I signed up for this race to give myself something to work towards while pregnant. I’d just ran my first marathon and it seemed like the natural thing to do was to go for my first ultra marathon.

I can’t even explain how relieved I felt when crossing the finish line. It seemed like it would never happen! I wanted to give up so many times. I thought about calling it quits at the halfway point, then so many times after that. But crossing the finish line was unbelievably rewarding.

The hardest challenge was shortly after the halfway point. We turned back and I had to decide how much I wanted to try to do. At six months pregnant, I kept thinking about what was safe for me and the baby. Everything hurt at this point. I was having contractions whenever I started to run. I’d been hydrating and eating the entire race but my body was feeling it. I decided to walk a while to see if things improved for me to finish.

This race was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life. It was certainly up there with childbirth. Finishing this proved to myself that I could do anything I set my mind to, anything. It showed me that I was stronger than any negative talk and it really was mind over matter.

Yes! My training partner Katie. We met on social media a few years ago because we were both running early in the morning. We started running together and then started training for all of our races together. She stayed by my side every step of the way. She kept me going when I tried to give up. She took my mind off the situation and entertained me when it was tough going.

I’d say to anyone, don’t let anything stand in your way. As long as it’s safe, you’ve got the strength, power and courage. Don’t give up. You’ll be so so proud of yourself for completing your challenge!