This past Sunday (1/18/09), Ben and Jen ran the PF Chang's Marathon. This was Jen's first marathon and Ben's second. His first was the St. George Marathon in 2003 where he finshed at about 3 hours and 40 minutes.
Ben has always been very active with running, biking, skiing, hiking, and swimming and in really good shape until...we got married. Between work and whatever, exercise became very low on his "To Do" list. After we had Logan, physical activity (besides an occasional bike ride, hike, or swim) became non-existant.
I have always been pretty good about going to the gym and would try my best to motivate Ben to do the same, but it just wasn't a priority to him. So as you might guess, Ben started to gain some weight on his very naturally thin frame. He also was starting to feel out of shape. I honestly, could care less about the weight gain (hello, I'm a hippo), but I really was starting to get concerned about his health. He also hadn't been following his gluten-free diet, which is essential to treat his Celiac Disease.
So, I kept nagging him about going to the gym and eating better, but he said that it is hard for him to just go to the gym, he needs some type of goal to work towards. We dropped the subject for awhile until Jen approached Ben with the idea of running a marathon with her. THANK YOU JEN!!! That is exactly what Ben needed to get motivated to get back into shape, follow his diet, and work towards an incredible goal!
Then the training began and Ben was really enjoying being active again. He lost about 20 pounds and kept looking in the mirror and saying how "svelt" he looked:) I was happy to see him feel good about himself physically again. He really enjoyed training with Jen and they did a great job motivating each other through the strenuous training schedule.
January 18th came before we knew it and Ben and Jen left the house at about 4:30 am to make it to the starting line by 7:40 am. There were about 15,000 participants in the marathon and over 15,000 doing the half marathon, so you could imagine that traffic and finding parking was a nightmare! Eventually, me, Matt, Wade, Seth, and Ben's brother Sam got to the finish line around 11:30 am to wait for them to come running through. They both were estimating times around 4 hours so we thought that they should be coming by at any time. We had our signs and cameras ready as we scanned every runner that approached the finish line.
Jen came in with a huge pack around 4 hours and 20 minutes. We jumped and cheered for her as loud as we possibly could and luckily she saw us and gave us a big wave! Jen did such a great job and we are so proud of her! She was, however, disappointed with her time, but was happy to have finished the race and to have accomplished such a big goal. She also said that it was the hardest thing she had ever done, much worse than giving birth to her 3 boys! To read more about Jen's marathon experience, here is her blog link:
http://theroperfam.blogspot.com/
So after Jen came in, we figured that Ben couldn't be far behind. So...we kept waiting, waiting, and waiting. Then I started to get really worried because Ben's hip started to give him problems about a week before the marathon and it was starting to feel better, but I wondered if he had really hurt himself. I turned my cell phone volume up to the highest and kept it close to my ear just in case the marathon medic was going to call me to come and get Ben. I was so worried and kept saying a prayer in my head over and over hoping that he would be ok. Then finally, almost about an hour after Jen came through, Ben comes hobbling across the finish line. I have never been more happy to see him!
As we predicted, he was hurt. From about 12 miles on his hip started to give out and then his knee started to ache by trying to compensate for his bad hip. He went through quite the mental/physical battle out there giving everything he could to finish. He ended up having to walk almost the entire last 6 miles! I could see the pain and anguish in his face as he nearly cried when he saw me at the finish line.
Of course, Ben's marathon experience was not ideal, but it was an experience that he will always remember especially when trials and tribulations come his way. Ben can accomplish anything he sets his mind to no matter how hard the circumstances may be. His determination to finish was inspiring and we are so proud of him! Even though he had a rough time, he is not about to retire yet. He is going to take a break from marathons for awhile and start training for a triathalon in April. He is determined to maintain his endurance and to get into even better shape. He is really sore right now, but his hip and knee are starting to feel much better...nothing serious, thank goodness.
That night we watched
Run, Fat Boy, Run. So funny, and a perfect way to end the marathon night. If you have seen it, you know what I mean:)
CONGRATULATIONS Ben and Jen on your huge accomplishment!!! We love you and are very proud of you!!!
