What’s on your bucket list?  Could running 26.2 miles in the Honolulu Marathon be on your check list?  It was on mine and although I checked it off last year, I wanted to try again to really apply myself and see what my personal best time could be.

I knew what I had to do this time around …. train.  Yet, once again time got the best of me and before I knew it, I was two weeks out from the big race.  Is it too late to start training now?  It’s never too late haha!  I got a couple jogs in there, the longest run being 8.4 miles!  Only 3 more of those and it’s nearly a marathon, I thought to myself.  I can do it.  For a little marathon inspiration, I turned to Snoopy!

It’s yours for the taking!

Everyone has a goal and my goal was to beat my time from last year (7 hours 47 minutes).  Ideally, I really wanted to finish in 6 hours, but I knew that might be a bit far-fetched, especially without training myself properly.  But according to my smart daddy, he said, just to finish is an accomplishment.  With that being said, all I could do was go out there and try my best… and that I did.

Race day weather conditions were not very pleasing!  Rainy. Cold. Windy.  PLUS, sorry to share but I had to go poop during the race and that is a horrible feeling.  I had to make a pit stop at one of the hotels.  Many people ask are those weather conditions better than being sunny and hot.  It’s hard to tell, ideally overcast with no rain would be the best for me, but mother nature has a mind of her own and yesterday she wanted to shower us with love.

My finish time ended up being 6 hours and 43 minutes – that means, I fulfilled my goal!  Shaved one hour off the time from last year.  But in all honesty, I think I can confidently say, I could have finished in 6 hours.  But declaring that would mean I need to sign up again and I’m not sure if I want to do that just yet because maybe I have other plans coming up in the near future….

At any rate, this marathon was by far better than last years marathon thanks to this guy, my better half.

Looks like Matt’s sleeping and the gun didn’t even go off yet!

I never thought he would ever sign up because 1. he has bad knees.  2. he doesn’t really run ever and 3. running with bad knees is just a bad idea period.  BUT, I give him credit because he went out there and tried his very best and we accomplished it together.

A short break to enjoy the ocean view!

Perhaps I did contemplate leaving him behind, one, two, ok at least three times – but in the end, I never left his side because we’re a team and that’s what it is all about.  Start together, finish together.  Needless to say, that will probably be our first and last marathon.  Matt already said, “NEVER AGAIN” haha.

Matt needs a whole new bottom half!

He is such a trooper though and I cannot praise him enough on how proud I am of him.  I commend him, but I also chuckle a little as he limps around the house and moves at snail pace hehe.  Good job Matt and all those who participated in the 2014 Honolulu Marathon!  Soon we’ll receive the early pre-registration email for the 2015 marathon; it really is a great deal ($1 a mile), but for now, I shall enjoy my beer!  CHEERS!!!

Cheers to a race well done!