I’m a Marathoner!

By On October 10, 2009 · 110 Comments
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ME?!? I can’t believe it. I did it! It was hard. It was wonderful. It was tortuous. It was emotional. It was crampy. It was freakin’ FANTASTIC.

NOT because I had the best time or the fastest run but because I did it. I did the best I could. I set a goal and I achieved it. Was I perfect? Nope. Just look at my training schedule that fell apart. Geesh I only ran 4 times in the last month!

BUT…

I didn’t use my new job, or moving or the death of my Dad as an excuse. I could have, believe me, I thought about it. But that’s what "Old Roni" would have done. You know, the "Oh, I had a piece of cake, might as well give up on eating healthy" mentality. Yeah that was "Old Roni". "New Roni" knows there is no such thing as perfection. There are just goals, choices and experiences.

  • Goal: Run a marathon
  • Choices: Set a training schedule. Did what I could when I could.
  • Experience: I ran a FREAKIN’ MARATHON!!!

Sorry I didn’t mean to get all preachy there. You know me, I’m always over analyzing. ;) Let me get to this Marathon! I did tweet the entire race. So I have a great pictorial journal. I’m gonna post some of those in order and mix in a few other memories in between. :)

Here’s the little guy and I walking from the parking lot. We got there, parked and enough time for a nice stroll to the start.

My and little guy walking to starting line

It’s a little blurry but here I am at the starting line.

Me at the starting line!

This is when I realized my Nike+ was not working. I was, of course pissed, but hey, what am I gonna do? I had a marathon to run! So I put on the music and set off!

A few seconds in I saw the family and they snapped this great shot.

Me starting to run

The first 5 miles I was feeling pretty good. It was all uphill and my time was spot on.

First 5 miles

Mile 8 and still feeling great! :)

mile 8

Around mile 11.5 I took a pee break. ;~P

pee break

Between 8 and 12 a few things happened. My iPod went wacky. First the Nike+ and then the iPod. All my gadgets totally failed me. lol

I also took a short walk break around 10 and saw the jump roper. Yes, you heard me, the jump rope marathoner. He was on 9 when I was on 12, I think. I love the people who do crazy stuff during races. They make it so much FUN!

Soon I saw this…

half way! 13.1 miles

HALF WAY WHOOO HOO! and time to see the family. I knew they would be around somewhere and they were…

greeting the family hald way thru the marathon

My Step Father snapped that. I gave everyone a big hug and a kiss. A few steps later I saw my friend and her Fiance. It was AWESOME to have so much support (not to mention you guys) :)

Around mile 15.5 I was starting to get REALLY crampy. I stopped a few times to stretch and snapped a few photos. I was in a very familiar part of the city and it was a nice, relatively flat part of the run.

Mile 17 my legs were failing. That’s really what I mean when I say crampy. To be honest I felt fantastic. I had loads of energy. I was hydrated. I was loving it (even without the music) but my legs were just not prepared for the distance. I mean I knew this was going to happen. I really wasn’t physically prepared for the milage. This is when I wished I did have more time to train.

Then I saw a women walking backwards after a water stop and I thought that was genius! It gave my hamstrings a much needed rest while still making forward progression. Well.. backward progression… well.. I mean progression. ;~P Anyway that’s when I snapped this…

backwards walking

Around mile 18 I saw this and I just had to say.. DUH?!?

duh

Mile 19 I was feeling good. My legs were shot but I was ecstatic as I approached the last quarter of the run.

Mile 19

Here’s my time at 20.

mile 20

At this point I knew most of the big hills were behind me so I was feeling really good even though my legs were NOT liking me at all. I don’t think I’ve ever been as sore during a run as I was the last 6 miles of this race.

The next 5 miles were pretty much hell. I trotted when I could then walked stretched and tried to trot again. I found energy in cheering others on and getting cheered on. Let me tell you if you EVER run in a race, ANY race. Wear you name on your shirt. People are AMAZINGLY supportive. People I didn’t know cheering me on with encouraging words made a HUGE difference. I would get motivated and give a few encouraging words to those around me that were also struggling. This is when I started to get emotional. And let me tell you holding back tears while running your 22-24 mile is not fun. It was the only time I felt out of breath. So I had to hold it back.

