I RAN A HALF MARATHON!

Well…it is over. I did it. It is completed. I ran my first half marathon. I lived to tell about it AND I want to do another one! Guess you can say it was a success. I encountered lots of emotions as I prepared for and ran this race. Below is a recap of my journey!

Over two years ago I decided I wanted to one day run a half marathon (13.1 miles). I can vividly remember talking to a good girlfriend of mine about running a half marathon and I decided on that day that I would make it happen at some point in my life. Somewhere in that crazy thing called life, I forgot about that commitment until this summer. The last year or so of my life had been eventful to say the least -- graduated with my MS degree, lost 60 pounds, and broke off an engagement. I traveled on an emotional roller coaster for a while. After the craziness settled down, I decided I needed a hobby of some kind to help level me out and keep my mind occupied. Running seemed like a good fit. I could stay healthy- both physically and mentally. I’m a goal driven person and this seemed like a pretty good goal to strive to achieve. Even then, I never imagined what kind of impact running would have on me!

I decided to run the 2013 BCS Half Marathon in College Station on 12/08/13. A local race would be a good one to start out in. I could sleep in my own bed and be comfortable in my surroundings. When I started “training” in July I was running around 3 miles and it was SO hard. I could barely make it the entire 3 miles and I wanted to quit after it was over. I told myself I wouldn’t quit and that I would figure out how to make the half marathon happen. Interestingly enough, this is about the time I found Boomfit and started doing Crossfit. I soon learned that Boomfit would be posting a BCS Half Marathon training program on their blog for their athletes to follow. I was so excited to have a plan!!

Each week the owner of Boomfit (Charlie Lima) would post the half marathon training schedule. Each week I would patiently (or not so patiently) wait for the schedule to be posted so I could plan my week. I literally planned every meal, date, errand, and social activity around this schedule. I made a commitment that I would complete this schedule every week and I was going to see that happen no matter what. Each week the schedule would call for a certain amount of crossfit workouts and a certain amount of running workouts. Some of the running was sprints and some of it was longer runs. I hated the sprints but I know that is what made me a faster runner.

Surprisingly, I loved the longer runs. I enjoyed the challenge of having to go further and further each week. I looked forward to the few hours of solitude each week where I knew it would just be me, my ear buds, and my running shoes. I prayed a lot during these longer runs. When it got hard, I prayed harder. God was so good to me. He always made sure I felt safe and always provided the time and strength to complete my longer runs. He even provided places for me to run when I wasn’t in College Station. He protected me as I trained and I suffered minimal injury. When I was injured, he provided me with the guidance I needed to heal before the race. He helped me stay focused on the task at hand and pushed me to keep going. I am so thankful for His mercy and grace.

The week before the race I was so nervous. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to finish and worried I would not enjoy the race. I had met a friend at Boomfit named Rebecca who I was going to run alongside. I was excited about running with her, but very scared I would hold her back. She has run many half marathons and even a full marathon so she is seasoned! I know I was a bit irritable (my apologies) and hard to deal with as race day drew nearer, but I continued to pray that God would calm my spirits and allow me to rely on Him.

The day before the race was so exciting. The expo (where you pick up your bib) had tons of vendors and lots of great stuff! Rebecca and another one of my friends, Heather, and I went to the expo to check it out and pick up mine and Rebecca’s packets. I realized in those moments that this was becoming very real and that I would soon be running my first big race.

The night before my race was joyful. My parents, Bri, and Kade all came in and we went to supper together. We laughed and enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards, Mom made signs for everyone to hold up while I was running. Bri spent the night at my house and we stayed up laughing, talking and being girls. I was doing pretty well emotionally until I got the call about one of my dearest friends, Katie Beth. Katie Beth was planning to come watch the half marathon. Her mother-in-law and I both had signed up to run and she was coming to support us. Her mother-in-law called to tell me that Katie Beth had been in a serious car wreck on her way to College Station. She was injured and the depths of her injuries were not sure at this time. They were certain she would be fine and that everything with the baby she was carrying (she’s pregnant with baby #2) was okay. I was sick at my stomach. I immediately started praying for her and her precious family.

I had a hard time sleeping Saturday night; partially because of nerves and partially because of Katie Beth’s wreck. I did get a few hours of sleep and woke up feeling anxious and excited. I cooked breakfast and got my race day clothes on. I fixed my hair and put on make-up (Judge me. I knew there would be pictures taken and mascara can do wonders for a photograph). By 6 am, I was ready to go.

I drove to the race site and parked. Before the race I ran into my friend Julie and her sister-in-law. Julie works with me and was also running her first half marathon. We had shared many stories over the past few months about our running journey and it was fun to see her briefly before the race started. After I visited with her, I connected with my friend Rebecca who I was running with. She is a graduate student at Texas A&M University and we have bonded over running and Crossfit the last few months. We really made friend when we signed up for a Pre-Holiday Challenge at our Crossfit box. She has been a joy to get to know and I am so thankful she ran with me yesterday! I truly believe God knew I would need some encouragement on race day.

