So to start out it was a little cold. I think the wind chill at the start was somewhere around 15 degrees. By the time we finished it had warmed up to 29. They had been forecasting snow or ice all week so I was just happy there wasn't ice. The start line was so crowded that it honestly didn't feel that cold! Right before the start I headed over to Maniac Corner so I could be in the Half Fanatics and Marathon Maniacs photo. It was so much fun!

As soon as I started running I knew it was going to be a good running day. My taper had worked and my legs felt great. My calf was fine and I felt amazing. I followed my intervals right from the beginning and I know that helped me so much! When I hit the 5K mark I was running a little fast for a long run but I decided not to stress about it. Honestly I'm pretty sure I was running fast just to warm up! Around mile 5 or so was when I couldn't feel my thighs anymore. I had decided to wear shorts with my calf sleeves. I hadn't trained in any long pants and I just didn't want to risk an issue. Chafing was not my idea of fun! :) So I knew part of my legs would be cold with shorts on so I just kept on running. We had to run carefully threw a couple spots of ice which was interesting considering I'm not the most graceful person!

I struggled mentally the most at mile 12. We split from the half marathon course at this point and I couldn't help but be jealous they had one mile left and I had fourteen. I set the goal to just keep going and get to mile 15. The course was really lonely at this point. There wasn't a lot of people around me and there wasn't a lot of people cheering us on. I turned on my music and just let my mind wander. It worked because once I made it to mile 15 I knew I was going to finish.

We crossed Route 66 several times!

At mile 16 I decided to turn on my Nike+ app. I had waited because it drains my battery so much but I knew I would need to hear all my cheers from my friends. It worked! Almost instantly I started hearing the cowbells and cheers and it was nonstop! I felt awesome and I got really emotional when I realized how many people were supporting me. Mile 20 passed and I felt great. At mile 21 I stopped to go to the bathroom and I had to wait in line about 10 minutes. I got really cold while I was standing still. My fingers hurt and my face was freezing. I had frost all over and I hadn't noticed until I stopped. I had a really hard time getting started again after my break.

I think this is the point that I called David and said I just want to be warm again. He talked to me for a minute and reminded me that this was the moment that all those early morning runs at 3 am was for. I could be warm when I finished. His talk worked and I kept going! When I got to mile 23 I couldn't believe there was just a 5K left and that this was really happening. There were a lot of people cheering us on and the police officers directing traffic were telling us all that we were almost there. Around mile 25 a first aid person stopped me and said that it looked like I was getting frostbite on my cheek and leg. He put something on it and asked if I wanted to keep going. Ummm yeah! I was almost done! Plus I couldn't feel my face or legs anyway so I was good! :)

I rounded the corner and saw the finish line and full on started to cry. This finish line meant so much more to me than any other one ever had. All the work and the struggles and the mental struggles was worth every second. I saw David and Colton with the most amazing sign. Colton was yelling "Go! Go!" They announced my name as I got close and so everyone in the crowd started shouting "Go Michelle!" I still have a hard time describing how it felt when I finished. It was amazing!

Route 66 is an absolute must do! The course is great and the support is amazing!