Last Sunday Jan. 13th I ran the PF Changs Rock N Roll Marathon. It was the greatest experience of my life, except for my wedding and birth of my daughter. It was grueling, but felt so good. Out of 30,000 racers I finished 8807th and finish 670 in my division. Not bad I beat almost 22000 people. I ran it in 2:18 min. I ran the first 10 miles non stop, walked 1, and ran the last 2 strong. When I finished I wasn't even breathing heavy, my foot was sore thats all. I got my finishers medal and shirt and went home and imediately signed up for another half marathon that is Feb. 17th. I am probably going to do the Scottsdale Half Marathon in March as well. I am hooked.

A big big congrats! I'm aiming for my first half in March if my schedule can fit around it, otherwise I'll have to wait until May. What kind of training did you do in the lead up to it? Any hints or tips to make it a more comfortable run?

wow thats alsome.. congrats good luck for the nxt 1

That is fantastic - Congrats!!!

absolutely amazing!! congrats!!! good for you!

That's amazing!!!!!!!!!!!

It's on my list for 08! You're my hero.

CONGRATS!!! You are a total inspiration to me. I just got banded Feb. 15th and have lost about 16 pounds. One of my goals is to do a marathon. I've done a 5K so far so am working my way up toward a 10K, then a half-thon and finally the big bang.

I just wanted to congratulate you - I liked reading your personal account. And those 121 pounds lost - AWESOME!!! It's all just what I needed to read right now.

Just a follow up I ran my second half marathon on Feb. 17th. The Lost Dutchman in Apache Junction AZ. This thing had some serious hills in it. I ran the half this time in 2:02 which was 16 minutes faster than the first one I ran the previous month. I finished in the top 20% out of 3,000 runners. I really just love life, my cardio is awesome and right now I am running about 28 miles a week.

You all can do it, you just need to set goals and stay focused. If I didn't have all of your support on here I would have faltered. I love you all.

Woo hooo AZPete!!! Congratulations!! I ran my first full marathon last October. Seriously the most amazing day ever!! That was pre-band and 240lbs!! Now that I'm banded and losing weight, I can't wait to start training. I'll start training for the Nike Women's Marathon next month. I'm going to be a mentor for Team in Training.

Wow..impressive times!! Again, congrats....maybe we'll "run" into each other at a future event. Keep me posted on your training!!

Cheers,

Amy