Rookie Run

One week after the Mini I had a sense of déjà vu as once again my best friend and running partner headed downtown on a Saturday morning. The only difference is that this time we had the world's cutest four year old in tow and instead of me being dressed in running gear, Shalom was.

Kids are so impressionable and for months Shalom has been watching her mom train for the Mini. It was only natural that Shalom decided she wanted to be like her momma and run, too. Kristal came across the Rookie Run and registered Shalom for her first ever run.

The Rookie Run was held on May 10th and is for ages 3 - 12. Kids are given a wave time based on their age.

We drove downtown and it was pretty busy since her wave time was later in the morning. We parked in the mall parking and started walking towards Monument Circle. Shalom wanted to rest for her race so she begged to be carried. This Auntie of hers loves to hold her and rarely gets the opportunity to do it as often as I want so of course I picked her up and carried her so she could be ready to go.

We got to her corral and like the Mini, people were holding signs to help get the children in the right corral. It is funny because as we waited you could tell Shalom was getting more and more anxious about the race. We kept telling her how much fun it was going to be and that she would do great! It is ironic because I remember feeling so nervous about the Mini myself. I actually got to witness someone else's race day jitters.

It was time for Shalom's group to line up. Shalom held onto her momma as long as she could, but then she bravely let go.

She followed the volunteers to the starting line and waited for her time to start.

The announcer said, "On your mark. Get set. Go!" And none of the kids moved. Finally with the urging of the 500 princesses that were volunteering and the crowd of spectators and supporters yelling at them to go, one brave four year old took off. That was all that was needed because they all followed suit.

We cheered and clapped and yelled, "Go, Shomie, Go!"

Here are some action shots of her big race:

I loved that she had a bib that had the number 1 on it. When she was done, she was given a medal, a bottle of water, a fruit cup, and some applesauce. It was adorable!

Shalom was thrilled she completed her race. I was so proud of her and loved being there to cheer her on! I am looking forward to cheering her on at more races, games, recitals...whatever this beautiful child decides to do!

The Mini

I DID IT!  I completed the Mini-Marathon!  I have had time to rest and reflect, and there is so much I want to say about it.  I honestly could not have done it without the love and support of my family and friends.  For all of the love and support you have each given me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The night before the Mini I received many encouraging texts and messages.  I also knew that several people were planning on tracking my progress during the Mini using their app.  Here is one of my favorite messages:

My day started at 4:30 in the morning when I woke up to start fueling up for the big run.  I was surprised that I had slept so well.  Considering I had spent many sleepless nights during spring break fretting about the Mini, I was shocked that I was able to sleep through the entire night.  After eating I started getting dressed.  I had laid everything out the night before so that I was not scrambling around.  I wanted to be prepared.

My brother-in-law Jared came to my house and we left to pick up Kristal.  I had already prepaid for a parking spot so we headed downtown.  We hit a snag when the street to access our parking lot was closed. Jared helped to expertly navigate our car to the right parking lot without any further issues.  We started walking towards the start line with two quick restroom breaks between our car and the starting line (nervous bladder!).  When we got to the starting line, our corral was already starting to move so we jumped in and headed towards the official starting line.

While we were waiting, we took our beginning of the race pictures.

I knew I had a friend waiting for me at the starting line.  She gave me a huge hug and gave me some encouraging words before we started. She has been a running inspiration to me, and she has given me so much information about what to expect for the Mini.  She has been so helpful!  It was the perfect way to start my race

Our wave finally started.  We took off with excitement.  Kristal was tracking our overall pace while I was tracking our intervals.  We knew going into it that it is very common to start too fast.  We knew it, tried to avoid it, but failed miserably at it.  Our first miles were some of my fastest miles ever.  We kept trying to slow ourselves down but being caught up with people all around you, it is more challenging than you would think!

Between miles 3 and 4, I saw some faces I recognized on the side of the road.  Some of my friends were there with cowbells cheering for me!  I was completely shocked and surprised and excited!  I called out to them and waved and kept going.  I had no idea that was just the beginning...

When I was on 10th Street I saw two more friends standing there with pom-poms and cowbells cheering for me!  They even came out on the course with me and walked/ran with me on 10th Street and Main Street.  Again, completely surprised and so elated to see them!  Before I got to the Speedway Racetrack I saw even more friends!  They, too, ran alongside the course and cheered and encouraged me.  It was awesome!
I entered the Speedway and had to take a quick restroom break.  My pace was still decent so I was not too worried about taking the break.  The track was the most challenging part for me.  I thought I would enjoy it more because I had never been there, but I did not like running on it.  At this point I was tired and worn down and really struggling.  I was also getting discouraged because my RunKeeper that I use when running was registering longer distances than the large mile markers along the course.

I was so excited when we finally left the track and what do you know?  My friends I saw before the Speedway were waiting for me as I left the Speedway.  It was too much.  I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I began crying.  Here I was thinking about quitting and getting tired and my friends just kept popping up all over the place.  Again, God knowing exactly what I need when I need it.

