Meres can now reach the keys. She will stand on her tiptoes to try and see what she is doing. |
I found my cadence for the race on Saturday. I was getting a bit concerned last week because I hadn't found my groove yet. I even prayed about it.=) If you read my St. John of the Cross quote yesterday, you've read it. "Don't deprive your soul of the agility it needs to mount up to God." I know-different application, but life is a race. And Saturday is a race. And it isn't going to be easy. I looked at the course map on Saturday night, and I got butterflies. Not good butterflies-nervous butterflies. The "what in the world was I thinking?" kind of butterflies. I am getting butterflies just writing about it. First we run 6 miles to a park that seems so far away. It is one that my dad took us to many times growing up. We used to sled down the embankment into the park during the winter. I guess it is only 6-7 miles from downtown. It seems so much farther than that. Then we turn around and head back, up, up hills on miles 8 and 9. We will run a wee smidgen of our "6 mile" route as we near the end. 25k. 15-1/2 miles. Which sounds better? I don't know. Sigh...But I am officially done running until Saturday. We ran a terrific 7 this morning. Now we are in rest and recuperate mode. I am going to swim tomorrow and Friday to get everything stretched and where it should be. And then I am praying to run with endurance. And praying that every body part works the way they have been trained to. Am I ready? I don't know? I do know that I am as ready am I'm going to be though. =) Another sigh.=) I really don't know what my goal is time wise. I'd be thrilled to do a nine minute pace-but this is a long way. Ten minute miles are the slowest I want to go. Maybe I will hit a happy medium-around 9-1/2 minute miles-and finish in less than 2-1/2 hours. That would be awesome. I will let you know what it ends up being.
It's the climb. Not my favorite music video, but I do love the song.
This is my running/life journey.
I have found that sometimes I present myself in the worst possible light, and the person I am talking to goes away with the sense that I am some "fly by night fruitcake." I was talking with one of my ladies at Bible study last night. She was impressed that I am running this race. Until she asked me how much I run everyday. Then I kind of stutter and admit that I don't run everyday. I only run 3-4 times a week. "Well, how far do you run?" Then I really flub it. "The least we run is 4 miles." Then I get an earful about how if she was running a 5k, but just doing 1 mile runs, she wouldn't be prepared. And I'm thinking, "well, duh." So I try to explain that we have been averaging 30 miles a week for the past 2 months. But the damage has been done. She is under the impression that I am some runner wannabe (which actually isn't too far off=)) who thinks she is just going to up and run this race without putting in the miles. But, even you all know that isn't exactly the case. I may not be the most dedicated runner, but my goal isn't to win. It is to fit fitness into my life as wife, mother of four, teacher, business partner, Bible study leader, home maker. My goal is to run this race to the best of my ability, and to run to the glory of God.
My girls. Both have colds, but both are still my little sunshines. |
And that is going to be the subject of Thursday's blog. Watch for it.