The "Marathon Story".

*WARNING....THIS IS A VERY LONG POST*

Last Thursday I arrived in Orlando after a LONG day of travel & officially started my "marathon weekend". As most of you know, no one from my family was able to come along with me so I had to have a roommate during my stay. I was really nervous about the roommate situation, because I knew it was going to be someone I didn't know & had probably never met. As it turns out, I had a very pleasant roommate that was very busy with her family most of the time we were there, so it was almost like I DID have a private room. The first few days were a little slower pace, so it was nice to have some "alone time" for the first time in.....oh, 5 years!! The down time was great, but I quickly found myself anxious to "get on with things". The three days of waiting for the marathon day to come seemed like the three longest days of my life!


But....I used my time wisely-LOL!

I won't bore you all to death with the "little" details anymore....I'll move on to the "main event" details now :-).





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*Finally, after three day's of waiting my alarm went off at 2:00 a.m Sunday morning! Yep....you read that right...2:00 AM! I quickly bounced out of bed with nervous anticipation. I had tossed and turned all night long & watched the hours click by until I drove myself nutty. I think I got maybe 1-2 hours of sleep....maybe. I had placed all of my race gear out with meticulous care the night before (because I'm a nerd), so there wasn't a whole lot to do to get ready.


My anal-retentive side comes to life!






We boarded the buses at 3:00 a.m & we were finally on our way to the marathon start line! WOOOHOO!

This is my mentor Jodi :-)

Jen and I waiting.....and waiting.....








Once we got to the start line area we got to wait...and then wait some more! We arrived at the "holding area" about 3:30 & they actually had a live band playing & I began to get REALLY excited at that point. So much so, that my "nervous bladder syndrome" kicked in about three times (yes, I was WELL hydrated). We went from one holding area to our final "coral" (another holding area) where we were lined up about a mile from the start line(just about LOL!)...and then we waited some more!

By this point I was sure all the waiting was going to KILL me! I can't explain the sweet relief I felt when the fireworks went off at 6:00 am & the race was FINALLY underway! At 6:07 my foot hit the start mat & I was officially running my first marathon! The music, fireworks, and spectators were amazing at the start! I wish I would have taken some pictures of that, but I was way too excited to remember to do that:-).


Up to this point I haven't said anything about the HUMIDITY...but as you can see it was as thick as a blanket that morning. NO...it was NOT raining (the lens on my camera just didn't like the humidity). We were all soaked with sweat within the first five minutes of our run. So much for looking cute at the beginning!

Jodi and I....about mile 6 or so.

The sea of runners....and endless fog! This was a "WOW" moment for me when I got a good idea of enormity of this race. We shut down the highway for a few hours!


Heading toward Cinderella's castle!

In the Magic Kingdom, getting ready to run through the castle! *That's me on the left...it's kinda hard to tell in this picture.

The best part of doing the Disney Marathon is getting your picture taken with the characters! My kids think I'm SOOO cool now :-)


That's my coach running next to me (left). This was about mile 14 & I was telling him that I felt like I was going to have a asthma attack! At this point the heat and humidity really started to get to me.

Mile 17 (or so). Animal Kingdom was a nice "break"...so many fun things to look at. The sun was up & I could finally breathe a little better! Donald was too cute in the safari outfit...so I HAD to snap a picture :-)

"The Gang"...getting close to mile 19 (I think).


After the mile 22 "refreshment stop" I heard MOVE IT...MOVE IT....MOVE IT...PICK THOSE FEET UP SOLDIER...and I knew this was a picture worthy moment (even though my mouth was full).

Mile 23 was my first big "victory" of the day because up to that point the longest training run I had completed was only 22 miles! Yay! Only 3.2 to go!!

Mile 24...like my hat?

**To view my finish line photos you will have to click on THIS link. *You will have to click on the "Walt Disney World Marathon" (January 7th) My Bib # was 9918 :-)

Jodi, Me, and Susan (Left to Right) at the Finish Line. Can you tell we are all just a little happy.


Getting my finisher's medal

YAY!!!!!!

* I wish I could accurately express what the finish line felt like....but anything I could write would seem to fall short of the emotion that I felt at that point in time. It wasn't just about finishing 26.2 miles....it was the completion of a journey for me. This was more than just about running a race and finishing. This race was very near and dear to my heart, because it was something I felt like I HAD to do. Why? I'm not sure I can really answer that question in a satisfactory way to most people. All I know is that I felt an enormous "pull" to do this marathon, and I'm sure glad I followed through with that desire.

