A goal a year in the making

One morning last October (2009) Ryan got up early to leave and run the Brigs and Al's 8k run to benefit Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. As I lay in my bed after he left I felt awful about myself. I was terribly out of shape. Here my husband was heading off to run 5 miles and I knew I could not even run a block. I decided right then and there that next October I would be running in that race. I had already begun my weight loss journey but decided to step it up. The winters here are very cold so I didn't start running until spring 2010. At first I could hardly run a block. I felt as though my heart was going to explode. My lungs would hurt and my legs ached. I kept pushing through it and before I knew it I could run 2 miles with out stopping. In July I decided I should run a 5k before trying the 8k in October. I found a 5k I could do when visiting family in Utah. So Aug. 21 we drove up Provo canyon to run my first 5k.

Ryan ran the 5k with me. I was so nervous about the race. I was already running 3 miles a day at that point but the race still made me extremely nervous.

I am ready! I think?

Ryan and I at the starting line. As I stood there waiting for the race to begin tears came to my eyes. I was really proud of my self. At this point I had lost nearly 70 pounds and gone from not even being able to run a block to running 3 miles!

My dad and mom came to see me run along with my mother in law Patty. It was great to have them there.

Ryan is amazing and finished long before me.

Lilly ran across the finish line with me!

I felt so amazing at the end of the race. Yes I was sore but I had done it. I had ran the whole thing. (Which was my personal goal.) The course was more up hill than I anticipated and the altitude did not help but none the less I did it.

October 9 came really fast. I had been trying to keep up with a good running schedule but was falling short. The weather cooled here and Ryan had to go to school earlier in the morning than in the summer. Once again I was really nervous about my race. I kept running though and finally registered for the race. Ryan was going to run the race with me but injured his knee one day while training for it.

The day of the race I was more calm then I thought I would be. My parents had come to town the night before and it was great to have them there to cheer me on and help with the girls. The Brigs and Al run was much bigger than I had anticipated. They had over 15,000 people participating in the events that day with over 3,000 runners. I knew the 8k (just over 5 miles) was going to be hard but I was so determined to do it.

The run was INCREDIBLE!

All those people running through the streets of Milwaukee. It was so great to be apart of it. It turned out to be a really sunny and unseasonably warm day. It was down right hot during the run. There were two small hills that just wore me out. And of course the last mile was the longest mile of my life! But I pressed on and ran the whole thing with out stopping!

Again Lilly ran across the finish line with me. I teared up after crossing the finish line. Not because of the ache in my right shin but because I had accomplished my goal! A goal that I doubted many times.

My cheering squad!

Thanks to Ryan for making me run on so many days when I REALLY did not want to.

To my friend Jaima for checking up on me,

and thanks to my parents for being there!

And thanks to everyone else who supported me along the way!

(I have the most amazing friends and family!)