I RAN a Half Marathon!

Here's the proof:

Pre-race. Don't be fooled by the smiles, we were FREEZING.

I'm really not in as much pain as my face shows. I was enjoying myself.

Crossing the finish line. I really ran the whole thing...didn't even walk!
All done, medals achieved!!!! (Be sure to note Anna in the picture)

All in all, it was a great day. Don't get me wrong....it was hard & painful (esp for the next 3 days), but it was fun. I had a great time, achieved a decent time that I was proud of, and proved to myself a really big lesson of determination. And while I won't do it again, I'd say I've come to enjoy running, and am looking forward to the 10k in the spring.

Survived & Thrived

I did survive the 11 miles this past weekend. It was hard & tedious, but I did it and in a totally respectable time too (for me!). So now I'm pumped for this weekend. I don't know if I'm more excited for this to be over or to actually run the race.

I said in my last running post that I would praise the merits of team & accountability after being so me-centered last time. And it's true, even though a majority of my running during this training process has been alone, the accountability to the team has been a major motivational factor. You have to achieve goals like this for yourself, but you also do it for the team because everyone is working hard, equally hard and you don't want to let anyone down. You don't want to quit on the team. And the team is a very ENCOURAGING part of the process, cheering each other on as you pass major milestones is so important.

On my 11 this past week, Keith biked the route next to me (he's resting his knee for the race b/c it's been acting up again), and it was so encouraging and comforting to have a partner through the 11 miles.

And you know, this is also the truth of our life and our faith. We must make our decision to follow Christ alone, and only Christ sees the solitude in our hearts, but we are a TEAM. We have to work hard because others are working hard around us and for the good of all of us, we can't let each other down, and we NEED to encourage each other through the milestones, both the wonderful and the tragic. God means for us to do this in life together, he means for this team of family, friends and relationships to be a physical aspect of Him, encouraging us and comforting us. And through it, though we have to do the work ourselves, we as a team of believers achieve GREAT THINGS!

I have HP7Part1. Is there a shot for that?

I cannot wait for Harry Potter 7 (Part 1) to come out. Spana and I are going to see it Nov 20th. I know, I know....but I realized that I cannot attend HP on opening night a few years back b/c I get legitimately angry at all the little pre-teens in their costumes and glasses and fake scars who cannot even appreciate the depth of the story. I'm re-reading again to get ready!

9 and counting....4 more to go!

I RAN 9 MILES THIS PAST WEEKEND! OMG...I seriously can't even believe it myself. And here's my running lesson from this week, I can do it by myself.

The hubs & I have been fighting for awhile now b/c he and some family/friends were the ones that talked me into this craziness, but I run slower than everyone else (and I'm d... proud of my achievement of taking my 13min mile to an 11)! And it's been really frustrating to see everyone else running ahead of me and thinking that I'm gonna end up running this stupid race by myself. And the few times Keith would slow down to run with me, it was really hard for him, hurt his knees, and he'd have to even stop and wait, etc.

But what has happened, that I did not expect, is that I have come into my own with this running stuff. It's no big thing for me to go out and run 5 miles by myself and love it. And this weekend, when it was time for the big 9-miler, I knew I had to do it alone, and I did, and I didn't doubt myself. And I know I can do it again, and I will be able to do it on race day (only 1.5 weeks away). By myself, along with the other 20,000 runners that will be out there that day, haha. But I know if my friends and Keith are ahead of me, they'll be cheering me on at the finish line when I ACCOMPLISH THIS BY MYSELF.

Now, all that said, tomorrow I'll write my lesson on how the accountability of our team has been a crucial part of me sticking with this, and I'll end that post with.....YOU CAN'T DO THIS ALONE!!!! Hahaha.

Other little running lessons this week:

• All those gels & goos that runners use are just straight shots of carbohydrates, and I tried them, but I read an article from a doctor who runs marathons and took this little tidbit. Try a candy bar, it has the same shot of carbs. Seriously, so during my 9-miler, I ate a mini Snickers instead of the goo, and LOVED IT! Will definitely use that trick again.
• Running pants are the best! No more distraction of constantly pulling down the shorts.
• Cheering and encouragement is the BEST! Keith drove to meet me on the last mile of my 9-miler this past weekend, and the kids were cheering in the car "Go Mommy" and "Mommy's awesome", and they even got out and ran with me in their PJ's for like 2 minutes. And it was the best motivation EVER. I booked it home the last mile b/c of that.

I'll let you know if I survive 11 this weekend.