We took a few pre-race pictures and got situated in our corral. It seemed like the race started before I even had a chance to realize what was happening and I was so thankful for that. The race was amazing to say the least. Some of the things I saw were just incredible. The first few miles are always tough for me. I really don’t get into the groove until about mile 2 or 3. It was interesting to see the people running in all sorts of outfits and costumes. We saw everything from Gumby to two Veterans carrying a full size American Flag. These guys were running the full marathon and when I saw them it brought tears to my eyes. Rebecca is in the Army and that made it even more special. The course was beautiful. We ran through some really neat parts of BCS. I really enjoyed running through Northgate and Texas A&M University. Miles 2-10 seemed to fly by. We kept a decent pace and I enjoyed it, for the most part. Once we exited campus, it got hard for a few minutes. I really had to dig deep and pray for God to continue to carry me through. My legs were tired and my feet were starting to hurt. I was hungry, cold, and thirsty. I kept trying to drink water but the water was so cold. You see…we live in Texas and have trained in 40-100 degree weather. I ran this half marathon in 34 degree weather and it was FRIGID!!!! Once I got through mile 11 God really showed me mercy. I got emotional for the first time. I realized I was going to actually complete this thing! I started to feel reenergized and ready to conquer the last two miles. I remember looking over and Rebecca and saying, “OMG less than two miles!” That is truly how I ran this race—mile to mile. I kept thinking, “Okay, only 10 more miles…only 8 more miles….only 5 more miles.”

As we entered into the last mile, I saw our fan club standing at the Dairy Queen. They were holding up signs and yelling (I think they might have been eating ice cream, too…I’m not sure). Mom was trying to take pictures, but I wouldn’t smile. OOPS…kind of like when I show cattle. It is all business, Mama! I vividly remember my dad smiling so big. He apparently told mom that he was going to run in with us…luckily, he didn’t. Yo, daddio- you had back surgery this summer. Not sure that would’ve been a good idea! Anyways, his smile really impacted me in that moment. It reminded me that he was proud of me and that he believed in me. As Rebecca and I continued down the last mile, we sped up. I really had a lot left in me. I should have run harder earlier, but I was scared I wouldn’t have any energy. Oh well- I’ll know next time.

The last .1 miles was incredible. I was already pretty emotional as it was. As we turned the corner, the street was lined with pictures of African children. These children were trafficked into child slavery and all have been or will be rescued by Mercy Project who founded this race. This was phenomenal. I kept thinking, “How lucky am I to be able to complete this race?” Pretty soon after this is when I decided I was going to finish the race like it was the state championship 100m dash. Seriously. I sprinted toward the end and couldn’t stop. I can’t wait to see the finish line pictures. They are going to be hysterically funny. Most people try to cross the finish line smiling and looking happy. Not this girl. I’m afraid of what I looked like. Oh well- guess we will have to see. As I finished, I accidentally ran into one of the precious children who were handing us our finisher’s medals. I felt awful about running into her. Luckily, she wasn’t hurt and the adult standing beside her wasn’t upset. These children were so happy to see us finish. It was incredible!

Rebecca and I made our way to get our shirts and our grub on! We also picked up some shiny heat blankets. These things were awesome! They looked like HUGE aluminum foil. Mom loved them. She took mine home with her and is going to dress up as a baked potato next year for Halloween. The kids at church are going to LOVE her! Rebecca was excited about the pizza rolls and beer. I was excited about a breakfast burrito, but I couldn’t make myself eat it. It just looked disgusting. I needed more time to recover.

I looked down at my phone and saw the text messages from so many of my friends wishing me luck. One in particular struck me hard. Katie Beth who had just been in a wreck sent me the sweetest message. She sent me what the signs she had made said and provided me with special words of encouragement. I love that sweet girl so much. She truly has a servant’s heart and I am so thankful for her.

We still hadn’t seen our fan club. After waiting 20 minutes or so I called my dad to see where they were. He said, “Well, we were waiting on you to finish.” I quickly informed him that we had finished nearly half an hour ago! We reunited with my family and exchanged lots of hugs! My parents took us all out for a post-race meal at Cracker Barrel.

I learned so many things during this journey. First and foremost, I was reminded that I should always cling to the Cross. We serve an awesome God and He has blessed us so abundantly. He carried me through the tough parts of training and the race. I also learned that my body can accomplish much more than I thought it could. I have taken my healthy and strong body for granted over the years. Not everyone is as fortunate to have the ability to run, eat healthy food, and take care of themselves. I vowed to myself during yesterday’s race that as long as I was able, I would run. Running would always be a part of me until I physically couldn’t do it anymore. I have noticed that there aren’t many unhappy runners out there. Yes, we may look unhappy while we are running, but that is temporary. The feeling of satisfaction lasts long after the pain goes away. That is enough motivation for me! I learned that we cannot always control what is going on around us, but we can control how we react. This lesson rang true when I got the call about Katie Beth’s wreck. Part of me wanted to panic, but God calmed my heart. Running has allowed me to make friends with people I wouldn’t have made friends with. Both Julie and Rebecca will be lifelong friends of mine. No matter where life takes me, I can honestly say I think I will keep up with both of them in some capacity. That may not have been true without running. I am so thankful for both of their friendships! Finally, I also feel convicted to encourage others. There were so many people who encouraged me along this journey. There were so many people who helped shape this journey for me. I want to be an encouragement to those who want to embark on the same journey. The last 18 months has been the best 18 months of my life because of what I have learned and gained. I cannot wait to see what God has planned for me in the future!