It has certainly been a crazy busy few weeks. I haven’t had a single moment to blog because I had a surprise visit from a very special person…MY MOM! Eight years ago my Mom took a very courageous step in her life and moved to Australia. She met a great man via the Internet and after a couple of years of shorts visits and online communication she made the difficult decision to move. It’s been three years since I last saw my Mom and Stepdad [they were here visiting]. When Patrick and I got engaged last summer they secretly made the decision to come and surprise us. They have been quietly collaborating with my Brother and Sister-in-Law since late last summer. It was a FANTASTIC surprise and I have enjoyed every moment spent with them. Even with the Internet, Facebook and Skype, it’s still not the same as in-person visiting.  |
| My Beautiful Mother, Myself and My Sister-In-Law |
On June 13th we were enjoying a beautiful evening outside using our above ground fire pit [with lid of course]. Well the lid was removed and I walked right into it, severely burning my shin. I have kept it very well cared for, Patrick tells me I’m very meticulous about keeping it cleaned and wrapped. I didn’t realize how long it takes for burns to heal. I decided to take a week off from running [again] because I was having some bruising around the wounded area with shooting pain and hot spots. I learned quickly from my shin splints that I need to listen to my body and take the time off. Plus it gave me some extra time to visit with my family. Back in January my dear friend Randi signed us up for this 5K as a push to get us moving towards our goals. I can’t thank her enough for giving me no choices and making this commitment with me. At the end of March I started the Couch to 5K Program and now I’m up to running 30-45 minute runs several times a week. **I recently decided I’d start the Bridge to 10K Program [from the same creators as C25K] once my Mom and Stepdad head home.**
So, coming up on my 5K, I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to run this race due to the pain and bruising. Plus having a week off from running just prior to my race seemed like an obvious set back as well. From the beginning of my training, I set a goal time of 40 minutes or less. Leading up to the race this week, I just kept telling myself; at least you’re doing the race and changed my goal to “Just finish the race.”
This morning Randi and I nervously set out for our first 5K – we cranked our headphones, found our pace [12 minute mile] and soon realized that we both felt great. As we approached the halfway mark I checked our time - only approximately 17 minutes had passed! We realized that we were doing really well and that we could finish in 40 minutes. We pushed along and when we saw the finish, we sprinted to the end. As we crossed the finish line the time clicked over to 38 minutes. My heart screamed with excitement! I did it in less than 40 minutes! It was awesome to have my husband and Mom there to root us on and support us at the finish and it was also very awesome to run with one of my best friends. 
We made our way to the registration area where you could get your official run time and fuel your body with healthy food. When I saw our official time was 37:17 I felt an overwhelming sense of pride. When I had done a trial run, I completed the 3.1 miles in 42 minutes. This was 5 minutes faster. I truly felt great too, like I could have run longer. What an awesome sense of accomplishment. I look forward to improving my time each race – my next is July 16th in Petoskey.
