Mommy Moment : Mommy Does A Mini Marathon

My friend Jill asked me to run the mini marathon with her on my birthday. Like always I jump into everything head first. I say yes that then think about it later. I'm quite impulsive. I think that is why Kevin and I make a good couple. He keeps me grounded. He agonizes and agonises over decisions and I don't think at all and regret later. Perfect couple? Couple of nuts is more like it!

So here I am, not in shape, can't even run for more then two minutes at a time, agreeing to run a 13.1 half marathon. Crazy right? Well, I'm always up for a good challenge and so began my journey from walker to runner.

I began to follow a running schedule and really wasn't able to follow it very well since, I couldn't even run half a mile. I decided I was going to have to push myself like I had never pushed myself before if I was going to do this. I signed up and paid the $50 so darn right I was going to do it.

Little by little I practiced on my treadmill and slowly but surly I got stronger and faster. I started out not being able to run really at all. I eventually could run a 7 minute half mile, which is pathetic. The next week I pushed myself even harder and was able to run for a whole mile and it took me 14 minutes which is also not good. The schedule I was following had a disclaimer saying that before trying to follow this schedule you should be able to run for 30 mins at a time. Are you serious? In my mind that was never going to happen. I'm not an athletic person, have never been in shape, never played any sports, pretty much a sedentary person.

I just kept pushing myself harder and harder and gradually I got faster and I could run for longer. I finally got to the point where I could run 30 minutes at a time. I just kept at it.

I saw on facebook that they girl that bought our house Laurel, had been running lately. I asked her if she was doing the mini and to my surprise she was. We really didn't know each other other then she bought our house and the occasional chat on facebook. We talked and decided to be running partners and so was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Ever feel like God puts people in our life for a reason? I totally believe it. I was really nervous to run with Laurel for the first time. I had so many worries going through my head, would she like me, would we have anything in common, would she run way faster then me, would there be weird awkward silence between us, would she hold herself back on my behalf (sorry Laurel I'm a weirdo-but you already know that now.) So we met for our first run together. We were a little shy at first but pretty quickly into our run in between breaths we managed to talk a lot, I probably was talking way too much for her. I tend to blab. We did great together and finished 8 miles running almost the entire time. This was the most running I had done thus far in my training. I had so much fun talking that I wasn't even paying attention the the fact that I was running further and more then I had before. I left the park feeling great and so happy that Laurel and I got along so well. I couldn't stop talking about how much I liked her all weekend. It is and always has been so hard for me to make friends. Girls never seem to like me. She and I kept making running dates and became not only running partner but friends. I began to really enjoy running more because I was with her and had an accountability partner and someone to talk to that has kids. None of my other friends (not family members) have kids and it is very nice to have someone who knows what it is like, have someone who has experienced the same things, and can give me advice. You may be reading this and thinking how is any of this pertinent to my training but trust me it is. Having Laurel to run with has been the very best thing ever for me. I pushed myself harder, running wasn't a chore it was a release, it was MY time , it was fun, and I looked forward to it.

Before I knew it my time was improving and my stamina was better. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to run. I have never liked any form of exercise in my life except my hand moving to my mouth . For once I had an outlet.

I have had so much support and encouragement from friends and family. On the days Laurel and I weren't running together Holly and Jill were with me at the park getting our run and walk on. It was so cool to watch Holly take on the task of running. She has bad knees due to being a catcher as a child. She wasn't enjoying it quite as much as me but she was doing it none the less. We would start off together and then she would tell me to go on and then we would meet back up at the end. Jill was the reason I began this whole running thing. Every time I would reach a goal she would always tell me how awesome I was. She is my best cheerleader. She always knows just what to say to keep me motivated. After weeks of training I told my sister-in-law Emily about my newest endeavor and she said, "I wanna do it". So I told her the information and she signed up for the mini. I was so excited that even though she didn't have time to train to run the mini that Emily took on the task of doing it.

