We Did It!

Last summer Chris and I both discovered our love of running. Yes, we're crazy, but it's something we both enjoy doing and it's something we can do together. Our ultimate goal was to train to run in the 2010 Peachtree Roadrace, a 6.2 mile run. We started by training for a 5K and on Halloween of last year we reached this goal! We were so excited that we did another one on Thanksgiving! But what now? Both of these races we very neat experiences, but we needed something more. And then it happened. In January we were asked by my cousin to join him and run a half marathon on March 21. A half marathon?!? 13.1 miles?!? Could we do it??? We were about to find out.

We began training and training and training. I don't think either of us realized how much of our time this training would take up, but we soon adjusted our schedules and stuck to the program. We trained regularly and rarely missed a day, although sometimes our bodies just needed a break. It was such a rollercoaster ride, both physically and emotionally. Some days we had an amazing run but then the next day we'd have one of our worst runs ever. It was so hard to stay committed to our goal, but we knew it would be worth it in the long run.

Finally, March 21 was just around the corner. Maybe we should register for the race??? We decided to check the 10 day forecast and low and behold it was supposed to be a rainy and cold morning. After many prayers and discussions we both decided that this wasn't the race for us. We couldn't talk ourselves into running 13.1 miles in the rain. It just didn't seem like it'd be worth it. So we found another race on April 10 to run. We went ahead and registered so we didn't have a choice and had to do it. There was no backing out now!

We trained for a few more weeks and next thing we knew it was the week of the race. Our training had gone really well aside from a few foot pains Chris was having, but of course on the week of the race I somehow hurt my foot and it was hurting and swollen all week. I had no clue what had happened, but fortunately it didn't bother me while I was running, so I pressed on. Chris and I were both getting really nervous, but at this point we were both ready for it to be over with.

The day of the race finally came and we were both really excited but really nervous! It ended up being a beautiful day...I don't think we could have asked for nicer weather. There were about 30-40 people of all different fitness levels that ended up running the half marathon, so it was the perfect race for beginners. Better yet, we had 2 of the most amazing cheerleaders there supporting us! Mom and Kristi came to cheer us on. They even made signs, which was so awesome! Then they even followed us along the course! After about 2 miles they came driving by in the Suburban and were waving and cheering and holding the signs out the window! Then, around the 4.5 mile point, they found a side street to park on and were sitting outside the car waiting with the signs and cameras! This was perfect because I was even able to toss my jacket to Mom instead of wearing it around my waist the whole time. They drove by again around 5.5 miles and then set up on the side of the road again at the 8.5 mile water station. It was just so amazing to have a few unexpected moments of extra encouragement along the way! And it made me laugh and took my mind off of running for just a bit. I also had some new music that my cousin, Megan, had recommended to me the day before. It helped a lot, expecially when I reached the half way point and turned down a nice, beautiful, long, flat stretch of road and one of my new songs came on. It was just so refreshing!

Chris and I both did SO well considering the longest either of us had run prior to the race was 10 miles. Chris ran all but 0.3 miles of the race! He did AWESOME!!! He finished with a time of 2:17:17, and his goal was to finish under 2.5 hours. I ran the first 9.5 miles or so and then started taking small walk breaks. I probably ran all but 1.5 miles or so. My goal was to finish between 2.5 and 3 hours, and I finished with a time of 2:25:32! We both placed 3rd in our age groups! We were both so relieved to be finished and it was such a rush to know that we had accomplished such a huge goal! You'd think we would have been tired, but we were both so full of energy!

I think out of all of the cool things about this race, my favorite is the fact that I was shown yet again how God really does answer prayers. All through our training we remained fairly injury free. Chris struggled with some foot pain here and there and I had a little knee pain at one point, but it really didn't hold us back. One week before the race I somehow hurt my foot. I had no clue how, but it hurt and was swollen. The pain and swelling lasted all week and I never could get it to go away. It didn't bother me while I was running, but I had no clue what to expect on race day. Friday night I put out a post on Facebook just asking for prayers...prayers never hurt! Then Saturday morning I woke up and my foot was completely fine! No pain, no swelling...it was amazing! And it never once bothered me during the race. It was such a blessing! The only injury that either of us got from the race was when my sock slipped with about 2 miles left in the race, so my heel rubbed pretty bad and I was bleeding a bit, but it really wasn't a big deal.

We really had an awesome experience and it's so fun to be able to do things like this together. We took a few days to recover but then we started back with our running yesterday because we're running in a 5K this weekend. And thanks to our awesome cheerleaders, here are some pictures from our race...