Congrats to the fastest swankers :cheers:

Congrats!!!!!! I'm sorry I couldn't give you a sweaty hug. ;)

We made it back to AZ tonight. The trip was action packed and way too short! I'm dreading going back to reality tomorrow.

I had an absolute blast. Katiesue and I walked together for 11/almost 12 miles, then I jogged to the finish. I think she had enough of my bouncing around high-fiving the crowds. :D Our goal was to stay one step ahead of the sweepers and we did a pretty good job.

Katie was a bit of a celebrity for the first couple of miles. She wore a tank top that said "This seemed like a good idea 3 months ago" on the front and "Race Official. Do Not Pass." on the back. I can't tell you how many runners came up to her to tell her how much they liked her shirt. :D It was pretty damn funny. My other favorite was a rather large girl with a shirt that said "Does this shirt make my butt look fast?" There was no shortage of interesting costumes and people on the course.

The course wasn't exactly "scenic" but there were some really neat moments. The entire Anaheim stadium area was lined with cheerleaders, the UCI Band, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and they were all cheering us on by name. Also, the last stretch was lined with early finishers, medals around their necks, encouraging us all on. It was AWESOME. And I got to high-five Chip as I crossed the finish line. I couldn't have asked for anything more. :)

Thanks again to CoasterMatt, Rose and Borneio for meeting up with us. It was nice seeing you again. :)

I'm already looking forward to the WDW 1/2 in January. In fact, my sister told me tonight that she'd like to do a 1/2 sometime and she is considering doing the Rock 'N Roll here in AZ a week after my WDW. I may try to do back-to-back weekends. I need to find my next victim since Katie has made it perfectly clear that she'll never do it again. ;) She should be so proud of herself. She finished in spite of shin splints, a bad hip and too many blisters to count. She really gutted it out. :cheers:

Congrats to you guys!!!

Aw, I LOVE that shirt, katiesue!! And yes, you definitely should be proud you guys did the race and finished it!!!

My mantra - if Alex can do it I can do it, if Alex can do it I can do it.....

LOL Alex was there?

Oh, and I know that mantra. A freind of mine did the Mist Trail with a baby on her back, and she wasn't a fit person either.

Here are a few photos from the 5K and 1/2 Marathon (which I spoilered due to size). We took something close to 80 photos for the 5K and set a blazing 25 minute mile pace, but we had a ton of fun. I didn't carry my camera for the half, but I have a few photos pre and post race. The official race photos will be up later in the week.

The Swanies before the 5K.

Katiesue and Madz before the 5K.

Mr. Swanie keeping up with the kiddos.

The kids hamming it up.

Littlest Swanie and her special medal.

The Girls post race.

Half Marathon Runner's retreat pre-race.

Me annoying Katiesue BEFORE the race even starts (this was a running theme :) )

Post race and SMILING!

My girls and my medal.

Okay, aside from the miles that looks like a lot of fun!!

Thank you for sharing the photos!!

Between the 5K and the Half Marathon (a combined 16.2 miles), I'm guessing we walked enough for a full marathon with all of the trips from Hojo's to the DLH and all around the parks. :eek:

We would have used ART more but it was an absolute nightmare. Honest to the Lord above, after the Half we waited for the bus only to have the driver pull up and start yapping about how she's had to go to the bathroom for over an hour and she's driving on only 2 hours of sleep. The woman got off the bus, locked it up and walked away for 20 minutes while all of sat there with our medals around our neck. Then when she got back she had the nerve to start to drive away with out letting us all on!
:mad:

Yike!

Hey, how long did it take you guys to walk it? {I may have missed the time}. How long before the sweepers came up behind people? :D

I am soooo tempted to try this on my own at home and see if I can do it. We've walked 7 miles but I am into walk/running it and then maybe moving up.

Oh, I survived a 5k but I ran the whole thing {not fast, of course, but it was 'running' to me}.

You guys are inspirational, definitely!!! :snap: and a :snap: :snap: