Beside myself with joy and amazement!!!

ArchyJill

Last year I did the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and was sooooo disapointed with myself. Yes, I finished and that is nothing to sneeze at, but about mile 18 I totally gave up...took me 5 hours and 25 minutes to finish. After that I decided if I was to get serious I would need to make some changes, and change I did! I lost 15 pounds, lost about 10% of body fat, and gained a whole lotta muscle.

Today was my first marathon since San Antonio (about a year ago). My goal was just to finish strong, not to give up on myself. If it took 5 1/2 hours and I didn't ever give up then I would be happy. If I finished in 4:30 I would be thrilled. I finished in 4:02....FOUR HOURS AND TWO MINUTES!!!!! Totally and utterly beyond my wildest dreams. At mile 20 I choked back tears cause I knew I would finish strong, mile 25 I sobbed a little as I ran because I was as good as done, and at the finish line I lost it when I saw my time.

Qualifying for Boston used to be a joke for me...as in "when I'm 70 I'll qualify if I can keep this pace!". Looked up the qualifying times again. I just need to shave off about 17 minutes and I'm good to go.....

:drinker:

purpleprose

Congratulations!!!! That's an amazing accomplishment and you definitely deserve to be proud of yourself.

NutritionDivaRD

Wow! That is outstanding! Congrats on that accomplishment!

Natural

totally awesome. congrats to you.

Ely82010

Congratulations. I really admire people that can run because it is something that I will only do if I were chased.

:flowerforyou:

OlenaS

How awesome! Congratulations on your achievements and good luck with the future ones!!

starchile

You made me cry!!! I don't even know you and I am SOOOOOOO PROUD OF YOU AND HAPPY FOR YOU!!!! You are AMAZING!!!!!! Good job putting in the work and going ABOVE AND BEYOND what you thought you could do!!!!!

YAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disciplined74

Wahoo. Congrats on meeting your goal.

You are a great example to people like me who are runners trapped in fat, out-of-shape bodies.

Scorpiomom222

That's so awesome!!! My heart was racing as I read your story. lol My heart was cheering for you. Maybe by next time, you'll qualify for Boston!

rymattsmom

you go girl!

i know that feeling, i choked back tears after i ran my first and only 5k. it wasn't about the time for me but finishing was an emotional feat.

good for you!!!!!!!!!!!

Katiekat1182

Awesome job!!! Congrats!!!

bbygrl5

Way to go!!! You're an inspiration!

FemininGuns

This is so inspiring and motivating. I have seen some of my closest friends complete their first marathon, it's very emotional. I have completed many 1/2 marathons, and have yet to complete a full. I can relate to those emotions somewhat, however I am sure that your journey was awesome and something you will never forget. I am so proud of you, it's amazing!

PS: only 5% of the exercise population run 1/2 marathons, and 2% of the exercise population run full marathons. CONGRATS!

kelsully

You rock...that is aweome and inspirational...I hope to be so pleased tomorrow ...
Good for you...you should be really proud

PatriciaO

Noone knows but you how happy this is making you but it means a lot to others to cheer for you. Congrats

CDresp

As a former runner I can totally understand how you feel. Although I have never ran a marathon, as a former Marine I have always longed to one day run the USMC Marathon. I have a unspoken (until now) goal of maybe running it next year. I have 13 months to loose the pounds and get in shape. Hope my knees hold out!! You ROCK! Keep up the great work!

MissingMinnesota

Amazing job!

lyndsloo

HOLY MOLY! Amazing job. You are fantastic

nursevee

That is an amazing feat! You did such a fabulous job and I knew you would too! Well done Jill! Boston is just around the corner!!! Any future plans for the NYC marathon??? *grin*

DayAtATime

I am so impressed. I go to a bootcamp type of workout and we run and it is so so hard for me. I can't imagine a marathon. You should be so pelased with yourself.Keep up the good work. Thanks for posting your success

slansdown

I did my first marathon this past year. I don't know if I will do another one, but I walked. It took me seven and a half hours, but I was proud that I finished my first marathon. Finishing was important and I hope that you recognize both marathons as accomplishments.

NavySailor

Last year I did the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and was sooooo disapointed with myself. Yes, I finished and that is nothing to sneeze at, but about mile 18 I totally gave up...took me 5 hours and 25 minutes to finish. After that I decided if I was to get serious I would need to make some changes, and change I did! I lost 15 pounds, lost about 10% of body fat, and gained a whole lotta muscle.

Today was my first marathon since San Antonio (about a year ago). My goal was just to finish strong, not to give up on myself. If it took 5 1/2 hours and I didn't ever give up then I would be happy. If I finished in 4:30 I would be thrilled. I finished in 4:02....FOUR HOURS AND TWO MINUTES!!!!! Totally and utterly beyond my wildest dreams. At mile 20 I choked back tears cause I knew I would finish strong, mile 25 I sobbed a little as I ran because I was as good as done, and at the finish line I lost it when I saw my time.

Qualifying for Boston used to be a joke for me...as in "when I'm 70 I'll qualify if I can keep this pace!". Looked up the qualifying times again. I just need to shave off about 17 minutes and I'm good to go.....

:drinker:

Absolutely amazing!!!! You did a fantastic job and should be very proud of your accomplishment!!! Now the question is when is the next one

AlyRoseNYC

You've shown yourself that you CAN do it, if you put your mind to it. Keep at it and go DESTROY BOSTON!!!!

sofiabrycock

Absolutely AMAZING!! I want to do a marathon, but am concerned at my pace. I can run a half marathon at an 11.5 min mile pace, but really want to get faster.

YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION!!

Thank you so much for this post - it so proves that when you put your mind to something, amazing things happen.

I can so empathise with the emotion with finishing a race - I was in tears when I completed my first half! I can't imagine what I will be like finishing a full!!

racketgirl

Congratulations!!! Your story is incredible. I have always wanted to run a marathon, but I guess I never really beleived I could run that far. I keep wondering...what do you think about when running that far....sounds pretty silly, but I get bored so easily.

The last couple of years I have been nursing a bad sprained ankle and strained tendons. A couple of months ago, I couldn't walk more than a few steps without pain. I am now walking 2 miles 3-4 times a week. My hope is to get to the point where I can run again and eventually compete in something! You have truly inspired me...feel free to add me as a friend. I would love to hear more about your success stories! And again...congratulations. :happy: