Marathon... He DID IT!

Since the week Jackson was born, Pete has been training for a marathon. Let's get this straight... As of April 2014, Pete would go out for a "run" and come back exactly 6 minutes later after running to the end of our apartment complex in San Diego and he'd call it good. Now I'm not heckling, because I am not a runner, but I just want to give a context for this accomplishment. May 2014, he left for ODS with the Navy and trained himself to successfully run 1 1/2 miles for the PRT. Following that, he went to Naval Justice School in Rhode Island, and he met some great friends who were runners. That's when he started to truly become a runner. They helped him to train as a distance runner, and a few of them had a goal to run a marathon in November. It was a great hobby for him while he was alone at training. He learned to actually enjoy running and he lost a lot of weight which made running much easier for him. However, he sadly started suffering from knee pain and his marathon goal was put on hold. Fast forward a year, he was ready to try again. He'd kept up his shorter distance running, so when July rolled around, he was ready to start training. He sacrificed a lot of sleep to achieve this goal. He woke up between 5 and 6am 3 mornings a week to do runs, and then he'd do a long run on Saturdays. So impressive. Sometimes he would run to soccer games or practices in order to fit in his run but also be at our family events. 

One place he loved running was called the Great Dismal Swamp (desirable, huh?). It's a paved path through a forresty, swamp area, which is ideal for runners who don't want to get hit by a car. Anyway, he set out on his Saturday run and about 3 miles in he hears some dog barking. Odd, but he kept going. A few seconds later, he turns around and there is literally a black bear on all fours running towards him. His instincts kicked in and Pete started full-on sprinting to get away from this bear! Thankfully, after a short time, the bear veered off and went back into the forest on the other side of the path. He thinks the dogs spooked the bear and that's what caused him to get agitated, but regardless... Pete got chased by a bear. He reported the incident to the forest ranger, and he said it was not uncommon to see bears. Pete decided to call it good for his run that day, and ended up seeing this sign along the path. 

So sprinting wasn't the best idea, but at least it ended up well. I would probably sprint too! So glad things ended up the way they did. Definitely makes for a good story. 

Anyway, training required Pete to run up to 20 miles, but he only got up to 18, because my surgery made him miss his 20-miler. Whoops. But he still felt good and ready for the race. So on Saturday, Nov 14, Pete ran the Richmond Marathon! We went up the night before to stay in a hotel, which was a great choice, because go-time on Saturday morning came early enough as it was. We left for the race at 6:15am, got Pete his ritual bagel, and dropped him off at the start downtown. THere was so much traffic, but we got him as close as we could. He took a fleece blanket we had in the car because it was VERY cold, and he left it somewhere down there. Hopefully some homeless person can put it to  use. Our plan was to see him at mile 7. It worked out perfectly and he got there within minutes of our arrival. I was nervous about all the stops with the three kids by myself, but I used the double stroller and the front-pack for Jackson, and it was perfect. But in all honesty, no matter how much hoopla and jumping around I did each time we saw Pete run by, they didn't really care. They got to see dad for .3 seconds and then we had to load back up and move on to do it again. But still, it's such a fun atmosphere and everyone is so positive. I was telling Pete that marathon events are so great because everyone is cheering for everyone. There aren't winners and losers... everyone wants everyone else to succeed and just make it to the end. There are few events in life that are like that, so even though the boys didn't fully "get it", I'm glad they were exposed to this event of positivity. 

Anyway, here's me and the babe. 

Mile 7...

 The worst part of having three kids, one of which is a baby strapped to you, is the potty situation. I'm ashamed to say that they peed off the beaten path once or twice that day, but it made my life WAYYY easier, so be it. Except that at the finish line, I look over and there is Austin with his pants around his ankles peeing. So embarrassing. Where is that kid's mom?

 We stopped at Sugar Shack for donuts. The best!

 We tried to see Pete at mile 12.9, but we missed him. Darn it. It's so hard to time out these things. Loved seeing my kids cheering on complete strangers.

 At mile 20 we met up with Scott, Abbey, Lance, and Madison. They were nice enough to drive down to cheer Pete on. At this point, you started to see the wear and tear on the runners' faces. Oh man.

How cute is this little family????

 Pete said that after mile 20, every mile felt like 1,000 miles. He slowed way down and he said that it hurt worse to walk, so he just kept running, but walkers were passing him. haha.

 We made it to the finish line and waited for Pete's arrival. 26.2 miles is a LONGGGG way, so we just wanted to see him alive! Scott was at the top of the hill, so he texted me when he saw Pete. I was never so glad to see that yellow shirt.

 The boys were getting antsy, but they were excited to hear dad was approaching.

 It was so emotional... he did it. 26.2 miles. 4 months of committed training. A year and a half ago, he could run 1/2 a mile. Look at this guy go!

 I was so nervous about being able to get to him afterward, because he didn't have a cell phone, but it all worked out perfectly. He got an awesome medal and a celebratory Cafe Rio lunch. So awesome.

 Don't take it personally, Pete... Jackson was super proud of you.

No matter if he ever runs another marathon, he can say he did it. He ran a marathon! I asked if it was fun, and he said, "No... it was rewarding though." I see that. Such an accomplishment, both physically and mentally. Majorly proud of this guy!