3:53:28

We just got back from a really cool weekend in DC where I got see the sights, eat at some cool restaurants, watch the Browns win for the second straight game for the first time in four years, watch the Red Sox win their second World Series in four years (more on that soon), and oh, by the way, watched Lauren rip up the field in the 32nd Marine Corps Marathon!

Lauren absolutely kicked it in the race, and despite some pretty serious leg cramps, gutted out a time of 3 hours, 53 minutes and 28 seconds. Runners will tell you that coming in under 4 hours is pretty much what separates the "runners" from those just trying to finish a marathon, so this is a pretty huge deal. Lots of hard work and training, plus fighting through some physical issues on race day.

I'm going to brag a little because I know Lauren never will... But a quick look at her results tells us that her time puts her at:

• 126th out of 1350 Women age 35-39 (top 9%)
• 748th out of 8061 Total Women (top 9%)
• 3626th out of 20674 Total Finishers (top 17% OVERALL)

All of that despite really having some tough physical issues to overcome. Think about that... she was faster than 17048 other entrants... Imagine what she might have done if her day had gone perfectly!

Now, I won't pretend to understand the appeal of running 26.2 miles, and especially not at that pace... :-) But I will tell you that I am crazy proud today and had a great time being the support crew for Team Lauren. Getting ready for a race like this takes a level of commitment that I'm not sure I have (and I suspect that few do), and she did a great job balancing a job, two kids, volunteer responsibilities, etc. Awesome effort and obviously some very impressive results.

Congratulations, Lauren!