I have been severely absent from the blog in recent months. I'm sure all 2 of you that read this have been devastated, right? My life has changed in many ways, & now that I've reached a pausing point, I want to document it before I forget everything that's happened.
Sometime around my 33rd birthday in August, and with the goal of the Casa Grande triathlon before me, I started running 3 days a week. And with Daddy gone that's not an easy task. So the sweet guy borrowed a tractor & graded my very own track around our acre for Mommy to run on when he wasn't home. Bless this man!
It was hard to leave the kids to go running. They always wanted to come with me & that broke my heart. So I made it a point to stretch, do pushups, & work out together a little bit before I hit the road. They loved it- especially James!
My family has had to put up with a lot. Like Mommy insisting on sticking to her training schedule even while we're on vacation at the cabin.
And Mommy working out so much meant that she looks like this in about 90% of the pictures that have been taken in the last 3 months. I'm sure my hubby has grown to hate that sweat-stained visor! :)
Since I'm a weenie & have never run a 5K before, I figured that I needed some practice before the tri. And it just so happened that one of the local elementary schools has a Halloween 5K!
Yay!
Did I mention that this is the beginning of 3 races for me in the months of Oct/Nov?
3 races, 3 weekends? I was more than a little scared.
So keeping in mind that I had been sick the entire week before & hadn't run or eaten for 7 days, I'm going to call the Spooky Run a partial success. Yes, I finished. But boy, was it ugly!
And on to Casa Grande! These are some of the rad women that rocked the triathlon. Some all on their own (amazing) & some of us as teams. We're missing my team's swimmer who jumped in at the last minute to save us from having to withdraw upon the sickness of our original swimmer, but this is us! I have a whole bunch of "posed" pics to choose from, but I like this one best. A bunch of friends havin' a good time & laughing. Because that's what this experience has been to me. My own goals wrapped up in the desires of a bunch of mommies that want to make something better of themselves!
I did it! Proof that I crossed the finish line.
And in 3 minutes faster than my personal best!
So week 3 was here. And this time I had different goals. This last race was a 3.7 mi trot through the pecan groves in Sahuarita as part of the Sahuarita Pecan Festival. Games, tractors, rides, you name it, they had it. So I chose to view this race as a celebration of all that I had accomplished- and all that my family had put up with for the past 3 months.
The rain & sleet at the beginning of the race were a rude way to start the day and my bestie Nicole & I were FREEZING! You should've seen me with that visor on top of the beanie I had on. Classic! But luckily the sun popped out just in time for me to see my family waiting at the finish line for me. It made me a little teary, I'll admit.
So now my month of races is over. I've learned a lot about who I am today & who I can still become. I've learned how important it is for me to set an example for my kids of living a healthy lifestyle. Hey- I may have been an athlete my whole life before having them, but they didn't know that! So now I can show them that it's something that needs to be important to them too.
And here are a few more things that I want to remember:
1. The feeling I had when I ran 25 minutes straight for the first time. Daddy had to come pick me up on the road in the dark because I was determined NOT to stop before I should. I felt like a kid again!
2. My near-abduction in Rita Ranch. I don't want to remember the fear or terror, but I never want to forget the Spirit telling me to "STOP! Turn around & RUN" before I even saw the man that was headed straight for me in the dark.
And bonus- now I know that I can run 4 miles with some SERIOUS sprinting right in the middle!
3. Running with my kiddos on their bikes on Mt. Graham. The excitement of finally getting to go with Mommy while she was running was epic. Emma's cheers of "You can do it Mommy!" carried me that last mile. I loved it!
4. The first time I was able to outlast my dog on one of our runs. It was thrilling to have Daisy sit down in the middle of the road & refuse to move, yet realize that I could still go!
5. The fear on Monday, and then the jubilation each Saturday when I could conquer yet another week of the Couch 2 5K program.
6. Running laps at the park & spying Jack lying in the grass in a pool of vomit. I was determined to head straight home, but he just laid in the stroller & told me "You finish your times Mommy- I really want to watch you finish!" Sweet baby.
7. The elation when week after week I was pulling old clothes out of the closet that I hadn't been able to wear in probably 2 years. (Except that now they're all too BIG. Boo.)
8. My first 4.3 mi run. Can you stay hysterical excitement?
9. The almost nightly conversations with my friends as we tracked each other & compared our workouts. Who knew running routes & discussions about hills could be so interesting?
10. The UPS guy laughing hysterically at me when I was running at 1:30 pm, around the acre, in 100 degree heat & 24 mph winds. And the fact that I didn't care!
11. The Lord providing me with a friend to calm my fears & lift me up as I faced my first race in panicked hysteria. That feeling of peace was amazing.
12. The feeling that I CAN DO IT!!!
So here I am with a new phase of life before me. The phase where I make myself a priority & it benefits us all. Because Mommy is a much happier person when she feels healthy & good about herself.
On to the next race!
