5:54:19

It rained. It poured. We were soaking wet. BUT still it was the most amazing experience of my life.

Here's the breakdown of my 26.2 Mile run:
Mile 1-7: Was wonderful (except for the rain but we have run in colder conditions)--These were almost painless

Mile 8: I am starting to have to go to the bathroom, but the Porty Potty lines were LONG!

Mile Shortly After: We decided we were wet and it would be easier just to go to the bathroom while running.  Yes we just started peeing as we ran (we figured out that you had to literally stop to get started). I don't honestly know if my sopping wet pants would even pull down at this point.

Mile 10-12: Around now I was having some shoe issues; one in-sole of my shoe was bubbling.  I stopped and took it out.  So even if I lost one sole, I still had my whole "soul"

Mile 13: Here's were it got harder; we still had to do the distance again. This part was mentally challenging.  Let me remind you it's still pouring.

Mile 14: The rain broke momentarily. I had time to take a photo so I get my phone out on our walking interval.  Two seconds later I slipped on an orange peel.  The man behind me felt bad until he saw I was texting.  I decided no more texting, plus I was thinking my phone was done (water-logged) after this.

Mile 15: Here's where our group split a bit.  We didn't realize but this was a tough part of the race.  Still a lot ahead, but our bodies were talking.  Morgan, Hannah, Hilary and I going pretty strong at this point.  I was feeling good with some pain, but our pacing and intervals were keeping us good.

Mile 16-17: This was a blur.  I don't know what happened here, but we still kept strong.

Mile 18: This is were I started choking up.  Literally, I was about to start balling.  I couldn't believe that I was about to complete a marathon (I knew I could do this even if I had 8 miles more).  I had to concentrate so hard on not breaking down into an excited sob.

Mile 19:  We knew we were going to see Coach Jen between 16 and 20, so we were expecting her at this point.  It was the greatest moment when we saw her.  Just having her run with us for about 1/2 a mile really pumped us up.

Mile 20: Still running off the excitement of seeing Jen.

Mile 21: Here was when I think I hit a wall (or if that's what we could call it). I think it hit me that at this pace, I still was going to be running over an hour.  Why I mentally did this to myself...I don't know.  It really helped to have my three teammates at this point.  We didn't talk about our pain and just kept going.  In my mind I am thinking, "well, if they are ok so am I."  They were thinking the same thing.

Mile 22-23: This was pure struggle.  The rain had run the crowds away(if there were any to begin with) so Veterns Hill was lonely and the river of water was deeper.  This is where I had to remove my other in-sole, too.

Mile 24: There were no choices to turn back (not that there were before) but we knew we could do this. This was even more emotional.  I really was trying to keep it together here.  I was emotional and tired.  I was so excited that we were almost done, and so proud of us.  We were doing great.  We slowed down a bit, but it was hard to do anything but keep the motion of a run at almost a walk pace.  A monsoon rain came at this point.  We thought it was hailing. The roads were flooding. We were running in 2" deep water at this point. We kept trekking.

Mile 25: This is where I lost it.  Literally.  We saw Ricky and Hayley and I just started crying.  I ran up to Ricky before Hilary could even get there for the biggest hug.  The course crowd was empty but the two of them!  It was the perfect way to end this race.  I caught my breathe after my tears and was ready for 1.2 more miles.

Smooth sailing from here...

Mile 26.2:  Finally, we could see the crowds.  This is how I imagined I would finish this race.  I don't know how long I went on this stretch without crying/balling.  I have never experienced something like this.  There are truly no words to explain.  Morgan, Hannah, Hilary and I held hands as we ran through the finish line all balling.  I couldn't think.  All I needed was my Mylar blanket.  I almost forgot about my medal. We huddled and just cried.

We finished in 5:54:19 at an average 13:30 a mile.

Here's were it became one of the most miserable experiences.  It was sooooo cold, we were so tired, we couldn't find our families and friends, and we had to walk 3-4 blocks to get inside. We just had to make it to the hotel were TNT participants were to check in and get food.

It was the most miserable walk of my life. It seems so much less painful as I sit in bed right now and drink my Coors Light.  I am sorry but I have to admit, I am still unshowered.  The thought of showering sounds like I have to move.  It will be nice, but the process of getting there sounds intense.  Hannah just came in and said, "Morgan, you have still not showered?" I guess maybe I should.

I just want to end on one thought. This was the most amazing experience of my life. I am ready for my next (yes...I need some time). I have met people who I will never forget who experienced with this. The only people who know so much about my life and about all of my bowel movements.  I couldn't ask for anything different.

Oh PS: We made it on TV and were told many times we had the best outfits :) I mean I could have finished last and that would have still made me feel like the winner.