One marathon = 26.2 miles.

1% of the population has run a marathon.

4:14:20. The time it took Nick and I to complete our very first marathon.

Running the 36th Marine Corps Marathon was an amazing experience and one that I will remember forever. After 16 weeks of hard training (including getting up at 3:30 am to run at 4 am) and numerous minor injuries (knee, toes, lower back, hip) I can finally check this box and say I've run a marathon.

It wasn't easy. My hip started to hurt at mile 13 and only got worse. The last three miles were painful and I might have shed a few tears because I wanted to walk SO bad but Nick begged me not to. I'm so glad he was a tough coach. The best decision we made about this marathon was making shirts with our names "Laura" and "Nick" scrawled across. Throughout the entire 26 miles, spectators screamed and cheered our names. In all honesty, having literally hundreds of people calling out your name helped carry me through more than I imagined. At times I felt I was the only runner on the course and mentally, that was a huge boost.

Will I ever run another marathon? Not quite sure. While it was painful, the training intense, and my body took quite a beating, I'm too competitive with myself and want to see (prove) that I can beat 4:14.

Thanks to all of you who sent emails, texts, facebook messages, and called to wish us good luck and then to congratulate us afterwards. This was a HUGE moment in both Nick and my life, something that has meant so much to both of us and I'm comforted to know we have so many supporters in our life who knew how running a marathon truly is a life experience.