I was still tired and worn out, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other.  At this point, I just had to finish.  On the way back downtown I saw another friend!  She walked right out to the course and started encouraging us and talking to us.  It helped keep my mind off how tired I was.  Then all of a sudden, my friends from miles 3 and 4 appeared.  All of these friends stayed with me until miles 11 and 12.

We started the last long mile.  I know our pace had decreased considerably, and we kept looking back to see if the bus was anywhere in sight.  I can now officially say that I never even SAW the bus!  That was a pretty great feeling!

I saw some other friends in the last mile.  One of them had finished the race and she and another friend yelled out some encouraging words for me.  Seeing them made me smile!

I saw a lot of great and funny signs along the course.  However, the BEST sign came in mile 13 when I looked over and saw even more friends cheering me on.

I was so tired and so completely overwhelmed with emotion.  I didn't even know what to think or say or do.  I just knew I had to keep pressing forward.  I had to get over that finish line.  I had too many people there that loved me and supported me through all of this that I could not let them down.  Luckily, my friends were able to capture the moment when I finally crossed the finish line:

I completed the Mini-Marathon!  I could not have done it without the love and support of my family and friends.  I would have quit at the track.  I had even more friends waiting for me after the finish line.  It was a friend of mine who was volunteering at the event that was able to give me a hug and put the medal around my neck.  

I received two more congratulatory hugs from two other friends that were volunteering in the medal section.  We moved through the fruit and water and cookies and sat down to rest.  Here is my RunKeeper information:

Here were some of my splits:

I had two goals for this race.

1.  Finish the race.

2.  Avoid the bus.

I achieved these goals!  RunKeeper reminded me of that:

Do I have any Mini regrets?  Maybe one.  I did not get my chocolate milk at the end of the race.    

Will I do the Mini again?  I can not say I will NEVER do the Mini again.  I can say that I will NEVER do the Mini again at this weight.  I trained for the Mini and it was still very difficult and grueling both mentally and physically.  I literally would not have made it through without YOU.  Whether or not you were there on the day of the Mini or not, I knew that people from all over were praying for me, thinking about me, believing in me, encouraging me, watching my progress, supporting me, texting me, calling me, checking to make sure I was alive after the Mini, and the list goes on and on and on.  I cannot even begin to thank you.  My heart is so full, and I love each and every one of you so much.  

So what is next for me?  Well, some much deserved rest time to fully recover.  I also need to pick up a new pair of running shoes.  Right now I am going to work on improving my speed on my 5K distance.  I am also going to incorporate more cross training and focus on nutrition.  My journey is not done, and I am so thankful that I have amazing people traveling with me!  

My Prayer for the Mini

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the chance to run for You tomorrow.  I pray that tomorrow's run brings You glory.

Lord, I pray for everyone running the Mini-Marathon tomorrow.  I pray for the safety and health of all runners, workers, and volunteers.  I pray that if any runner is anxious that we will remember to be anxious for nothing.  I pray for Your peace that surpasses all understanding.

I pray that our Run for God group is able to keep our eyes focused on You.  I pray that our strength will be renewed.  I pray that every step we take brings us closer to You.  When we grow weary, I pray that You will lift us up.

I pray for the people that have supported me throughout this journey.  I pray for extra blessings for each and every one of them.  I thank You, Lord, for surrounding me with amazing people who encourage and believe in me even when I struggle to do the same thing.  You know exactly what I need, and when I need it, Lord. I am amazed at Your goodness!    

I pray for beautiful running weather tomorrow morning with no rain.

I thank You, Lord, for this journey that You are taking me on.  I know that tomorrow will be just one race of many more to come.

I pray all of these things in Jesus' name,

Amen.

Second Run for God Group

Helping me train for the Mini-Marathon has been an awesome group of women at my church.  These women make up our Run for God group:

Our RFG group minus Kristal.  She still needs to Photoshop herself in the picture!  

Half of us were training for the Mini while half of us were training for a 5K.  I LOVE this group of women!  I learned so much about running, made new friends, grew closer to current friends, and definitely learned more about God and my relationship with Him.

After 12 weeks of training, we were ready for our celebratory run.  This time we completed our run at Eagle Creek Park.  Originally we were only supposed to run a 10K and 5K respectively that day.  But at this point in my Mini-Marathon training I still needed to complete a 10 mile run.  So a few of us went extra early to complete our 10 mile run.  We were able to finish up about the same time the 10K and 5K groups were finished.  We had our cookout and enjoyed time together celebrating our great achievement.

This particular run was challenging for me.  Ten miles is the longest distance I have run (even to date).  I had my perfect run the weekend before, and I am not sure if I was expecting that or what, but I struggled! Here is the overview of that run:

When I was finished, I was disappointed with the pace, but I refuse to be discouraged.  I HAD JUST COMPLETED 10 MILES!!!! WHAT IS THERE TO BE DISCOURAGED ABOUT?

We are going to do another Run for God group later in the year, and we will just have a 5K group.  I am very excited about this because there is something awesome about watching the transformation in people as they go from claiming they cannot run to finishing a 5K.  I am amazed and inspired by this every single time we have a class.  Looking forward to more chances to Run for God!