So fast forward a few weeks and it is mini marathon eve. I wanted to have dinner for my fellow mini marathoners as my way of saying thanks for your support, hard work, and dedication. It was an awesome excuse to get our grub on and eat CARBS as a way to get fueled up for our big race. We all turned in early to be well rested for what we would be enduring in a very short amount of time. We got up EARLY 4:15 am-YIKES. We ate our bagels with peanut butter had some liquids not much and tried to poop (everyone poops-even runners), which I don't really think any or us we successful at. We packed into the car and drove to where the buses would pick us up and take us to the start line. We all ate our MAGIC JELLY BEANS" guaranteed to make us run faster and jump higher. We loaded the bus and drove to Iroquois Manner. I have never seen so many people in my life! It was a sea of runners, walkers, and people from all different walks of life. I was so overwhelmed with excitement. We chatted, stretched , took pictures, I danced with the running Elvis'. Yeah so my friends kinda dared me to walk up to the Running Elvis' and start dancing with them and I did what any one would do, I booty danced with them. DUH!

The national Anthem was sung , the start gun shot (which we didn't hear because we were so far away), and the crowd proceeded to move as one big mob towards the start line. It took almost twenty minutes to walk up to the start line. Once you walked over the start line a chip inside your race bib (which is your number license plate looking thing you wear) was activated and your time started. After we crossed the start we took off. Laurel and I began boobing and weaving in and out of the crowed always making sure the other one wasn't too far away. Before we knew it we hit mile marker 1 and were inside Iroquois park. We knew what a (insert the word for female dog here) Iroquois Park was going to be. We had practiced it a few weeks back and it is a very hilly course. All week the weather channel showed 60% chance of rain and when we got in the park that 60% became 100%. Luckily there was coverage from the trees so we didn't get soaked. By the time we finished Iroquois we were 4 mile into the race. We ran every bit of it. At mile five the clouds opened up and the sun began to peak through. The volunteers and fans were so amazing. We were high fiving little kids and being cheered on, volunteers were handing out water and power aid faster then I could blink.

At mile six Laurel's family was there wishing her a Happy Birthday(that's right she does it big on her birthday she runs in marathons) and supporting her. It motivated me even more seeing them there for her. A few miles down the road Laurel's husband and kids were on the side lines waving and cheering for her. I felt so happy to see them. It made me all teary eyed to see her little girl, Josie and son ,Grayson there cheering on their mommy. At mile 8 we ran through Churchill Downs infield. My first time in the infield. Before we knew it we were at mile 10 and Laurel's husband was off to the side again cheering for his wife ( could he be any sweeter). At about mile 10 our feet were burning like on fire. We just slowed down and kept at it. Miles 11,12 and 13 felt like an eternity. I kept wonder where the damn finish line was.

Finally we could see it. We ran arm in arm all the way to the finish and then through our arms up and cheered for ourselves. We got our medals and proceeded on to the FOOD and DRINKS. I was so HUNGRY. There was the biggest mound of bagels, chips, granola bars, and bananas you could ever imagine. I collected my food , grabbed a drink and began the daunting task of finding my family. Pretty much every street in downtown Louisville was shut down. Kevin, Keith, My Mom, Avery and Addison literally could not get to us in time to see us finish the race. After walking for what felt like another 13.1 miles I found my family. They were all so proud!

My feet and toes hurt pretty bad. We went home and I took a much needed NAP.

I am very proud of myself. I feel like I have gained a greater respect for myself. It is so easy for me to tear myself down, pick my self apart, find all my short comings but it is very hard for me to be proud and give myself credit for good things I do. I have never been a bragger because it bugs me when people brag but I'm so very proud of myself. I owe it all to hard work, GREAT friends and family, and dedication. I kept hearing Addison's little voice saying, "never give up". (she totally got that from an episode of Dora). Doing this makes me realize that I can and want to do things that I have always said, "Yeah, I would like to do that someday". I want to start living everyday like my (used to be ) some days. Thanks to my awesome support system, I love you all. Laurel I am so grateful God has brought you in my life. I couldn't have done this without you. You are an amazing running partner. Jill you are my best cheerleader (I know I already said that) and are always there for me. Holly you are such a great friend and always supporting me in everything I do even if you know it will blow up in my face. Emily you are a great sister-in-law and kick butt in everything you do. I'm so glad I was on this journey with all of you and can look back years from now and remember that we all did a MINI MARATHON together. And yes I'm already planning another one!!!