There was a hill that went straight up to the finish line.  Remember my love of hills?  Well, being that close to the finish line motivated me, and I could hardly feel the hill... at first.  Then I looked at the crowd cheering us on, thought about how I was steps away from reaching my goal, saw my sweet husband next to me, imagined Bella at the finish line... sniff sniff, I was getting emotional... on a hill.  I started breathing weird, and Mike thought he might have to pick me up.  Nope.  Just had to regain control of my emotional self, and then we sprinted to the finish line to celebrate with Kelli and Bella.  Fun times.

The end to a wonderful race day!

Now off to help Mike finish his own "marathon" of studying and paper writing.  He graduates in just a little under a month!  What a finish line that will be!