Then I saw this..

Mile 25

OMG the LAST mile. All of a sudden I wasn’t emotional. I was in a state of shock. I was going to do this. I was REALLY going to do this!

That whole last mile I ran. Well I "trotted" not stopping to walk once. Then I saw my friend again and she gave me a TOTALY boost. Then I saw the family…

The finish!

…and I was ecstatic. I almost broke down again and the family had to remind me to keep running to the finish line.

To be honest, crossing the actual finish was a little anticlimactic. Maybe I was a little late but no one seemed to be cheering and since I already passed my family and friends I sort of just crossed alone and then tried to find them. But not without grabbing my medal and asking someone to snap a quick photo…

Afterwards I hooked back up with the family all I wanted to do was sit. So sit I did. :)

sitting after the marathon

Then I did quite possibly the smartest thing ever. I put on the comfy slippers I asked the husband to keep in his bag.

comfy slipper after the marathon

Besides putting your name on your shirt this is my second biggest piece of advice… bring comfy flip flops or slippers. You have no idea how many people stopped me on the way back to the car wishing they did the same.

As a celebratory meal I had to pay homage to Baltimore and choose a crab cake. Not only any crab cake but the best crab cake in Baltimore. Seriously if you are every in Baltimore you must try a Koco’s carb cake. It’s a bit pricey but totally worth it!

Koco's crab cake

All in all it was an AWESOME day. I did what I set out to do. I got to celebrate with my family. I came home and took the most awesome bubble bath ever. Even watched a cheesy horror flick with mom after putting the kids to bed. A perfect ending to a perfect day. Now I’m off to get some sleep. Tomorrow is Maize Quest day. A long standing family tradition! :)

Oh but first! Here’s my official race stats.

oh and one more thing then I’m done I SWEAR! I added this to my shirt this morning…

operation beautiful

If you haven’t seen Operational Beautiful please go check it out. A few people asked me about it on the run and I met others who wished there was a similar movement when they were kids. It’s really a powerful movement.

OK, I got to go. Good night and thank you ALL for the kind words and encouragement. You have NO idea how much they mean to me and seriously how much they helped me get across that finish line. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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  • http://littlempknits.blogspot.com Melissa

    CONGRATULATIONS! I am soooo amazed! I really want to try a 1/2 or maybe a full marathon next year (December 2010) and reading your story really makes me think that I might could do it.
    Love the pictures!

  • Kelly Fuller

    You Rock Roni! Thank you for continuing to be an inspiration!
    Your favorite Wisconsin Cheesehead ~ Kel

  • http://michele-newyearnewme.blogspot.com/ Michele

    Congratulations, Roni!!! I am so happy for you. You make me want to be a runner. Very inspiring. Way to go!

  • http://www.inquisitiverobin.com Robin

    Amazing. I know THREE people who ran their first Marathon today. But the other two were up in Connecticut!

  • http://www.danicasdaily.com Danica

    CONGRATS RONI!!! I LOVED reading your tweets as you went along with your full recap. You are totally right – nobody ever asks how fast you ran your marathon, just that you ran it! WTG. You are such an inspiration – way to push through it and meet that goal no matter what life threw your way! As always you are my idol in every way – 1st WW, then, Blogging, and now as a marathoner :)

  • Michele Montgomery

    Great job! Thank you for sharing your amazing day and thank you for being such an inspiration.

  • Lesley

    Congradulations, I knew you would do great. As always your account of your race made me cry. I love the photo of you about to hug Ryan. My sons cheers at my races have ment more than any others. Loved seeing the pictures along the way. I was cheering for you from my computer at home. Did other runners take those pictures for you or race volunteers?

  • LG

    NICE WORK!!!! That’s so exciting. I’ve been following your blog for about 9 months now so it’s so neat to see your dream come to fruition! You now have some serious bragging rights for the rest of your life. :0) I hope your legs return to normal soon too…yieee…

  • runnin4fun

    Very Inspiring! 26 miles!!!WOW!!! You are really accomplishing great things-so happy and proud for you!

  • http://blog.merrymishaps.com Lauren / merrymishaps

    I love all the photos — what a great way to remember your first marathon!
    And of course, awesome race!

