13.1, Baby!

Yes, this morning I did something I never thought I could do.  It started out like any other day.  The alarm clock went off, and my immediate thought was "I don't want to run today!"  ha ha  The bed just feels so cozy, ya know?  In an exciting turn of events, God sent me exactly what I needed to get through this race - my sister in law, Shanna.  She had been running, but not training for this race, though she has several halfs and a full marathon under her belt.  A few weeks back, we were talking and she said she wished she could come cheer me on (she lives in a different state) and then asked which weekend the race was.  After I told her, she said in disbelief and excitement that they were going to be in town that exact weekend for a family reunion!  Ultimately, just last week she decided to run it with me and what a gift that was!  I never thought that I would describe running (or certainly running 13.1 miles) as "fun", but I absoutely had a blast.  I'm sure I looked like such a dork because I felt like I had a goofy smile glued on my face the whole time.  We enjoyed a nice long chat, the pretty trail, and the picturesque neighborhoods we ran through.  Our favorite part was that "small town charm"...lots of people in those neighborhoods were out cheering and had little stands set up in their driveways of water, snacks, and tissues.  My personal favorite was the elderly lady cheering for us with pom poms in hand!  I really couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  The weather was perfect, I had a running buddy, and Chad, his parents, and the boys were at multiple points along the way cheering us on.  I felt great as well, better than any of my runs during training.  But, God did not let me forget that He was helping me every step of the way.  There was a woman just behind us who hollered out at every mile, "Mile Four, Praise the Lord!", "Mile Five, Praise God!".  It made me smile every time.  While everything went fabulous, mile 12 certainly was a brutal one.  I had nothing left.  If it wasn't for Shanna encouraging me and pushing me, I would have probably given up and walked.  But we made it through the whole thing, only allowing ourselves to walk through a couple of water stops, in 2 hours and 27 minutes.  I'm sure, you know, to "serious" runners, that would be a disgrace, but I am really proud of it.  It's faster than I did in all of my training.  And I know that's because I wasn't alone.  It reminded me of the verses in Ecclesiastes 4:9,10,12  "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  Another thing God is working on me about is depending on others for help.  I tend to be independent and want to do things on my own and not ask for help.  But the truth is, I need it!  I need others to spur me on, especially spiritually, if I am to grow.

 We're at the starting line!

 We deserve to have a little sass after all that hard work, right?!



Taking a picture with my family was almost as hard as running, ha!  Luke is anti-camera if you can't tell.



I was so glad that I ended up doing my race here in town.  The coordinators and volunteers did a GREAT job.  It was actually fun to see people I knew as well - our pediatrian and optometrist were among the runners, as well as a number of other mamas my age-ish that I knew from here and there.  Pride be gone...we were all having fun together!  :)