Auntie Andrea

Well, its definitely not October anymore. Although, thinking back, it was pretty darn cold that first weekend of the marathon. It even snowed a little bit. Mother nature was warning us, I think. Maybe saying: LOOK OUT Minnesota, its going to be brutal.

But thats another story entirely.
This story is about running.
If you look way way way back in this blog, I think the very first post is about my marathon. Marathon's are not easy. 26.2 miles. But even though they seem such a daunting and ridiculous effort, there is something cathartic and inspiring about running one.

It demonstrates how much you can push your body. It showcases commitment and dedication. Its a pretty amazing experience.

In October, Auntie Andrea came to Minnesota to run her first marathon in the Twin Cities Marathon. She did fantastic and we followed her along the race to be personal cheerleaders. She wasn't alone at any point in the race for two reasons- first Minnesota people are all about Midwestern love, so there isn't 10 feet along the race route without cheerleaders, and second because the Twin Cities marathons is for people of all shapes and sizes- its no Boston. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you are, there's always a group nearby. Even Chewbacca was running.

So, Andrea ran. And ran. And ran some more. The boys had fun watching her, and all the others running by, shaking their bells and shouting.

Even when it started to rain and snow the boys were at the ready, even if they were wrapped in a blanket. This is at the top of the hill near Eastcliff in St. Paul.

Andrea though, was not liking the race all that much because she had a bad blister, leading to a raw spot on her foot. It didn't slow her down much, but it made her anxious for pain meds, which we delivered at mile 16 or so.

 

After 5 fun hours of route following and cheering on many many Minnesota runners, Andrea reached the final stretch, funneling into downtown St. Paul.

And then, there was the finish line in all it's glory. 26.2 miles, completed.

hooray for my baby sister. We're all proud of you.