The end result has been profound. I see myself a little differently now. I see a much stronger person than I thought was possible. I've discovered that it really is OK to do something for myself, even though the majority of my life is dedicated to serving other people (something I am honored to be able to do). It's made me believe in myself. It's made me confident in my ability to rise above difficult circumstances, and still find a way to succeed. It's made me see "setbacks" as just a temporary circumstance, not a life-sentence.

I wasn't in this to prove that I'm some sort of great athlete (I laugh at the thought of being called a "runner"...I still don't feel like I can call myself that). I didn't spend 5 months training and fundraising because I had "nothing better to do". No... it wasn't at all about the 26 miles. It was about believing that the finish line is really just a beginning.

* I want to add a special "Thank You" to my mentor Jodi, who told me EVERY WEEK that I could do it! She ran right next to me through every long training run & assured me that all my strange aches and pains were completely normal-LOL! She made the long runs seem "do-able" when I didn't think I could run another step. I really felt like part of a "team" because of her :-).

**The biggest "Thank You" of all I owe to my sweet hubby! He supported me all the way & even willingly volunteered to watch the kids EVERY SATURDAY for almost 5 months. This marathon was as much of a sacrifice for him as it was for me. He understood how much I wanted this & made it his mission to see this thing through with me. Now that's love!

Thank You!

If you were wondering if I survived the marathon....the answer is "YES"! I've been very busy (and still a bit tired) since I got home, so I've not been able to do an "update" on the marathon experience just yet. Unfortunately this post is just a quick "I'm still alive" update-LOL!

I did want to say a big "Thank You" to everyone who helped me achieve a big dream of mine this past Sunday. You have no idea what your love, prayer, and support has meant to me. Aside from my wedding day and the birth of my three children, this past Sunday was one of the most memorable moments of my entire life! I almost can't explain it & I STILL can't talk about the finish line experience without tearing up. It was......amazing!!



THANK YOU!

*When I receive my finish line photos I'll post my entire "marathon story".

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane.....

The time has come! Today I'm packing my bags for sunny Orlando & I'm headed off to my first marathon!! I leave tomorrow morning (but the race isn't until Sunday). I'll be going with my fellow Team In Training teammates. My family was not able to come with me this time, but that just gives me a really good reason to do this again!

This has been such an amazing experience...one I'm sure I'll never forget. I'll take lots of pictures & try my best to "capture the moment" as best I can. I can't wait to get back and update you all on my marathon "stories". I may have access to a computer while I'm down there, so I'll give brief updates if I can.

I'll leave you with a picture of my team. This was taken after our last training run together (we HAD to celebrate at Starbucks of course!).

More picture torture!

Well, I gave it one last shot! I've been trying to get a Christmas picture of the kids for the last two years & so far I've got nothin'!! This past Sunday I dressed them all in coordinating outfits and we went out to Union Station/Crown Center to try ONE LAST TIME to get a Christmas card picture. The kids were in pretty good moods, so I was feeling very optimistic at the start.



This is what we walked away with........



Maya....yooohooo....over here!
Aww... Maya finally LOOKS at the camera! Oh...McKenna...look at mommy!! Quick, Jon...get out of the picture!
McKENNA!!!!!!!! Take the picture.....take the picture!
Chandler....get back here!!! McKenna sweetie.....

Well, at least I was looking at the camera.
I keep trying!


I'm gonna give it one last shot! Maya.....LOOK at daddy!!!

















There's always next year I guess!

Guess what I did this weekend?

Despite my vow to "be healthy" this season, I just couldn't possibly pass up my opportunity to bake Christmas cookies this year. It's something I look forward to all year long. SOOOO.... nobody tell my coach what I spent my weekend doing! I promise I'll give most of them away-LOL!

Peanut Blossoms.


Orange Drop Cookies.


Sugar Cookies (still have more of those to decorate...)

Chocolate Mint Cookies.

White Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods.


Cocoa Rum Balls.


Nana's Famous Chocolate Fudge!

So, who wants to help me clean my kitchen? There's free cookies in it for anyone who wants to scrub my floors-LOL!

Just For Laughs!

