House Broken husband

Okay, it's over. I ran the Spanish Fork 1/2 marathon last Saturday. I am still alive, but barely. My original goal was to not finish dead. I upgraded that goal to not finishing dead last.

I am proud to say that I didn't finish last. I out sprinted 3 old ladies pushing walkers during the last 1/2 mile of the race.

I finished in one piece, but my right big toe didn't. When I finally took off my shoes, the big toe was black and blue. I have no idea why, but it still hurts three days after the race.

Running is time consuming. Not only the hours spent running the marathon, but the time spent training.

The run was my handcart moment. At the 11 mile mark, I was done. I kept thinking that if the pioneers could cross the Sweetwater river in ice and snow and if they could trudge up Rocky Ridge weak and hungry, I could go another two miles.

Here are some things I learned from running.


1. Running is over-rated. I must have started too late in life because for 12 weeks, my body always hurt.

2. Running shoes are more expensive than tires for your car. They told me I needed special running shoes. They are only good for 300 miles. They cost as much as a new tire, but a tire lasts at least 15,000 miles.

3. I also learned when water is available, take it. I thought there would be water all along the course. There wasn't. I finished very, very thirsty and probably a little dehydrated.

 Anyway, I finished. Not dead last and more importantly, not dead. That is more than I can expect when I finish this life's race. Here are some more photos.