Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ran the Land Between the Lakes course in Grand Rivers, KY. It was called Run LBL Half and Full Marathon. The town was adorably charming and beautiful, set in hills beside the shining waters of a lake -- with the added beauty of October-colored leaves and a crisp, cool morning. I shed long sleeves despite the 43-degree morning because the sun and run kept me toasty enough.
The course covered roads and trails over a span that totaled 1,200 feet of elevation gain. The website said 1,100, but my Runtastic said the former amount... My legs might estimate a few billion more. ;)
The starting line was by the shore of the lake, surrounded by sailboats. It was so pretty! The run was chip-timed, so the chip on my bib activated my official timer when I went through the line (and, likewise, stopped when I went through the finish line). The chip keeps things fair in a race where too many participants make it impossible to start at the same time from the same place. I like it! I got to the head of the pack with some 50ish-year-old men and three other women right away. I constantly kept checking with myself to be sure I wasn't going too hard too fast like the inexperienced and highly excited novice to racing that I am. I did not check my GPS on my phone at all during the race; I didn't want it messing with my psyche; so when I say "checking with myself," I was running by the way I felt--my breathing and muscles. Even though we started the race by going uphill the first mile (and there were so many more of those. Ha!), and I was with the lead, I could tell I was running a wise speed for all the fitness my training had built for me. I felt really strong and energetic. I wouldn't burn out, so I kept at it. I continued to get ahead of a few men and all the women and stayed there a couple miles. One woman and a few men got ahead of me again around mile four, and I never could catch them again, but the woman was doing the full, so she was the first in her race, and I was in first place in my race (different distances, even on same course... different races, ultimately). No one passed me again... until the last tenth of a mile when one of those three women I'd passed at the beginning (but hadn't seen since the turnaround loop, when I knew where she was behind me, but didn't see her at all again) caught up to me. You guys! It was the most exciting finish! She and I sprinted down the final stretch through the finish line. She beat me by ONE SECOND! It was so exciting!!!!
Friday, the day before the race, my butt muscle that had been bothering me all week was really angry with me, so I was very tightly wound and nervous. The race had become unpredictable for me. After the months of training and years of hoping for this event, I was going to run no matter what. But I couldn't even walk without a limp that day. I got an Icy Hot patch that worked wonders. I wore it during the race, and that muscle was silenced. I do feel it today, the day after running my race, and I am happy to report it feels even better than the day before I ran the race. I hope it heals totally because I have more racing to do soon, folks!
My amazingly supportive and helpful husband and our two little boys took the two-hour road trip with me. We stayed in the Grand Rivers Inn. It was tiny and well-priced and super-cute. It was so clean and quaint. Grand Rivers was so small that I could see the registration booth at the tourism office across the street from our room, and the starting line was a five-minute walk. Nicholas Sparks could set a novel in this place. I hear we need to visit at Christmas to see the 500,000+ lights and watch a Christmas play and eat at a special place called Patti's that requires months-in-advance reservations for special seasons. We ate there with my parents, who made the day even more special by driving up to cheer me on, as well as with some friends who met us after my race. All the cheering from my sweet little boys, wonderful husband, and proud parents made my heart fuller and warmer than it already was. And our friends coming to celebrate with us after is a deep blessing for me! I was way too excited about my win to eat much, though. All the butterflies were filling up my space.
I altered my diet three days before the race to reduce the risk of a tummy upset during the race because I usually have trouble with that. I cut out my whole grains and fiber-filled veggies (nerve-wracking for silly ol' me). I ate cinnamon raisin bagels instead of my Kashi cereal, white pasta noodles instead of whole wheat: I said no to broccoli and salad. Natural peanut butter (without horrible fake fats) and bananas are my favorite running fuel. I eat that every day for lunch all the time. I ate those with a bagel three hours before my race (saved half of the banana for an hour prior to racing). I drank my green tea. The night before I drank a Vitamin Water Zero for the added electrolytes and energy vitamins. You may not care, but I want to remember this diet because I felt strong, energetic, and I didn't have to find a tree in the woods during the whole race. And I was really happy to return to adding my fiber-filled, healthy-shmealthy foods to my banana and peanut butter today.
I have been praying that God would help me express the truly important things about this milestone for me. It really isn't about the success, but instead it is about all the transformation in my heart that God ignited years ago and continues to fuel, whether in running or parenting or friendship or failures or ministries. It isn't about winning versus losing, or speed versus sluggishness; or pain versus health--it is about His constantly available Presence through all those seasons. He is truly an anchor. He doesn't promise wins or health or riches, but he does promise abundant peace and joy through faith and hope and love. He promises that if we seek Him we will find Him. Sometimes I think myself is the most challenging person to love, and then the evil one is pleased to see me so distracted and exhausted from battling myself that I can't see God, much less seek His face, whether it is about wisdom or peace or other people. So the nerves I feel about racing became more of a spiritual fitness test than a physical or mental one because I constantly had to return to my Anchor to calm down and remember Truth. Win or lose, healthy or sick, elated or disappointed, in running or whatever, God cares, and He is with me. He is with you.
Father-God, thank You for this race. I feel so blessed and thankful and full of life. And you filled me with those good things before my race. You assured me that I already have the Victory that matters so I could relax and experience whatever You had in store. I like what You had in store. I like even more that my weak little faith muscles got a really good workout through all my anxiety turning to reality and gratitude for your Truth over the week. Whew! I am exhausted. Thank You for rest in Your Son and guidance through Spirit. In Jesus--thank You!
I altered my diet three days before the race to reduce the risk of a tummy upset during the race because I usually have trouble with that. I cut out my whole grains and fiber-filled veggies (nerve-wracking for silly ol' me). I ate cinnamon raisin bagels instead of my Kashi cereal, white pasta noodles instead of whole wheat: I said no to broccoli and salad. Natural peanut butter (without horrible fake fats) and bananas are my favorite running fuel. I eat that every day for lunch all the time. I ate those with a bagel three hours before my race (saved half of the banana for an hour prior to racing). I drank my green tea. The night before I drank a Vitamin Water Zero for the added electrolytes and energy vitamins. You may not care, but I want to remember this diet because I felt strong, energetic, and I didn't have to find a tree in the woods during the whole race. And I was really happy to return to adding my fiber-filled, healthy-shmealthy foods to my banana and peanut butter today.
I have been praying that God would help me express the truly important things about this milestone for me. It really isn't about the success, but instead it is about all the transformation in my heart that God ignited years ago and continues to fuel, whether in running or parenting or friendship or failures or ministries. It isn't about winning versus losing, or speed versus sluggishness; or pain versus health--it is about His constantly available Presence through all those seasons. He is truly an anchor. He doesn't promise wins or health or riches, but he does promise abundant peace and joy through faith and hope and love. He promises that if we seek Him we will find Him. Sometimes I think myself is the most challenging person to love, and then the evil one is pleased to see me so distracted and exhausted from battling myself that I can't see God, much less seek His face, whether it is about wisdom or peace or other people. So the nerves I feel about racing became more of a spiritual fitness test than a physical or mental one because I constantly had to return to my Anchor to calm down and remember Truth. Win or lose, healthy or sick, elated or disappointed, in running or whatever, God cares, and He is with me. He is with you.
Father-God, thank You for this race. I feel so blessed and thankful and full of life. And you filled me with those good things before my race. You assured me that I already have the Victory that matters so I could relax and experience whatever You had in store. I like what You had in store. I like even more that my weak little faith muscles got a really good workout through all my anxiety turning to reality and gratitude for your Truth over the week. Whew! I am exhausted. Thank You for rest in Your Son and guidance through Spirit. In Jesus--thank You!
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