running with gratitude {25K}

On Saturday I completed my first 25K race.

If you live in Grand Rapids, you know that the Fifth Third River Bank Run is a much anticipated event each spring. It is the largest 25K road race {25K = 15.5 miles} in the country, and this year was the event's 35th anniversary. It's a common goal for local runners to want to run this race which happens on the second Saturday of May each year.

I'm not sure when I was first bitten by the 25K bug because {please believe me when I say this} this is one of the LAST things I thought I would ever want to do.

I think it must have happened last November as I was finishing up the training for my first 15K. At the time, 9.3 miles seemed to be at the very top of my running capacity...until I completed my last long run and realized I probably did have it in me to go a little further. We had an awesome race in Chicago a couple of weeks later and as we finished, I knew there was probably more mileage in store for me down the road.

January rolled around and it was time to get down to business. I followed the training schedule the best I could, making sure to hit the long runs on the weekend and filling the week with shorter runs and cross training like swimming and spinning. {Cross training became my BFF. I think it helped prevent both boredom and injury.}

When it was all said and done, I completed 17 weeks of training, 85 workouts in all. I logged almost 300 miles in runs and countless laps in the pool along with a handful of other workouts to round out my weeks. Week in and week out, I took it one step at a time. I had an amazingly mild Michigan winter and spring to train, and I was fortunate enought to stay relatively injury free.

Race week arrived and I was nervous. I wondered if my training would be enough. Would it rain? (River Bank tradition says it always rains on race day.) What should I wear? How should I fuel up? What pace should I start out at? Could I conquer the hilly terrain of the second half of the course? 

Luckily, I didn't need to worry. It didn't rain. My attire and fueling plan worked great. I hit my target pace and came in under my goal time. The hills were no problem. And yes, my training, all 17 weeks of it, was enough. And don't go spreading this around, but I daresay I even enjoyed myself.

I spent the first six miles or so perfectly comfortable, running along the Grand River with a cheerful, green canopy of trees overhead and a pair of friends nearby. Around the six mile mark we hit the turnaround to start heading back downtown and the road was lined with spectators for the next mile or so. Shortly after that, I was happy to see the halfway point sign and as I hit mile eight, the first half of the race was securely behind me. Around that point, I lost my friends and knew I was probably on my own for the rest of the race. 

And then the hills began. If you mention the River Bank course to a previous River Bank runner, they will inevitably mention the hills. I have plenty of hill runs under my belt, however, so I was hoping I was well prepared. They were still slightly daunting because I knew I needed to keep up my current pace to reach my goal time (I was around 1:14 at the halfway point and I wanted to finish in under 2:30).

The key to hills, I've decided is make them spiritual. This section of the course, roughly miles 8-12, was definitely the toughest, and I found myself charging up each hill as something to be conquered. I ran for those who can't run. I thought of all my hours of training. I stayed positive and in the moment. I ran with gratitude.

Around mile 12, I spotted Matt and Dylan and my father-in-law who rode down on bikes. By then I was back in the city and they were able to ride down the sidewalk next to me which was a huge boost. Around mile 13, I spied Theresa, Bethany & Katie P. cheering from the curb, and from then on I knew I was almost there. As I started to wind my way through the downtown streets, I heard shouts of encouragement from Tiece, my sweet SIL K3, and my neighbor girls.

I used my last surge of energy to cross the finish line just under 2:30 - 2:29:44 to be exact. Truth be told, it was a near perfect race for me and I crossed the finish line knowing I had run it to the best of my [current] ability. I felt good the entire run, I soaked up the experience, and I pushed myself to leave it all out on the course.

I am so grateful for these beautiful words from my friend and Holy Yoga instructor Jami. Last week via Facebook, she said to me: "enJOY every second... stay present... worship... breathe... pray... run with gratitude." I took those words to heart and they were on my mind my entire run.

It took me a long time to realize that running really is a community sport. There are so many people I want to thank for helping me along the way.

I am thankful for my workout girls for getting me started on this journey towards better health 75 weeks ago.

I am thankful for the countless veteran runners who patiently answered my questions along the way.

I am thankful for each and every Facebook friend who ever liked or commented on a running post on my wall (chalk one up for social media).

I am thankful for my husband who supported me along the way and for kids who are proud of their mommy.

I am thankful to God for giving me the ability to run in the very first place.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am beyond grateful.

There are so many things I will remember about this day - the sights and the sounds, the spectators and the friends, the fun parts and the hard parts, the hills and the valleys. Most of all, I will remember this: feeling grateful.

Will I ever do it again? A friend said that's kind of like asking a woman in the hospital who is holding a freshly delivered newborn when she's having another one. The blood, tears, and sweat may still be too fresh to give an honest answer. But like a mother looking back, give me some time and I will likely only remember the good stuff - the tremendous sense of accomplishment, the euphoria, the joy. 

My short answer: Ask me again later.

Gettin' Jiggy

One year ago, almost to the day (same race, same Saturday), Theresa and I worked up the courage to register for our first ever 5K, brave the lines at packet pick-up, risk looking like dorks pinning on our bibs, figure out how the timing chips worked, and eventually, 27 minutes and 30 seconds later to be exact, we strode over the finish line, completely and utterly exhausted, dazed, ecstatic, and dare I say, hooked.

Another 5K, a 10K, a mud run, a 15K, a winter rush (what can I say? we like variety), countless training runs, and multiples pairs of running shoes later, we finally feel comfortable calling ourselves "runners".

Today has been on my radar for some time now - a chance to come full circle, and an opportunity to knock #3 off my list.

The only thing that would have made today sweeter was if my running buddy/soul sister's IT band hadn't started acting up a couple of weeks ago. In her kind, giving way, however, Theresa happily drove to the race with me today, held my stuff, and cheered me on from the curb at the final turn.

My basic goal was to finish in the 25's...my bigger, more out-there goal was to finish in the 24's (8 minute mile pace).

As I have been getting to know more and more runners I find myself getting caught up in the fact that so and so is faster or has more experience or can run longer or whatever. It's easy to start to compare and then beat yourself up when you don't feel like you measure up. It's not logical (and I'm a logical kind of girl) and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that comparison is the thief of joy.

So today I feel happy. Happy that packet pick-up and race day parking no longer stress me up. Happy that I'm one of those people who choose to spend their Saturday mornings running for the fun of it. Happy that I have friends and family who support me wholeheartedly. Happy that it's 75 degrees in Michigan in March. Happy that my hard work is paying off, and I feel healthy and strong.

And right now, in this moment, really, really happy that I met my goal.

Winter Rush

It was approximately 11 months ago that I signed up for my first race.

Six races later and I'm totally hooked.

There are several criteria I use to decide which races to sign up for:

1) It's something new - a new distance to conquer (5K...10K...15K...25K) or a new concept to experience (adventure racing, anyone?)

2) There's a really good giveaway (think: long-sleeve dri-fit shirts, finisher medals) or a cool sounding after-party (burgers in the park? chocolate fondue? yum.)

3) There's a good opportunity for pants-peeing-type-hysterics (i.e. losing your shoe in a mud pit; sledding down a STEEP hill at what feels like 80 mph to the finish line.)

4) It's a chance to say yes, when in my former life, I would have said no.

(And it should be noted that I will never sign-up alone. I prefer to have a partner-in-crime. Or two. Or three.)

Today's race fit the bill.

New concept: an adventure race incorporating natural {snowy} elements. [Bonus points for being a first inaugural event.]

Light at the end of the tunnel: finisher medals all around + coffee at a hip coffee joint downtown.

Hijinks and hysterics? Check. With course elements like Field of Angels, Over the River and Through the Woods, Mt. Everest, and the Nantucket Sleigh Ride, how could we lose?

Saying yes to a great workout and time well spent with girlfriends? It's a no-brainer.

Thank you, Theresa, Sara & Lisa, for spending your snowy Saturday with me. What a rush!

{more on today's race here}

one sweet race

The Hot Chocolate 15K is billed as America's Sweetest Race.