  • http://www.whereisjaye.blogspot.com Jaye

    you are so freaking awesome

  • http://theskinnyplate.wordpress.com/ theskinnyplate

    Great run!

  • http://oppositelife.blogspot.com Pubsgal

    Way to go, Marathon Woman!!! I’m in awe! Congratulations!!!

  • http://lilmisshungry.blogspot.com Priscilla

    Congratulations! And I’m glad you had a great time. I’m training for my first marathon, the LA Marathon 3/21/10. I’m super excited. I signed up as a 30th birthday gift for myself. Reading your race recap was very inspiring. Keep up the great work. You ROCK!!

  • http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy

    Congratulations! You’re an inspiration! No one can take this victory from you :)

  • http://www.thedailymel.com Melissa (The Daily Mel)

    Congratulations, Roni!!! =)

  • http://www.eatingjourney.com MIchelle

    tears in my eyes, running nose…pumps in the air of congrats. AMAZING!

  • Jeanine

    Congratulations, Roni! I prayed for you this morning. I am so glad you achieved your goal. You did great!!!!

  • Que Sarah

    Ugh! You make me cry!!! I am so freaking proud of you!!! You are so amazing and such a beautiful inspiration to so many – keep on keeping on ;) YOU ROCK! YOU ROCK! YOU ROCK!

  • http://blogs.myspace.com/kinthekitchen Krista S.

    AWESOME! My whole family is proud of you and inspired by you. <3

  • Joplin

    standing ovation! congratulations! :))) love from India.

  • Natalie

    Roni, you are such an inspiration. You’ve an amazing way of describing events around you that make us feel as though we are alongside you. Congratulations on completing the marathon (wow, a marathon!!!), such an incredible acheivement. Well done, well done, well done!!!

  • http://jengrantmorris.blogspot.com JenM

    Your post totally brought tears to my eyes. I am so freaking proud of you!! You are amazing.

  • http://www.thinspiredblog.com Lara (Thinspired)

    Hi Roni, Your tweets and pics had me hooked all day yesterday and I was actually getting goosebumps at one point. What a wonderful gift you have given yourself. You are SO, SO inspirational. I loved every word of this recap!
    CONGRATULATIONS!!!

  • http://one-forty-five.blogspot.com/ Eszter

    Dear Roni,
    I’ve never commented before but silently I’ve been following your entries for a year know. I just wanted to say what a huge inspiration you are for many people and congratulate on your marathon running! Thank you again sharing your moments, I can learn a lot from them. Cheers,
    a girl from Hungary

  • http://www.emilyeatsandexercises.wordpress.com Emily (Emily Eats and Exercises

    That is an amazing accomplishment! I love your attitude about it – definitely inspires me to work on my running. I’m currently up to about 4 miles, but who knows what comes next!

  • http://kurunner.wordpress.com/ Jen (aka KUrunner)

    Congrats, Roni! I’m so jealous since my marathon in a few weeks just isn’t going to happen.

    Sounds like you should treat yourself to a new Nike+. ;)

  • http://oranges2oranges.net Shannan

    Roni, you’ve got me crying, now, too. I think the last thing you pinned to your shirt was the last straw. lol So proud of you! You make it look easy, and though all I’ve ever done was run on my own, you’ve got me wondering if I can’t go out there and do the same thing one day. Your family must be SO proud of you. (They also take great shots at the right moments.) Have a great Sunday!

  • http://www.hayleycepeda.wordpress.com Hayley

    You are such an incredible inspiration Ronnie – thanks so much for the recap. You ARE beautiful – and powerful, and strong. :)

  • http://strawgirl--mylifeinablog.blogspot.com/ Amanda

    OMG! I’m so proud of you. I sit here reading this with tears streaming down my face (yes, I’m a sap too–maybe even a bigger sap than you! :)) It’s so awesome that you did this. I loved reading your tweets yesterday. You have inspired me SO MUCH! I went out yesterday and did a 30 minute run and I thought of you the whole time (Roni’s been running for 2 hours and she’s got at least 3 left to go…WOW!) I’m setting my sights on 2 half marathons next year. The one I’ve done before but I walked it–I want to RUN it this time. Thanks to you–I know I can!

