Take That, 13.1 Miles

This past weekend was the first LIVESTRONG marathon. LIVESTRONG is the title sponsor of this annual event for 3 years and so, of course, I wanted to run.

I've been training for months and actually felt stronger than ever. But the day was tough.....

It was a bit windy, humid and warmer than I'd like for a run. And while it may not have been my best time (it wasn't my worst), I felt so inspired the whole time. Here's a list of what inspired me:

1. My running partner, Kelsey, and her constant positive attitude

2. The LIVESTRONG water stop and yellow mile

3. Along with that....my committed colleagues and friends who cheered

4. Seeing my family, including my adorable nieces, cheering me on

5. Carl riding his bike next to Kelsey and me playing Katy Perry at my request

6. Finishing at the same time as the first woman marathon finisher (ah, the cheers...)

7. Seeing my childhood friend, Laura, who came from Connecticut to run the marathon

8. Hearing Eye of the Tiger as we were about to take on (and conquer) our biggest hill

9. Seeing my two friends, Jen and Haley, finish their first half marathon

10. Receiving the Celebratory Haiku from Devon upon our finish:

Thirteen point one miles
Clear eyes, full hearts, could not lose
Wow, you ran Austin!

Kelsey and I officially renamed the 'half marathon' to the 'full half marathon'. We felt like saying we're doing 'just the half' was happening too often. We're not doing 'half' of anything. We're doing our full training plan.

It was an amazing event and I'm honored that LIVESTRONG was a part of it. We went from 50 runners last year to over 500 this year and raised more than 300,000 dollars.

So, I've officially postponed my retirement for at least 2 more years. How can I not do the next two years?

Until then, I'll take some time off running and maybe start rock climbing....