Santa Barbara J-Fam Marathoners
Up at 5:30 a.m. ready to leave for the Drop-off zone.
Lindsay looks all pro fo sho.
It poured rain til midnight the night before--we all worried
we'd be running in the rain. But nay nay.
It was the PERFECT DAY!
The bags I'm holding contain re-hydration powder, water, GU, protein...
and tons-o-Advil......which we all really neeeeded!
BRING. IT. ON.
Preston was the first to finish the Half. He ran the first 10 miles
then started feeling some blisters on his right foot, so he walked
the final 3 miles--one of which was completely uphill (mile 10 for the halfsies, mile 23 for Ben)
Still, he clocked both Lindsay and I. I give his Vaughn-Johnson-Stride alot of credit.
Finishing his last semester at BYU, full time school load and full-time internship...
Ran a half marathon.
No biggie dealie.
Here she is--she finished just a few seconds behind Preston.
And RADIANT as ever!
And look folks, she didn't even break a sweat.
Gotta brag--she works full time, 2 hour commute each
day, yet still found time to train for a half marathon.
Lindsay is amazing. She is an inspiration.
Dontcha love that smile?!?!
I love this pic...Lindsay and Preston meeting up at the finish line.
No cryin now.
The exhausted couple right after they crossed the finish line
...just seconds apart.
Mission Accomplished!
About 10 minutes after Preston and Lindsay, I crossed.
They gave me my medal and then I heard people calling my name...
and started walking toward the best family in the world.
The first person I came to was Preston. Jeez he felt good.
Then came a huge hug from Lindsay (only seen in video)
and then a papa-bear hug from Vaughn.
Yep, Preston broke down. Cry baby that he is.
Both girls were next on the hug list...(also only seen on video).
Finishers of a HALF MARATHON--13.1 MILES.
Don't we ROCK?!?
Yep, we do :)
Another great shot. We're just so awesome :)
****
Then it was time to look for Ben
****
Lindsay was the first to spot him coming.
I'm on the left taking video.
Here I am getting Ben's triumphant finish--
he's the RUNNING GOD in yellow just under the
second "I" in FINISH
Here I am in mom-mode to the max, getting his time on record.
He averaged a 8'53" mile for 26.2 miles straight.
He's Man. And Machine.
Ben...catching his breath.
He only started officially training 2 months ago.
My friends think he should pay a visit to the BYU Track and Field Department...
...he's THAT good.
~Hey good lookin peeps~
You just ran a Marathon Ben: 26.2 miles!
You just ran a half Marathon Linds and Press: 13.1 miles!
Hey wait. I did toooo!
***Recovery Time***
Lindsay started stretching right away.
It reminded all of us to stretch.
Here she is in rest mode.
We all took her lead and sat down on a bench for a bit.
Water and oranges were provided. We all chomped
on "Chomps" for some added energy.
Who's happiest--Ben or Preston?
Actually, the leg and foot numbness is starting to wear off,
now comes the stiffness and the aches.
More needed time to rest.
I'm in a classic Matthews pose: elbows on knees.
Preston in solemn prayer.
Ben giving signals to sideline coaches.
Lindsay...hoping her MIL doesn't pass out.
TRIUMPHANT :)
It feels good to do hard things with our bodies.
We get cheered for our accomplishments.
Especially at Marathons. The crowd was incredible!
And our personal cheerleaders were precious (Vaughn, Emma, Cami).
But I tribute my family for doing really hard things in our hearts and souls--
...accomplished with no cheering crowd.
That is the test of strength.
That is the definition of HARD.
I love you J's
Our precious and beautiful personal cheerleaders!
My running buddies:
Julie is on the left--she has run multiple marathons and is
my friend that got me running years ago...and keeps me
running now.
Becky is in the middle--she and I trained together for
this half marathon, a first for both of us.
I couldn't have done this without her.
****
Videos
****
Ben crossing the finish line:
Lindsay crossing the finish line.
(The camera person apologizes; you'll understand...)
The FAB FOUR
We apologize for the technical difficulties.
The last two videos of Preston and myself crossing won't upload.
I'll try again later :)
