THANK YOU to the BEST support crew!

Wow, am I blessed! I have the most wonderfully loving and supportive friends and family. Although today just wasn’t my day, their love and support did not waiver. By far, I had the best cheering crew of any other runner out there. Mile after mile, while the rain came down in sheets and the temperature hovered near 40, they were there. Visible in their bright orange shirts emblazoned with words of support, I was able to spot my courageous cheerleaders ahead on the road. Thank you, Lori, for having the shirts made. A HUGE thank you to my husband, Sargent, who drove with Scout out from CO to be here, my mom, Patty, dad Topper, sister Lori, brother-in-law Mike, niece Emily, and nephews Mark and Rob who spent their 12th birthday out in the rain and cold cheering me on. Also, my cousin Lisa and her son Jade came down from Redfield, my uncle Tom from Aberdeen, and high school friends Jonna and Kris from Groton all braved the elements to be by my side. I am so honored to be a part of this group. I am also very sad that I kept them out in the cold for so long and was not able to celebrate with them at the finish line. For that I do say “I’m sorry”.

Although the race started off well, it quickly went down hill when I began cramping at around mile 7. I was right on pace, and continued to stay on pace (more or less) until mile 11 when both legs (quad, hamstring and calf) and left shoulder seized up. My numb feet felt like bricks, although bricks might have been better because as far as I know, bricks don’t have muscles that cramp. The numbness didn’t stop them from cramping either.

I believe there were a number of factors that contributed to my poor body condition. The stomach bug that I had been fighting since Sunday left me weak and 3 pounds lighter. I was not able to produce enough heat to avoid hypothermia. Somewhere around mile 18, I said to my brother-in-law, Mike, “I think I’m a little hypothermic”. He laughed and said something like “I think you’re way past that.” I continued on until just after mile 21. Knowing there would be no way I could continue on for 5 more miles (at the shuffling pace I was working on at that time, it would be at least one more hour in the cold and rain), and wanting to avoid any permanent damage, I got in the van with my dad and Mike and drove back to the hotel.

When I got out of the van at the hotel, everyone was waiting for me. My biggest fear was that they would be disappointed in me. After all, they sacrificed a lot to be there for me. I’m guessing that each supporter there had something better they could have done this weekend that didn’t require standing out in the rain and cold. However, I was showered with hugs, kisses, words of support, and even flowers (thanks Lisa and Jade for the roses). For this and everything else you have done for me over the years, I can’t thank you enough.

So what's next? I will recover for a couple of weeks, hire a coach, select another marathon sometime in September or October (hopefully not one that will be cold and rainy), and try again. I'll continue to post on my blog for anyone who wants to read it. Again, I can't thank everyone enough for all of the love and support I have felt over the last four months, especially today. In addition to the support crew on hand in Brookings, many sent words of encouragement through email, text messages, and voice mail. Thank you (English), Takk (Norwegian), Pidamayado (Dakota Sioux Indian), Bedankt (Dutch), Merci (French), Danke (German), Mahalo (Hawaiian), Toda (Hebrew), Arigato (Japanese), Komapsumnida (Korean), Grazie (Italian), Dhanyabaad (Nepali), and Gracias (Spanish).