13.1 Miles

Back in October, I decided the weather was nice again and that I would start training for my next half marathon. I signed up for a half-marathon that was scheduled for the end of January and I began the training. As part of the training, my friend Whitney and I ran the turkey trot 10k and we were well on our way!Every Saturday means lots of running and getting up at 6:15am but it was worth it! Every week I get to see the sun rise, tons of beautiful horses, flocks of geese (trying to fly in a "v"), a family of cranes, stunning homes, vibrant flowers (I run past a green house), trains, 4 year-old soccer games, etc. I absolutely love the various smells and sounds! This world is so beautiful!! So my Saturday training was early and cold but always worth it - not to mention, I can eat whatever dessert I want after running for 2 hours.

As the race got closer, I got more and more excited! So excited, that I even talked my family into coming! All of them signed up for the 2 mile fun run and Cody decided to run a 10k. We would all get to run together and my family would be there to see me really finish a half marathon. And then the week of the race... I got sick - super sick! Like, walk-up-the-stairs-too-fast-and-you-can't-breathe sick! I was SO disappointed! I had trained and worked up to this event for 4 months and now I wasn't even able to walk a mile without hacking up a lung. But the race must go on... so instead of running the half-marathon, I ran the 2 mile run with my family. This meant I had lots of time to sit and watch the rest of my friends and family finish their races.

It was hard - hard to sit and watch others do what I wanted to do so badly! But I came to learn a great lesson: how grateful I am for my body - one that works, one that allows me to run 13.1 miles without stopping. Our bodies are amazing gifts! As I watched various runners of all ages, sizes, and shapes run through that finish line, I couldn't help but feel gratitude for Heavenly Father's love for each of us - enough to give us our wonderful bodies. So, although I didn't get to race like I had planned, it ended up being a great day!

But still not feeling satisfied with my sad ending to the running season, I searched and searched for another half-marathon that I could participate in (it's hard to find Saturday races). I ended up finding a great one here in the valley. And I even convinced Cody to run it with me so that I would not be alone! He only had 4 weeks to train for it, but he did it and it was SO MUCH FUN! Rumor went around that this was a very challenging course and so my goal was no longer to beat my previous time but just to finish! Much to my surprise, I beat my personal record! Not to mention, we got medals and massages after the race! Now THAT is a great ending to my running season! :)