So what's on my mind...

What's on my mind you ask? More like, what's consuming my mind! Running, running, running. My race is now 3 days away. I invision everything that could go wrong. I imagine the corridors of my mind filled with sticky notes that say, "due to the fact it's an international race, don't forget your passport to pick up race packet", "don't forget energy bars", "don't forget gu packs", "wear appropriate layers". I imagine everything that could go wrong like the nightmare of forgetting to put the timing chip on so my effort and hard work isn't being recorded. I imagine the nightmare of being last. I try not to think about the possibility of crapping all over myself in the middle of the race because I can't get to a port-a-poddy fast enough.

I've recently been telling a few of my co-workers that I'm running a half-marathon (13.1 miles) on Sunday and they look at me like I'm completely insane and then they ask me the question I would have asked as a non-runner 6 months ago. WHY? Let me explain....the moment my good friend Ruthann asked me to join her in a 5K race I thought, "well, I'm in pretty good shape I jog/run for exercise a few days a month. I can kick it up a few notches to try it out." Then I found out you have to pay to run in "a race." Little secret...I am the cheapest person EVER. Why would a person pay to run when I can run for FREE. But then hysterically you'll never believe what happened. I came in first place for my age group. I even got a gold medal and I was hooked. I was so not expecting to enjoy it SO much. The energy level of all those people taking off at the starting line and encouraging each other along the way. I finished my first 5K in 29.17 at 36 years of age I've decided to become a runner. LOL! So I did what any runner would do....I ran every free second I had. I found every runners website on how to improve. I started fartlek, speed days, long runs every Saturday morning before my son or husband would even wake up. Then signed up for a 10K and ran my little toesies off. Then I experienced my first injury, which is inevitable I guess so I backed off, R.I.C.E and hit the road again. The best moment yet was while I was running in my first 10K when I came to the 5K split the clock read 28:07 and I thought...holy crapola I'm not even going as fast as I would run if I was running a 5K...I'm flying. So I finished that race in 59:21 under an hour. So yep, I can say officially I'm a runner. I'm not the best, nor the worst but I get to experience that enviable runners high and my answer to the questions of why is......because I can. God has given me the ability to do everything for His glory. That's just what I'll do.