I said it before, I’ll say it again – it was a great day for a race! Perfect weather conditions, great playlist (thanks my music-lovin husband), such a joy to “do this” together. Before I continue, have to give props to the ones who made this even possible for us. Our dear friends the Wojnarowski’s were kind enough to keep the girls for a sleepover last night, as well as the Richardson’s in welcoming our son for the night. I think they all looked forward to their night out more than we anticipated our race! Or perhaps they were thrilled that Mommy actually went to bed before they did! Thanks also to Rachel who traveled downtown with all the “girls” to be there for the finish. I can’t tell you how uplifting it was to see all their beaming faces as they celebrated in the success of the race. Love ya!
Secondly, I simply wanted to thank all those who emailed, send texts, and even tweets to tell me of their thoughts and prayers beforehand, overwhelming. AND, thanks to “tweetmytime”, friends and family even tracked my progress throughout the race by following twitter and facebook. Thanks for all the “congrats” that were send! Around mile 6, I promised the Lord that I would share this story of today and bring glory to His name. My thought was – give credit where credit is due. Truth is none of this would have been accomplished without Him. I found a new sense of dedication and commitment to Him throughout this training, and it was such a blessing to simply carry out the plan to fruition.
Aaron took some video today of our adventure with His marvelous all in one iPhone. You’ll want to check out his site to view it! His idea was to capture the event for Phip Brabbs at cancerkicker as we sported their “Dominate” shirts today in support. As mentioned earlier, I also felt led to add something to the back. Often times, people will indicate a reason for their running on their wardrobe, almost a walking inspiration board if you will. Well, early on in my training, I found myself repeating a song in my head. I’ve been able to run, not only this race, but this race of life with some new freedoms, thus the song was a great theme for me. I decided to write the chorus, but I also wanted to run “in memory” today. My dear friend Amanda, who ran this race with me twice before, couldn’t race today. I thought of her often, and it helped me focus even more. Love you my friend!
Finally, I wanted to share about God’s timing. Because God and I trained alone for this one, I had a feeling the race would be similar. Aaron and I started together, yet each had a different purpose today. God also had brought along another friend on this journey, Denise. On Sundays, we found ourselves ”checkin in” to see how the week went, to share some encouragement for the hard days, and to celebrate in the good ones. Today, we didn’t start together, but I did meet up with her at mile 10. Of all the 15,00 runners today, He had a plan for us to meet. It was great, it was short, and then we separated. Mile 25, I feel this tap on shoulder. God had brought us together again, for such a times as this. What an amazing encouragement for me as my energy was long gone. She literally helped carry me all the way to the finish as we crossed the line together and hugged in sheer amazement. Our time was a personal record for each of us by a considerable amount. He not only saw us through, but chose to bless us beyond what we could ask for or imagine!
What a joy to finish! What an astounding feat that is when you remember just how exhaustible your body truly becomes. I was literally DONE at mile 22, don’t ask me how I finished those last four! Somehow, you find your body taking one more step, and then one more, and then someone encourages you from the “sideline”, and then kind volunteers offer you water, and then a downhill comes up, and then a friend runs along beside you. Just as in life, we are called to keep our eyes on the “prize”, and to run in such a way as to get that prize (I Cor. 9:24), storing up our treasures in heaven…how easily we forget. Thanks again to our friends the Wojnarowski’s who so graciously welcomed us into their home for some good eats, and to my husband who firmly reminded me to rest this evening as we enjoyed some family time. Thanks for being my biggest cheerleader, I love you!
Filed under: marathon, race, Running