I first heard about it from my friend EB while we chatted at the park one fine September morning. I went home and immediately told my go-to running gals about the race and we all verbally signed on.

And then reality set in.

9.3 miles??

And then fear crept in.

What if we can't do it? What if we fail?

KMac and I quietly tried to back out, hoping T would forget about it.

Two and a half weeks before the race, the inevitable happened: she held us to our verbal agreement.

[Actually she said she was running it with or without us and in that moment we knew we had to go...there was no way we were letting her run that race by herself!]

So we filled out our registrations and booked our hotel. We fit a couple of long runs into our workout schedules. And then we packed our bags and we were off.

And the race was sweet, indeed.

Sweetness is...

giggling your way through an I-forgot-my-iPod-in-Hudsonville crisis

scrambling out of bed at a very early hour, lacing up your running shoes and knowing there is nothing else you would rather be doing at that very moment.

enjoying the beauty of a big city on a sunny, crisp fall morning while Needtobreath blares in your ear buds

running side by side with two of your dearest friends on God's green earth

feeling like a real runner as you navigate through aid stations and suck down Hammer Gels

channeling the support you received ahead of time from your family and friends as the run begins to get hard (my bro-in-law's words became my mantra around mile 5: "Kill it, sis.")

passing the 5K marker and realizing that a distance that seemed hard 8 months ago felt like a warm-up

seeing the 10K marker and knowing that you are running faster than your last 10K race time...with 3.1 miles still to go

facing a hill head-on at mile 9 and not slowing down, because you know you've got this, you've trained for this

finishing strong - and finding out that your last 5K split was the fastest of the three

enjoying a well-deserved runners high while basking in your achievement {1:25:33}

knocking #6 off of your Year 32 list

and, of course, sweetness is...

being handed chocolate bars, fondue and hot chocolate just past the finish line for your efforts.

Dirty Thirty's

We were just starting our second lap

(the course was a 1.5 mile loop)

and we were having fun

but we were also starting to feel tired and out of breath.

We were carrying extra pounds of mud weight on our bodies.

There was mud squishing between our toes inside our socks.

And our shoes had narrowly survived

a couple of near-mud-death experiences.

One of us

(I think it was Theresa)

said what the rest of us were thinking:

I could use a little extra motivation right now

as we entered a long, deep, muddy pit.

Just then we looked up

and there was a woman who had to be in her sixties

(I'm a bad estimator of age but I remember white hair)

slogging through in front of us, one foot in front of the other.

And that's when we knew:

#1 we could do this.

#2 we want to be the kind of woman

who signs up for mud runs in her golden years.

Year 32? How about Year 62.

The best is yet to come.

A-OK 10K

Crossed another item off my bucket list this past weekend: running a 10K. Six months ago I had never run more than two miles at one time in my life, now I've done six and in a fairly respectable manner (our goal was to finish in under an hour).

I've been working out regularly and running frequently for the past few months but I can't say that I trained very diligently for this race. I did a couple of six mile runs this spring so I knew I could do it but I wasn't sure if it was enough. In the end, it was enough and I'm happy with my 58:37 time. I ran the entire race and pushed myself and I'm very grateful to my dear friend T in her purple shirt who set the pace for us.

Favorite Race Day Memories

Procrastination at its Best: laughing/panicking as we scrambled to register Theresa 45 minutes before the race and come up with $30 using only the contents of her car.

Best Cheerleader: Katie P. - I had no idea she would be there but I've never been happier to see a friendly face halfway through the race and again at the finish line!

Moment We Realized We Are Officially Runners: picking up a cup of water from an aid station (without slowing down), gulping it down, crunching our cups and tossing them to the side of the road. I have never felt more alive ;)

Most Exhilarating Minute: running up the Hall Street hill around the 5K mark. Runners were slowing down and walking all around us and we pressed on. And there's nothing like flying down a hill that you worked so hard to climb up.

Favorite Post-Race Refreshment: most races provide you with Gatorade and maybe some fruit...this one featured burgers and dogs at a post-race party. Who doesn't need a little protein at 10am??

