"The battles that count aren`t the ones for gold medals.
The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that`s where it`s at."
  ~~Jesse Owens

“Life was just a tire swing.
'Jambalaya' was the only song I could sing.
Blackberry pickin', eatin' fried chicken,
And I never knew a thing about pain.
Life was just a tire swing.”
  ~~Jimmy Buffett

“Life is an onion - you peel it year by year and sometimes cry.”
  ~~Carl Sandburg, Remembrance Rock

“I like pulling on a baggy bee suit, forgetting myself and getting as close to the bees' lives as they will let me, remembering in the process that there is more to life than the merely human.”
  ~~Sue Hubbell, A Book of Bees: And How to Keep Them

"What I think a lot of great marathon runners do is envision crossing that finish line. 
Visualization is critical. But for me, 
I set a lot of little goals along the way to get my mind off that overwhelming goal of 26.2 miles. 
I know I've got to get to 5, and 12, and 16, and then I celebrate those little victories along the way."
  ~~Bill Rancic

"Focusing on all the good that came from today instead of being disappointed with thunder that called the marathon off when I was at mile 22.5. 

#1 the fact that Mike, Ashton, and Nancy Miller Brachbill braved the rain, wind and cold to cheer for me and give me dry socks and shoes that I so desperately needed at mile 18. 

#2 All of the awesome volunteers who cheer for you and encourage you through every step. Champaign-Urbana should be proud. 

#3 The funniest race signs. My favorite being Today, Illinois Marathon. Tomorrow, Netflix Marathon. #4 the fact that I was able to run my first half the fastest I have ever run 13.1 miles. At that point I was easily on Boston Qualifying time and I felt amazing.

So while I am disappointed and frustrated with the final outcome, it was not in the plans today to complete my first marathon.

Focusing on the good!"
  ~~Shannon

"Nobody seems to want me nor to lend me a helping hand.
I'm on my way from Frisco headin' back to Dixie Land.
My pocketbook is empty.
My heart is willed with pain.
I'm a thousand miles away from home just waitin' for a train."
  ~~Johnny Cash-Waiting for a Train 

The earth is what we all have in common.”
  ~~Wendell Berry

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.”
  ~~John Muir, The Wilderness World of John Muir

“Is the spring coming?” he said. “What is it like?”…
“It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine…”
  ~Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain."
  ~~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow