Heart of America Marathon

John is a runner. He is built like a runner, he eats like a runner ( ; and he is pretty good at running. He is usually in the top groups for Physical Training, and enjoys running at least a few times a week. This year he decided that one of his goals was to run a marathon. That's all well and good, an admirable goal, right? Yes. But, getting to that point was an adventure. In preparation for the marathon he did a little 14 mile run 9 days prior to the race. All was well, and then a couple days later his chest was bothering him. He actually wondered if he was having a heart attack, and went into the clinic. He was diagnosed with an inflamed diaphragm, which I had never heard of before, but apparently it's a part of your body that can be inflamed. ( : So, up until a few days before the race we weren't sure if he would be up to running. He decided to just go for it, so last Sunday after church we drove up to Columbia for a quick stay. We actually had a very pleasant time, the hotel was nice, they had a military discount, swimming pool and fresh cookies. Looking over the race route, the map said that this marathon is one of the more challenging ones in America, with 6 major hills. Oh great, that is a good way to start. After a long night (the kids didn't sleep well in a new, exciting situation) John arose to set out on his adventure. I enjoyed a breakfast that I didn't have to cook with the children, and we just diddled around for a while, before he decided to go find Daddy and greet him at the end of the race. It was a lovely day for running. The race had started at 6 am and it was just beginning to get warmer. John finished well, and I was so proud to see him coming towards me in that picture. He just had about a mile left and finished strong. It took a while, but he did it, and actually placed 3rd for males in his age group. Yeah for John!