Hi there! We made a quick trip down to the beach last night at the last minute. Thankfully I have a great guest post from Amy to fill the void while I take this weekend to relax with my husband a little bit. The past week or so has been crazy and so when the chance arrived for us to spend a day at the beach, we jumped at it!

I’m Amy, and I have just gotten back in to the blogging world at Can’ts into Cans.  This is a space where I blog about ways to use health and fitness to prove that you have the strength to do things you once never thought you could.  This can truly empower you, as it has for me.

One of the most empowering “can’ts” I turned in to a can was running my first (and only, so far) marathon.

So, given that Sara’s blog is so wonderfully focused on love and running, I thought I would take some time to post things to love about the marathon:

1.  The butterflies at the starting line are unlike anything you have ever felt in your whole life.

I’ve run many road races, and looking down the path that would start me on the road to something I had worked harder for than anything else, EVER, was truly amazing.

2. The signs are awesome.

Just Google “Marathon Signs.”  It will provide lots of entertainment.

3. Complete strangers will cheer for you like your own family.

Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing when I caught glimpses of my family.  Sometimes, though, it was the complete strangers who really changed everything.  I remember slapping hands with a little girl at just the moment when I really needed it, and everything perked up.

4. Your first glimpse of the finish line will be the most beautiful sight you’ve ever seen.

There is truly no way to describe it until you live it.

5. Someone may just jump in with you at the finish and make it that much more special.

Steps from the finish line, my fiance (boyfriend at the time) jumped in to finish with me.  His little extra push made it all the more special, and became my favorite picture of all time.  🙂

Again, thanks so much to Sara for giving my the opportunity to guest post!  And thanks to you for reading!  Oh yeah, and thanks to my sister at Ashley Lauer Photography for taking the pictures for me on that great day!

Thank you Amy for taking over the blog today! You can also find Amy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.