+30 Rocks: the other runners we ran into that I knew were all moms, all over 30 and for some it was their first 10K as well. I love that we're all still moving, still learning...

If you had asked me during the race if I would ever do it again, I would have said no way but now that the dust has settled I think I would up for it. The plan for next year might involve some actual, honest to goodness training as well. For now, we are focused on what's next: trying not to pee our pants while competing in the second annual Grand Rapids Mud Run.

3.1 {year 31}

A year ago I wouldn't have even considered running a 5K, but that was before I started saying yes recklessly and with wild abandon.

My friends and I have a joke about turning 31 - we figure we have to start just going for things or we're going to slip quietly into middle age-dom, start wearing mom jeans, and gain 30 pounds.

We couldn't help but laugh out the window at each other as we met up at Steve and Theresa's to caravan downtown at 6am...in the rain.

The boys were a little skeptical (we're paying money for this??), the girls were trying to stay upbeat saying "Isn't this great?? We're living life!"

(It should be noted that the boys have an annual tradition of running this race and Derk kindly pointed out - "You know, this isn't the first year they've held this race.")

And beyond just getting out there and running, we are actually starting to do it well. We had a pretty lofty goal of finishing under 26 minutes - we didn't quite do it this morning but we came pretty close (and beat our previous 5K time). 

It was pretty cool to walk on to the street to our starting spot and keep walking forward until we hit the eight minute mile marker and realize there really weren't that many runners in front of us.

Not bad for three moms who started running three months ago.

Take that post-baby bodies.

I know we didn't finish a 10K today or a 25K or any other big running milestone, but I'm proud of us for what we have accomplished.

I'm proud of us for saying yes, for getting our training runs in the last few months, for hitting our pace goals today, and for finishing well (top 25 in our age group!)

Next up: a 10K in June and there is talk of this muddy hilarity to wrap up our summer. (Because why not? We're already in this deep.)

One step at a time. Look at us go.

Not bad for year 31.

Our Weekend

We are finishing up one of the most relaxing long weekends I can remember in a long time. We kept things pretty simple and stayed close to home which was nice. It's fun to travel around too but not always very relaxing with two little ones.

Friday we worked in the yard and Matt spread the six yards of bark we had piled in our driveway. That evening we had our friends Katie and Ernie and Derk and Bethany (+ kids) for a grill out and a camp fire.

Saturday we took it easy again, and in the evening Matt and I had a date night to celebrate our anniversary - dinner at Rose's in East Grand Rapids.

Sunday we took the kids to John Ball Zoo, and the kids got a kick out seeing the animals, especially the tiger, monkeys, and the goats. In the evening, we took a bike ride to the new ice cream place in town, Scoop's, and we're happy to say it's a very nice 2 1/2 mile bike ride from our house. Ella enjoyed her first entire ice cream cone.


Today, we woke up early to watch Matt run in the Jenison Ambucs 5K (Chad, Yesenia, and Dad T. also ran). It was quite the feat to get the kids up and out of the house by 7:45 but we did it and the kids were excited to watch Daddy start and finish. He beat his previous time and made it in just under 22 minutes. We went straight to the Jenison parade after that and the kids caught and ate tons of candy. This was Ella's first parade and she was happy to figure out that people were throwing her candy. She quickly learned to open it and get it in her mouth really fast before Mom and Dad noticed. We went to Grandpa and Grandma A.'s for brunch and then came home and we ALL took three hours naps (heaven!). Our last activity of the weekend was Aunt Cara's 15th birthday party - more eating and playing outside for the kids.



Hope you all had wonderful holiday weekends too!

Run Matt Run

I thought I'd give a shout out to my hubby for running the 5K River Bank Run on Saturday in 22 minutes, 8 seconds. He would have loved to finish under 22 minutes, but I think he did just fine :). My brother-in-law Chad also ran his first "long" race, finishing the 25K in 1 hour, 47 minutes.

We knew those boys could play basketball...who knew they could run too?