Sweet Friends!!!

Introducing...Mr. and Mrs. Adam Rupp!!!

Woohooo!!

We just got back to Spring from my good friend's wedding in Austin this weekend! Adam and Courtney's wedding was so much fun! It was such a gorgeous day and we are so thankful that we were apart of it!! We had a blast! Pray for a safe honeymoon for these two...they are in Mexico for the week :(

More pics from Houston Rodeo on Friday and the wedding in Austin to come!!

4:53:56

Before...

During...

Gettin' some love from our fans!!!

Mile 26.1...I can see the finish line!!!

And after the race! Check out that sweet medal!!

We did it!!! No doubt in my mind we were going to finish, but at 4 hours and 53 min!??!! Crazy!! I beat my Houston Marathon 4 weeks ago by 5 min! Adam did GREAT!! His first marathon, and to finish in under 5 hours...AWESOME!!!

Ok, let me walk you through this one....we start off strong, feeling good, for about 1/2 a mile when the hills began! HA Seriously, hills were everywhere throughout the course. It was fun at the beginning, different and new terrain, but after about 10 hills within only 2 miles, it got old fast!! Adam handled them like a champ! I think he secretly training in Austin or something because for the first 13 miles he was cruising through the hills no problem! Adam's parents, fiance Courtney, brother and sister-in-law, sister and brother-in-law, friends Joe and Jenny, and Blake were all there to support us along the way. Whether it was a few of them at miles 6 and 12, or everyone at mile 21 and the finish line, each one of them are greatly appreciated by the two of us. We found ourselves talking more than we thought we would, thank goodness for my training runs in Oklahoma with Sara where we talked the entire time!! Adam and I continued to be amazed at the complete strangers along the course encouraging us and cheering us along. They were all amazing! We started to make eye contact with most of them and thank them while we were on our way! To have family and friends there was even more special. The support and encouragement from those we love is so important, and none of them will know really how much they meant to us for being there. Ok, back to the course, at mile 6, our support team missed us because we were running like lightning speed! ha When we saw them at mile 12, I definitely threw on a smile to pretend it was awesome, but what came out of my mouth was contradicting to my face, "this is hard," is what came out without even thinking when I saw Blake!! Quick kisses to Blake from me, and Courtney from Adam, and we were off to conquer the 2nd half! From miles 13-15 I was struggling big time! The hills were playing a huge part, but mentally I was checked out! Thankfully Adam was there to encourage me. After a few sports jelly beans and a few packs of GU, I was back in the game! Miles 18-24 flew by! We talked and found ourselves surprised at how fast each mile came and went! Adam's knee started to hurt around mile 21. We were so excited about this! Usually it would hurt on training runs at around mile 6, could you imagine how awful the rest of the race, 20 miles, would have been had it started like usual?! It was my turn to return the favor of encouraging words. I am so thankful that we each hit our low points at different times. We made a few adjustments and just kept shuffling along, literally!! The hills were still insane the second half but not as many as the first, but maybe equally as intense. The end was fast approaching and we were pumped!! We passed by so many supportive people, and finally the finish line was in site! We saw the happy and tearful faces of Adam's family, our friends and Blake, and it gave us just what we needed to push through the final steps!!

I am so proud of Adam! He did great throughout the entire race!

Thank you for all of your sweet thoughts and prayers, we needed them and they definitely helped!

AUSTIN...HERE I COME!!!!

Well it completely snuck up on me, yeah right, but the Austin Marathon is 3 days away! YIKES! I am out to each 5 lbs of crawfish, again, the 2nd time this week...I did cheat my normally great eating habits, but its CRAWFISH!!! Plus, I eat like a health Nazi every other day of the year, so this shouldn't hurt too bad! At this point I am still not sure if we are flying or driving, between the weather and our plane being on the fritz, a decision has yet to be reached. I will try to blog about the race as soon as I can, it looks like we will be home on Monday.

Please pray for:

Adam's knee

My hips

Our mental stability!

Encouragement

Endurance

I am very excited, trying not to think about the nerves! I just keep thinking about how Adam will feel, he has no idea the emotions that are about to hit him, I'm talking after the race. Not just the physical journey, but the spiritual one as well. The overwhelming feelings of accomplishment, satisfaction, and just pure awe, I am excited to be a part of this experience for him. I cant wait!!! Wish us luck...

Because I'm Loving Every Wonderful, Horrible Minute of it!

I read my title in a runner's magazine this week and it totally explains my answer to the commonly asked question, "Why do you do this?"

I am literally going to start quoting, "Because I love every wonderful, horrible minute of it!" I have been getting a lot of mixed reviews on my drive for running lately. I get that people do not get the running thing, but I don't get how they can't compare it to something that they truly love and then in turn understand?! I think that we all have many gifts that we were given to use for the good.

Austin is quickly approaching! I do not think I have ever been this nervous. The course is hard...everyone seems to want to remind me of that, but I am also nervous about Adam's knee. I do not want him to do some serious damage. He gets married one month from the race, and I don't want him hobbling down the aisle to meet his beautiful bride Courtney! I know she has got to be nervous about that! I have loved Courtney from the day I met her, we became instant friends! If it weren't for her terrible back problems, I have no doubt in my mind she would be joining us on Sunday. She will for sure be along side of Blake, Adam's family, and friends to help support and encourage him. I can't wait, this race has been highly anticipated for many months! Only 5 days...

Lucky #13

13 days and counting...

Ok, nerves are beginning to knock at my door! Of course I do not share these feelings with Adam, hopefully he does not check my blog often! On the phone its nothing but positivity when we talk! He was a little bummed with his knee, but went to the doctor and was cleared to run the marathon! He still has trouble with it, but hopefully the brace and remedies all work wonders! Thank you so much for all of your texts, prayers, and words of encouragement, you all have no idea how much it all means! I am extremely nervous! Also, I am contemplating the Oklahoma City Marathon in April...YIKES! What am I thinking??!!!?!