Congrats to Keith!

Keith is officially a Marathoner. He finished the Flying Pig Marathon yesterday in 4 hours, 8 minutes. His original goal was to finish in under 4 hours, but 26.2 miles is a long time for everything to go your way, and his calf muscles started cramping at the end.

It was a great day to spectate. A little chilly at first, when we arrived at spectator point #1 at 6:30am. The race started about 15 minutes late due to a house fire on the course.
But once the race started, it ran smoothly, and the day warmed up quickly as the sun came out.

I joked with Keith beforehand that he was wearing his "anonymous runner" costume because he wore a long-sleeved, white shirt with gray shorts. He didn't exactly make it easy to pick him out of the crowd! I had been guilty of missing him last year because I couldn't find him amongst all the runners, and I was worried about missing him again.

I actually got pretty nervous for Keith the morning of the race. Until that point, I had been quietly confident. But once it was really race time, and I couldn't see him or talk to him to find out how he was feeling, I got anxious. Did he feel good? How did the start go? Was he on pace? The few times that we could a glimpse of him at miles 2 and 6.8, he looked good, but that still left a lot of time just wondering how it all was going.

It was such a relief to see him come running toward the finish line. Not hobbling, or being carried, or walking even. I'm so proud of him for not just running the race, but also for training since last December to be prepared for this race. It's just one more sign that he is determined, and passionate, and the most wonderful partner I could ever wish for.

Congratulations, Keith!