Amy,
Great job!! Congratulations on a great run. It would have been
understandable if you had decided not to run this marathon. It was
pretty gutsy to go ahead with it after not having run much this
month at all. Good for you! And a great time on top of it!

Molly

--- In southcoastroadrunners@yahoogroups.com, "amyk262"
<amyk262@h...> wrote:
> Yesterday was truly a memorable day as I completed my 15th
marathon
> at Pacific Shoreline. As some of you may know, I hadn't actually
> run more than a few yards in almost a month due to bursitis in my
> left hip. But after being injured over the summer with plantar
> fasciitis, I was determined that Pacific Shoreline would be my
> comeback race, no matter what my finishing time would be.
>
> I really enjoyed the course, and it was fun seeing the faster
> runners on the other side of the street from me. I got to
say "hi"
> to David Schiller three times during the race. My good friend and
> fellow Snail Jamie Barcus was waiting for me at mile 19 to run me
> in. Even though I was feeling tired and my legs were aching, it
> lifted my spirits to have a friend running with me and encouraging
> me. Then a few miles later we came across Snail Eddie Ferguson
who
> had earlier completed the half marathon. He missed meeting his
> running buddy by a few minutes, so he joined us. Then at mile 23
I
> saw my friends Karen Winter and Erika Kotteakos waiting on the
side
> of the course for me. They had also run the half, and joined us
to
> run the last few miles. I already couldn't believe I had four
> friends to run me in, when all of a sudden I saw Roadrunner Greg
> Hanssen waiting to join the group. Everyone started calling me P.
> Diddy since I was surrounded by my entourage.
>
> By the last two miles I was really fatigued, and all I could think
> about was how good it would feel to cross the finish line. With
> less that half a mile to go, I told the gang they could take off
> because I wanted to finish on my own. As I approached the finish,
I
> heard the announcer say "Here's Amy Katz from Santa Ana...and look
> at the big smile on her face!" I kicked it in and had a strong
> finish. I could see along the sidelines my parents and my good
> friend Leee Hockenberry yelling my name and taking my picture.
Then
> after I crossed the line, there waiting for me was my entourage
and
> my friends and family. It was an amazing feeling.
>
> My finishing time was 4:15, only six minutes off my PR. Not bad
for
> having run only 12 miles as my longest training run over a month
> ago. That's one of the reasons I love running marathons; it's as
> much mental as it is physical. Thank you to everyone who has
> supported my running and helped me achieve my goals.
>
> Amy Katz