    I have to ask…WHERE did you stash your cell phone during the run?? Or do I even want to know…LOL!!! :)

  • http://Shrinkingsisters.com Gail, from Shrinking Sistere

    It was great keeping up with your progress Tweets. Congratulations!

  • Alison Hlathein

    You rock!!!!!!!!

  • Susan

    Congratulations! And thank you SO much for posting all about this. I have a half marathon next month, and my work schedule has made it impossible to keep up with my training program. It is so exciting and reassuring to read that you did a whole freakin’ marathon with similar time constraints. Thank you!

  • Aime

    Congratulations Roni! What an awesome accomplishment. I checked in at Twitter throughout the morning. Loved the photos. Your spirit is contagious.

  • Stacey

    Yay, Roni!! I knew you could do it! You continue to be an inspiration to me. I’m getting ready to run my first 5K in a few weeks – and as you know, I would never be doing it if it weren’t for you! Congratulations!!!!

  • mary

    hey roni. you’ve done something pretty awesome here. not only have you done this amazing transformation in your mind and your body, but you have helped a lot of us see that we are only people. you have helped us realize that we will never be perfect and that is A-OK. You have shown us in so many ways that we can achieve any goal we set as long as we are willing to work for it. Congratulations Roni. You ran a friggin marathon. I think I might have to see if I can do it too!

  • http://www.imadedinner.net Mara @ What’s for Dinner?

    Congrats Roni!!! I’m so impressed and proud of you :)

  • http://www.gettingfabuless.com Kimberly

    Yay! Congratulations Roni! We all knew you could do it! I am sitting here crying reading about your day. What an awesome accomplishment!

  • http://www.pointaweigh.com Jac

    CONGRATULATIONS on your marathon! I was following via twitter, and thought you did amazing! I love your photos, and I’m sure you’ll be so glad you have them in the future.

    Will you be doing another marathon? (I keep reading people who say they did one just to do it and got hooked… LOL!)

    But as always, you are an inspiration. I was looking at the snow outside giving myself excuses not to run today… but now I’m going to lace up my shoes and head out the door!

  • M.A.

    Roni… thanks for the early morning tears! The photo of you running up to hug the little guy is what gets me every time! Thank you for sharing your life with so many people. You are a rock star!

  • http://www.skinnydreaming.com moonduster (Becky)

    Woohoo! Congrats for running the whole thing! That’s awesome!

    :)

  • http://www.niaakagenea.blogspot.com/ Nia

    Just adding to say… LOVE THE TSHIRT!

  • http://healthytippingpoint.com caitlin

    love it :)

    what a wonderful race recap!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.justrunjustlivejustbe.com justrun

    Oh, again, I’m so proud of you! I wanted to tweet back to every one of your tweets, but I restrained myself to just a few (LesleyG on Twitter, by the way). I love, love, LOVE that you let nothing hold you back. I have been in that place of leg fail during a 5+ hour marathon and while it’s not fun, it is quite emotional. You really get to know your own strength in a new way.

    You are amazing! Congratulations!

  • http://www.mirrorx2.blogspot.com Lori

    Soo PROUD of you Ronnie!
    You are so inspiring….
    Thanks for sharing your journey.

  • Jeannie

    Congratulations!

  • http://englishcinemarie.blogspot.com Cinemarie

    Oh Roni! SOOOOO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!
    YOU’RE A MARATHONER!!!!!!!!!!! you did it! you can do anything!!!!!
    CONGRATULATIONS – thanks for taking us along, not only are you a marathoner, but you are such an inspiration to us all!!! Thank YOU!!!

  • http://itallchanges.wordpress.com Cynthia (It All Changes)

    I knew you could do it! You did awesome and I love that you took pictures the entire way :-) Congrats !

  • http://priyankalovesfood.wordpress.com/ Priyanka

    I thought I was the only one, but everyone is emotional here about this awesome experience of yours. I have said this before and I’ll say it again, Roni, you are an inspiration. WTG on the Marathon!!!!

  • Michelle in CA

    C O N G R A T S Roni! What a great recap! You are so inspiring to sooooooooooooooo many of us women :-) Congrats again, Marathoner!

  • Sandy

    Wow that is wonderful – congratulations. I have just signed up for something out of my comfort zone and all afternoon I’ve been telling myself that I made a huge mistake -I cannot do this. I should just have been happy to stay home and stay comfortable. You are giving me inspiration, but I’m still scared.

