Philippians 3:13-14 "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:13 "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."
Sunday, December 14th, will be treasured in my heart as one of the most amazing days of my life! Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of when Blake ran the White Rock marathon and my very first half-marathon. The months of training leading up to the race have been filled with hours upon hours of running, one foot in front of the other, through shin splints, blisters, bad attitudes, muscle cramps, and pot holes. More than that it was filled with: treasured time with amazing friends(especially my 10 mile turkey trot with Andi and Jerri), incredible time connecting to God through worship and prayer, writing His Word on my heart, a few great dates with my i-pod, and a deep longing to push myself farther than my mind believed I could go. I am so thankful that the Lord has used running to invade my heart and the depths of my soul and light them afire for Him!
Race weekend was chock full of emotions for me and the first of many that I experienced was doubt. Saturday my stomach was in knots all day and I began to wonder if I had trained well enough for the race, if I was really cut out to run in the White Rock with such an elite group of runners. I went to bed with self-doubt, an old friend, ruling my thoughts. As I fell asleep, I was reminded of the words of 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." The Lord reminded me that with His power and the self-discipline that carried me through my training runs, that I was already more than a conqueror in the White Rock marathon. That didn't keep me from waking up every hour on the hour worried about waking up on time, however. At 5:45, my cell phone alarm clock finally went off alerting me of the short amount of time I had to stretch, eat breakfast, and make a quick Starbuck's trip on the way to the American Airline Center. Blake(my cheerleader for the race) and I arrived in just enough time to make a quick(10 minute line)stop at the portapotties for my pre-run potty break and to hear the national anthem. I jumped into the starting line as the gun sounded and we were off. It was at this point that I felt exilhiration at it's best. The adrenaline pumping, the 17,000 runners that were alongside of me, and the Rocky themesong playing in the background, all made for one of the most enlivening moments I can think of. Oh, I forgot to mention the wind. And I'm not talking about a light breeze. I'm talking about 20 mph winds with gusts up to 40 mph. But even the wind was not going to affect my determination in this race. Within the first 2 miles, I spotted my pace group and kept the yellow balloons in sight. Just after mile 6, I spotted my sweet husband with my Advocare Excel Gel and the most proud expression on his face. That is a picture I will treasure forever. Blake ran over to mile 9 to catch me one more time before the finish line. When I hit mile 11, I knew there was no stopping me. I felt rub burns in places I didn't know existed and a cramp in my heel that I hadn't felt before, but no amount of pain was keeping me from the finish line! As I reached the final quarter-mile stretch, there were people everywhere, cheering for their loved ones. And in the midst of the applause I could hear the Voice that gave me the strength to make it through the race rooting me on, saying, "well done, good and faithful servant"(Matthew 25:23). I could not hold back the tears. The raw emotions were flooding my heart and I could not contain the well any longer. I reminisced on the journey of my heart and my body and felt so much joy and thankfulness. Just before I crossed the finish line, I saw my hubby one more time, with that look of pride again, because he too understands the journey I have been on with the Lord. When I first made the decision to train for a half, I determined that I could and would finish in 2 hours and 30 minutes. I looked up at the clock as I stepped over the finish line: 2:22:18. No record to someone in the running world, but a huge accomplishment for me. I had completed my goal and I was ecstatic.
I pray that there will be many half-marathons in my future, but this one will forever be in a different category! What a day. God is good all the time and His grace is sufficient for even me!! So, there you have it, I did it!! I ran the Rock, or half of it anyways! :)
Philippians 4:13 "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."
Sunday, December 14th, will be treasured in my heart as one of the most amazing days of my life! Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of when Blake ran the White Rock marathon and my very first half-marathon. The months of training leading up to the race have been filled with hours upon hours of running, one foot in front of the other, through shin splints, blisters, bad attitudes, muscle cramps, and pot holes. More than that it was filled with: treasured time with amazing friends(especially my 10 mile turkey trot with Andi and Jerri), incredible time connecting to God through worship and prayer, writing His Word on my heart, a few great dates with my i-pod, and a deep longing to push myself farther than my mind believed I could go. I am so thankful that the Lord has used running to invade my heart and the depths of my soul and light them afire for Him!
Race weekend was chock full of emotions for me and the first of many that I experienced was doubt. Saturday my stomach was in knots all day and I began to wonder if I had trained well enough for the race, if I was really cut out to run in the White Rock with such an elite group of runners. I went to bed with self-doubt, an old friend, ruling my thoughts. As I fell asleep, I was reminded of the words of 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." The Lord reminded me that with His power and the self-discipline that carried me through my training runs, that I was already more than a conqueror in the White Rock marathon. That didn't keep me from waking up every hour on the hour worried about waking up on time, however. At 5:45, my cell phone alarm clock finally went off alerting me of the short amount of time I had to stretch, eat breakfast, and make a quick Starbuck's trip on the way to the American Airline Center. Blake(my cheerleader for the race) and I arrived in just enough time to make a quick(10 minute line)stop at the portapotties for my pre-run potty break and to hear the national anthem. I jumped into the starting line as the gun sounded and we were off. It was at this point that I felt exilhiration at it's best. The adrenaline pumping, the 17,000 runners that were alongside of me, and the Rocky themesong playing in the background, all made for one of the most enlivening moments I can think of. Oh, I forgot to mention the wind. And I'm not talking about a light breeze. I'm talking about 20 mph winds with gusts up to 40 mph. But even the wind was not going to affect my determination in this race. Within the first 2 miles, I spotted my pace group and kept the yellow balloons in sight. Just after mile 6, I spotted my sweet husband with my Advocare Excel Gel and the most proud expression on his face. That is a picture I will treasure forever. Blake ran over to mile 9 to catch me one more time before the finish line. When I hit mile 11, I knew there was no stopping me. I felt rub burns in places I didn't know existed and a cramp in my heel that I hadn't felt before, but no amount of pain was keeping me from the finish line! As I reached the final quarter-mile stretch, there were people everywhere, cheering for their loved ones. And in the midst of the applause I could hear the Voice that gave me the strength to make it through the race rooting me on, saying, "well done, good and faithful servant"(Matthew 25:23). I could not hold back the tears. The raw emotions were flooding my heart and I could not contain the well any longer. I reminisced on the journey of my heart and my body and felt so much joy and thankfulness. Just before I crossed the finish line, I saw my hubby one more time, with that look of pride again, because he too understands the journey I have been on with the Lord. When I first made the decision to train for a half, I determined that I could and would finish in 2 hours and 30 minutes. I looked up at the clock as I stepped over the finish line: 2:22:18. No record to someone in the running world, but a huge accomplishment for me. I had completed my goal and I was ecstatic.
I pray that there will be many half-marathons in my future, but this one will forever be in a different category! What a day. God is good all the time and His grace is sufficient for even me!! So, there you have it, I did it!! I ran the Rock, or half of it anyways! :)
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