St. George Marathon

The marathon was actually the easy part. Getting there was the challenge this year. My back went out four times in the six weeks prior to October 2nd. So I missed my longest training runs. And I was bummed when my friend Julie called me the Monday before the race to say she probably wouldn't be able to run because of her knee injuries.

When she called back on Wednesday to tell me she was in, my back had just gone out again. As soon as it did, I took four ibuprofen and drove myself to the chiropractor. I went back on Thursday and Friday for several hours of electrical, ultrasound, heat and massage therapy. My goal was just to make it to the starting line at that point.

And I did make it. Here I am with Julie, running her first marathon, and her sister Jenna, also running her fifth. The starting line was the only time all day that we were cold. It got very warm, and since Julie and I were going slow, by the time we finished, the heat was brutal.

But we had a great time and Julie's knee injury was a blessing to me, because it kept her running at my much slower pace right to the finish line. Rob, Ellie and Ainsley were there to cheer us on and document what is probably my last marathon. Because we ran so slowly, I actually recovered really quickly, and went for a run just a few days after. Then my back went out again, and I was back to square one.

I had an MRI, which showed multiple herniated discs, as suspected. I mustered up my courage and went to the masters swimming at Olympus, only to injure my shoulder, because I hadn't been swimming. Yeah, I'm pretty much falling apart.

On the bright side, I did not throw up, or need an IV at the end of my race. Shawn still wins the willpower award.