Yesterday I realized that I never posted pictures of the kids at Halloween. So....here you go. More than a little late, but that's the story of my life!
Sometimes they let me see their sweet side :-)

Batman and the Pumpkin! Looks likes Batman needs to go back to the bat cave for a nappy-poo!
This is what happens when you set the butter for pancakes on the breakfast table too soon.

Maya was so pleased that she could help herself to a big fistful of pure butter. What a goof!





The White Family Christmas picture 2006.

*Is it any wonder why I NEVER try to do Christmas cards!

Christmas Time Is Here!

And, I REALLY AM doing something besides training for this marathon-LOL! I've neglected sharing the "Holiday Spirit", so I thought I'd share a few cute pictures of the kids. Enjoy!
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Chandler and McKenna helping decorate the tree.


McKenna got to put the star on top of the tree this year!


(*Yes, she is in fact wearing a gymnastics suit....because that's the ONLY thing I can get her to wear when we are at home. It's so much fun to be five!).



Chandler carefully choosing which ornament he will break next-LOL!


McKenna admiring her "perfect placement" of the red snowflake.

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Just some fun pictures of ornaments

I just like this shot. Nothing really special about this particular ornament.


Can you see me in this picture? Look very carefully :-)


This is a rolling pin ornament from my friend JoEllen. She gave everyone this gift at a cookie exchange a few years ago.

I have to miss the annual cookie exchange this year, but I'll have my fun little ornament to remind me of my "girls night out" friends.

When I was a little girl my mom had a few ornaments just like this one & I always loved to look at them. I thought it was supposed to be a replica of Santa's house or something like that. I loved to daydream about how much fun it would be to go to a cute little cottage in the woods just like this one.

Because of that fun little memory this was one of the first ornaments I bought when I got married (before I even had kids!).









Hope you are enjoying this Christmas Season too!

I SURVIVED!!

Yep, I'm still alive after my 22 mile training run this past Saturday!! Actually, I'm doing great! I'm hardly even sore today & my knees are.....well, there about as good as they are going to get-LOL! I've decided that I can't get through this whole marathon experience without any knee pain, so I'll take what "relief" I can get. Overall, I'm feeling much more confident in my ability to actually pull this whole marathon thing off now (I wasn't so sure a few weeks ago).
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Saturday morning was far from ideal in terms of good running conditions, but I knew that in advance, so I just went with the flow. It was about 25 degrees when we started running, but my three "dri-fit" layers were keeping me warm enough. There was still some ice and snow on the trails, so a good part of the run was stop-n-go as we worked our way around the icy patches and over frozen bridges. At times it was comical as we clung to the sides of bridges to keep from falling on our butts.

Somewhere around mile 3 I decided that I wanted to shed one of my insulating jacket layers because I was getting a little warm already. THAT was a big mistake as I would learn just a mile or two later. Once we hit our uphill stretch on Nall up to 135th the wind was so strong that it was ripping right through my little fleece & I remembered why I loved that "wind-stopper" jacket so much. I think that is the coldest I have been on any of my runs & running INTO the wind only made the situation worse! Thankfully the uphill-running-into-the-wind stretch wasn't that long & I was reunited with my jacket around mile 9 (I had left it in someones car at a water stop). Lesson learned...tie my jacket around my waist next time (just in case).

There really isn't much more "drama" to share about this weekends run. This was by far one of my best long training runs yet, and I'm not even too sore today. So, there you go-LOL! Less drama, less pain....I think this might be as close as I'm going to get to being a "real runner"-LOL! I won't tell you how long it took me to run those 22 miles, because I don't think that's as important as the fact that I actually FINISHED them! That's the real success story in my book-LOL!

I said I would have pictures of this training run...but sadly I do not. Once again I brought my camera with me & forgot to go back to my car to get it when we were done. It's always so dark when we start running that I tell myself "I'll take pictures once the sun comes up" and then I totally forget to do that! Maybe it's just my subconscious avoiding having to post pictures of what I really look like at 5:30 am! I assure you, it's not a lovely picture!

*Oh, and I also want to thank my mentor Jodi for sticking by my side the whole way & talking me through those 22 miles. It's so much nicer to have someone to run with :-)

Here are the answers to everyone's favorite questions:
-"How do you keep your face warm...do your feet ever get cold?" *VASELINE! you put it all over your feet, face, and even your hands if you want. It really helps keep your feet warm and protected. And, "yes" your feet, hands, and face DO get cold sometimes, but it's not as bad as you would think.

-"So, how long is your marathon" *MY marathon is the same distance as everyone else's...26.2 miles. (this is by far the funniest question I get).

-"How long is it going to take you to run those 26.2 miles"
*Good question! I'll let you know after January 7th!

-"Do you think you will ever do another marathon?"
*I'd LOVE to, but I'm not so sure Jonathan would love it if I told him I was going to do another one!

-"How many miles do you run every week?"
*You might be surprised to hear that our training schedule is very light during the week. We typically only run between 6-9 miles during the week. You cross train on your non-running days. Then, Saturday's are the longer training runs. Cross training actually takes more time & effort then the actually running during the week.

**I just want everyone to know that if you've ever wanted to do something like this, it's very do-able. Even with three little kids and a very busy schedule! I hope that by the end of this whole "journey" I can inspire one other person to do this as well. It's been a very rewarding experience, and even very healing in some ways. I would love it if I got to do this again some day with one of my friends (wink, wink).

Happy 5th Birthday McKenna!

My "baby" turned five last week! I can hardly believe I have a five year old now. In some ways it seems like McKenna is much older than five, because A LOT has happened in our family in her short lifetime. However, I can still remember the day I gave birth to her like it was yesterday. It just doesn't seem like five years have passed since I was holding my first perfect little newborn. She was my first "love" (I call my kids 'love' or 'lovey') & I was the most proud mama on the face of the earth! Even though I had a ton of experience with kids and babies NOTHING compared to MY first baby.

I remember crying over her beauty and "perfect-ness" that first night in the hospital. It was all I could do to utter a short prayer of thanks to God for giving me such a beautiful little blessing. I was in complete awe of her. I loved everything about her...her sweet little head, dark fuzzy hair (there was A LOT of it), chubby little cheeks, rosebud lips, long lean fingers, round little belly, and of course those tiny little baby toes! It was so much fun finally having a baby of my own!

Today it's still fun to be McKenna's mommy. She has grown to become quite the entertainer. She loves to put on "shows" for me while she dances around in her "fairy" costumes & leotards. She is VERY creative too! She is always "pretending" while she plays with her stuffed animals or her little brother and sister. She is also the most friendly little kid you'll ever meet. EVERYWHERE we go she asks me if she can go talk to other little children so that she can ask them if they want to be her friend. She knows no stranger that's for sure!
I also think she is going to be quite "artsy" (unlike her mommy) later on in life, as she already shows quite a bit of interest in painting, drawing, and music. Wherever you find McKenna you are sure to find a trail of paper, pens, crayons, and markers!

If she doesn't grow up to be a greeting card designer (all of her pictures end up being 'cards' for someone), then my second guess would be something along the lines of "retail design analyst". "What's that?"... you might ask. Let me explain. Whenever we go out McKenna has a sharp eye for things that are "out of place". Taking her to Bath and Body Works is a nightmare because she cannot stand to see things not in their rightful spot...heaven forbid if the "Sweetpea" lotion should end up in the "Raspberry-Vanilla" section on the shelf!! She also insists that certain things belong somewhere else & it really upsets her when she can't rearrange things the way she would have it. Oh, and whatever you do...DO NOT venture into the makeup section at any store (WAY too many things to be tempted to "fix" there!). I secretly fear for her husband-to-be one day, because I'm pretty sure she will have him color coordinating his underwear drawer-or else! LOL!



I love that I have such a creative, organizationally-minded, fun, and energetic little girl. There is really no one like my girly....she's a "one of a kind"!



*Her birthday was on the 27th of November & we took her to the new "T-REX" restaurant. For those of you that don't already know, McKenna has a major obsession with dinosaurs. This restaurant was her dream come true! The look on her face when she saw the front of the T-REX was unforgettable-it took her breath away!




OHHHH, AHHHHH! Seeing the front of the T-REX for the first time.


She got to take her two favorite cousins with her to help celebrate. They all had SO MUCH fun!

McKenna doing one of her big cheesy smiles :-)

Inside the restaurant gift shop they had a special "Build-A-Dino" workshop where you get to build your own dinosaur. So guess what McKenna got to do as her gift from Mommy and Daddy? This was the big highlight of her whole evening!


McKenna and "Ellie the Dinosaur" on the car ride home. What a fun 5th birthday!