  • Lori

    Long time reader first time commenter—
    YOU RULE!!! It’s when life throws those curveballs that we find out what we are made of and girl, you are tenacious!!!! Congrats!

  • Teagan

    I don’t even really know you and I am so flippin PROUD of you! I teared up reading this post. Good job!!!

  • http://www.lunzygras.com lunzy a la lunzygras

    great to see all your pics! So proud of you! Awesome!

  • http://sallyheartssprinkles.blogspot.com Sally

    Congratulations! Your pics are awesome! =]

  • http://www.blogtolose.com/profile/Chantal Chantal Henri

    Oh my… oh my YOU ARE A MARATHONER!!!!

    Congratulations Roni, you are incredible! ;-)

  • /www.blogtolose.com/profile/Lou Lou

    Roni, I have never been so happy for and so worried about a person I have never met before. I would read your blogs and really wonder if you were up for the task. I am so glad you were able to do it and not hurt yourself in the process. Congratulations on a fabulous complete marathon. You are a role model and an HUGE INSPIRATION to so many of us out here on a life long weight loss journey. In a year and a half, I can only hope to do as well as you did on your marathon.

    AMAZING GIRL you are… just purely and simply AMAZING!

  • http://becsbits.wordpress.com/ Bec

    /cheer!

    You are *SO* inspiring, Roni! GREAT JOB! Way to go!!!

  • http://last-weight-loss-journey.blogspot.com/ christina

    wow – you look great from beginning to end and SO SO happy regardless of how your legs felt… you are an inspiration. I signed up for a 5K today… not a marathon but baby steps!

  • http://blogs.weightwatchen.com/bessie/ Bessie

    WONDERFUL!!! I was crying as I read your entry!! It reminded me of my first (and only) marathon in Disney World 6 years ago!! Congrats!!!

  • http://diet-meals-recipes.com Cherry

    Congratulations Roni. Wow .. I am about to start my training. Hopefully someday I can run a marathon also!

  • http://jeff-beth.blogspot.com Beth M.

    Congrats on your accomplishment! I only hope I can do as well in 2 weeks!

  • BigTickles

    I have no idea why I want to cry for (or with) you Roni. This is such a great accomplishment and we were with you all the way. I am so proud of you.

    However, now I have questions about running races. I thought you were suppose to run the entire time. I guess that is what is giving me a mental block to even consider something like this. I did not know you could stop and walk and what not. It seems so much more manageble now. I think I need to get a running magazine or something to dispel some of my myths. ;-)

    So Roni, what is your next run? I am so excited… (and I am not even running it – duh!)

  • http://nikislosingit.wordpress.com Niki F

    Great post, Roni! YOU DID IT! Wow! You’ve inspired me to want to do a HALF marathon (ya, I’m not quite as crazy as you)!

    Love that you took pictures the whole way!

  • http://www.choosingthefish.blogspot.com alea

    Beautiful post. CONGRATULATIONS!!! You’re such an inspiration!

  • http://www.dietgirl.org shauna/dg

    Roni you are the bomb. You had THREE things on that list of Most Stressful Things That A Person Can Do happen to you all at once (new job, moving, losing a loved one) but still you kicked on and did it. You are truly a superstar. Congratulations comrade :)

  • Kathleen

    Congrats!!!!
    I wanna do one too!!!!

    Great idea on the slippers, will use that at my next half marathon!!!

  • http://ontheweightwatch.blogspot.com miss c.

    Congratulations, Roni! Yay!

  • http://www.mysnapshotphoto.com Nina

    I’ve been following for a few years and just love what you have done with your passion… Whenever I feel like I need a boost or take a minute to refocus the Roni site always does the trick! Thank you thank you thank you so much!

  • linda

    You rock! congratulations. Love the “keep running beautiful message” on your shirt.

  • http://www.excusesdontburncalories.blogspot.com/ Dawn

    WOOT WOOT RONI!!!! AWESOME JOB!!! SO PROUD OF YOU!!! I hate that the finish line wasn’t what I told you it would be. BUMMER!! You still did a marathon even though the crowd wasn’t there to let you know about it. You will always know in your mind that you are a MARATHON runner. Very few people can say that about themselves. BE PROUD AND STAND TALL…YOU ARE THE BOMP SHA BOMP BOMP!!!

  • http://ajlovestolose.com AJ

    Congratulations! I am SO PROUD OF YOU! :-) You set the goal, and you TOTALLY OWNED IT!! :-)

  • http://trimthefat-marisa.blogspot.com Marisa (Trim The Fat)

    WOW , Roni!!!! I got goosebumps reading this! I couldn’t be happier for you! You SOOOOOOOOO ROCK!

  • ELR

    Wow, I cried reading this entry. I have several health issues, and tons of meds that have caused me to gain a ton of weight. thankfully, I’m stable now. My company is an official charity of an upcoming marathon, and I’ve been debating whether or not to join. You’ve completely inspired me – not to lose weight, but to do what I want and no longer be defined by weight or health issues. Thanks.

  • http://runningsongs.wordpress.com Kristin – runningsongs

    Congratulations – what an amazing accomplishment!

  • Becky

    AMAZING! Be proud of yourself! Thanks for sharing every step of your marathon. I sent it to all my lady friends. I am training for a marathon and this really inspires me too that I can do it! THANK YOU!

  • http://www.smallerfunpants.blogspot.com Anne

    Congratulations! What a huge accomplishment! You should be SO proud of yourself – and heaven knows you should be able to brag about it on your blog.

    You are an inspiration to me – although I’m not sure that I ever want to run a marathon. I’m going to tackle my first 10K later this month though, and that’s going to be very exciting for me. :)

  • Mary

    “There are just goals, choices and experiences.”

    Free muffins in the breakroom … I was on my way when I thought about what I just read and decided to say “No thanks” this time because I have goals, choices and experiences. Thanks so much for writing this and inspriing me to make a different chioce today.

  • http://dickundduenn.blogspot.com Rebecca @ Durch Dick und Duenn

    Congrats Roni!

  • http://mydailyjourneythroughlife.blogspot.com/ Cathy B

    Wow, Congratulations, Roni!!! I am very impressed, and inspired, thank you!

  • http://littlempknits.blogspot.com Melissa

    You have received an award. Check my blog out for details!!

  • http://www.celebrateweightloss.com Paula

    Yay! How awesome! You SHOULD be way proud of yourself for achieving that goal! Thanks for sharing the pics…fun!

  • http://www.rachelsroad.com Rachel

    I’m gushing with pride! Way to go, Roni!
    I love the pic of you sitting down after the race – you look so free and at peace and beautiful, of course.

  • Misty

    Congratulations Ronnie! I am a long time lurker, but this post inspired me to come out of hiding. I am so happy for you and got totally choked up by your journey…congratulations on such an amazing accomplishment. You’ve got me thinking about training for a half! :)

  • Jessica

    CONGRATULATIONS!!! You made me cry as well. It really gives me motivation to read about your experience and see your pictures. AWESOME JOB!!! Thank you for being an inspiration :)

  • rollercoaster

    Roni congratulations!!! You had me all teared up, that is such an amazing post and I was totally right there with you :)

  • http://morapiggy.blogspot.com DaMora

    You’re amazing!!

    I love your play-by-play with pictures. Looks like you had a great race and even greater support. I love the first pic of you waving to your family, your expression is priceless.

    Congratulations.

    Oh, and I am a huge fan of Operation Beautiful!

  • Laurie

    Roni, I’ve never commented before but have been following you for over a year – all the way from Taiwan! You are such a great example of determination and doing what it takes to accomplish your goals. At the same time, I love that you don’t expect perfection and you allow yourself to enjoy the journey. I have learned a lot from your attitude of not letting one bad choice end up in throwing in the towel and not reaching your goals. You’ve shown that success is in making consistent choices overall and look what you’ve accomplished!!

  • http://debbyweighsin.wordpress.com debby

    Roni–Have to tell you I was weeping through most of this post! What a fantastic life accomplishment! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with so many of us!

  • http://www.FeedMeImCranky.com Annabel @ www.FeedMeImCranky.com

    CONGRATS!!!!!!!

  • http://simpleweight.com/blog/ Scott

    Congrats on the marathon.

    Many many people use lesser excuses to derail their goals, and you overcame more. Love the play by play.

  • http://Katheats.com Kath

    CONGRATS RONI!!!

  • Rebekah

    Hey, Roni! Congrats on the marathon! I’ve been following your blog for a while and was really excited to see we were both training for our first marathons. My training didn’t go as well as it could have either, but reading about your progress was very motivating. I finished my first marathon on Sunday. I think the moral is, “Where there’s a will there’s a way.”

  • http://ronisweigh.com roni

    That’s AWESOME Rebekah! CONGRATS! and I totally agree where there’s a will there is a way. :)

  • http://www.icanbearunner.blogspot.com KK @ Running Through Life

    Congrats Roni! My first marathon is in December! I am excited and scared!

  • Eileen Cote

    Hi Roni, WOW, congradulations, you done awsom, I’m sooooooo proud of you,,,,as busy as you have been, you managed to stick with your goal of doing a full Marathon……I’m doing a half on the 25th,,,,my first,,,you have been my insparation,,,,,I never thought I could run……Well I’m winning races…..I won a 5k race (2nd, in my age group, 50-54), and ran on a relay team with the running group I have joined. We won 2nd in Womans and the Sportsmanship award. It has opened up a whole new world for me. Thank you for all the Insparation…Eileen

  • http://unlikelysuccessstory.blogspot.com/2009/08/im-up-for-challenge.html Mrs.Ballou

    I hope it’s ok, I’m doing my first 5k next month and I am going to steal your operation beautiful idea! I think that is a wonderful time (when isn’t really?) to share such a positive movement. :)

  • sarahlouisa

    Hi Roni,

    I’ve lurked for a LONG time but I just have to tell you how much I appreciate your blog and recipes, and how AWESOME I think your marathon story is! I did one a few years ago and I’ve been liking me some half marathons a little more since, but it is an amazing accomplishment! You’ve got me thinking I need to do another one…

    Keep up the good work!

    Sarah from Seattle

  • Katy

    Hi Roni,

    I am a long time lurker but I have never been compelled to comment before. Just wanted to say well done! What an achievement, you have come so far and done so well. I totally subscribe to the just do what you can mentality when real life gets in the way of training.

    Brilliant!

  • http://www.slim-shoppin.com Jenn@slim-shoppin

    Nice time Roni!!!

    I am so proud of you!! And I think its so funny that you took so many pictures along the way, I wish I had done that, it wasn’t like I was going to win when I ran the two marathons I did!

    You looked great the whole way, and I definitely agree that the last 6 miles are THE WORST!! I did cry when I got to the finish line.

    Great great job!!!

  • http://www.imsheddingthefatsuit.blogspot.com liz

    this made me teary. how awesome! congrats.

  • Eileen

    I love the idea of running one race a month……I’m planning on doing the same ,,,,,great idea. Thanks Eileen…..ps I also done the resalution run in my area,,,,,Toronto Can.

  • http://running-realtor.blogspot.com/ Dan Cummings

    Great Job Roni! My first marathon was in 2008 and I finished in about your time. It really opened my eyes to a whole new level of running and I haven’t stopped since. Just finished my 6th full in Florida and getting ready to do San Diego in June!

  • Kaxx

    Way to go girl!

  • http://www.FusaroPhotography.com/blog Photographer Lori

    Love it! And this is crazy…my brother designed the medal you won. :) His company runs the marathon. :) Small world.

    :) LORI

  • Sid

    WOW,you ROCK, fantastic job Roni.

  • http://mymarathontrainingprogram.com Denise

    You’re so inspiring!
    I love marathons too and i definitely agree with those comfortable slippers.

  • http://mymarathontrainingprogram.com marathon training program

    You’re amazing! Not to mention inspiring.
    I’ve read you’re progression photo page and I’m so inspired. I love marathons too and wear comfortable slippers afterwards:)

  • http://twitter.com/hookedfromhello Amanda

    As long as I’ve been visiting your blog, I never read this post until now. I am totally in tears. What an amazing experience! I love that you were able to document it in pictures! I’m currently training for my first half and would love to eventually do a marathon one day. Thanks for being such an inspiration!

    • RoniNoone

      You are so welcome. Thanks for bringing me down memory lane. :)

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