Day 2:
8:15 AM:
8:15 AM:
Aubrey wakes me up....HELLO....the
5K starts in 45 minutes!!! Are you serious!???
I had planned on having
at least an hour in prayer to prepare myself for this ridiculous
challenge. Why did I sign up for this thing again?
My look today: pig
tails, yoga pants, leg warmers (I bought
3 years ago and just opened the package) and a cute swimmers shirt and jacket I borrowed from Aubrey. Despite the freezing Iowa wind I was
sweating bullets.
Kneeling at the foot of
the bed crying out (in a whisper) to Jesus for grace to do this thing...He gave
me the scripture "you will rise up on wings like eagles, you will run and
not grow weary and you will walk and not faint" (wish I knew the
verse to share with you). Ok, that’s a good one God, thanks.
PEACE
I looked in the mirror
before heading downstairs: lo and behold.....I LOOK LIKE A RUNNER! No,
really, if I didn't know myself I'd say I was a runner. But I Do know me
and I couldn’t be further from it.
Walking down the stairs
of my Grandma Barb's house that morning for the zillionth time in my life I had
peace....a strange peace that I had to fight for in the midst of great fear.
As soon as everyone saw me the chuckles commenced. Huh, why is
everyone laughing....
it must be the pig tails?
it must be the pig tails?
Uh-oh, doubt and fear
are creeping in again.... Now I asked if there would be a pace car
or golf cart to take me back in case I couldn't make it....NO!!! His GRACE is sufficient for me!!!!
And then there was Garrett
(precious guy boyfriend to my lovely cousin) who went out of his way to get me
my morning coffee.....he then gave me the brilliant idea to employ a thick
German accent while explaining to everyone "I am a runner but I
am off for weekend.....but today I make exception and run/walk for Tyler" This guy cracks me up with his accents and those wacky facial
expressions. I felt like part of the
family.....oh, wait, I AM part of the family!
Backing up a bit for my
story, the day before my journey began, my good friend Cindy from California
gave me some wise yet confusing advice. She said I needed to warm up then
stretch before I run. Warm up? Hmm....what exactly does that mean
(considering I'm not a runner this seemed so foreign to me). So I told
everyone I was supposed to warm up then stretch or I might pull something.
You wanna know what they mean by warm up? RUN! run
before a run????....seems a bit odd to me
but I'm willing to listen to words of wisdom from someone who has actually
tried this running thing in the past 20 years.
So with my fresh coffee
in hand we take off on an easy jog to the TOP of the HUGE hill where the start
line is.
 |
| can you see my nerves? Not too thrilled yet but Aubrey looks like she does this all the time....oh yeah, she does. |
Just before the
countdown while everyone was taking their places I realized what my plan was
(or my call from God for this challenge) I was to capture this through the lens
of my iPhone. Oh, now this will be FUN! Other than the whole I
have to run thing. Everybody,
get in close for the picture....
5,
4, 3, 2, 1....and they’re off.
Aubrey, Garrett &
Logan take off at a dead run & within 5 paces I can no longer see
them. Good. I wanted to do this thing
alone anyway...without
pressure to keep up. From the first step, God supernaturally gave me
a stride that felt perfect for me.....all the way DOWN the hill.....this is
easyJ If it weren’t for my numb fingers I could’ve
forgotten it was freezing outside.
Oh wait,
inspiration. Stop for a picture....
people are staring...let ‘em stare I got a great shot. And
again, and again. The more pictures I took the more at peace I felt
(God knows me soooo well). Now I was
actually having fun....and singing praises to God if you can believe that. I sang an old hymn I don’t remember the last
time I sang....Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.
The fun fact for me: I
was not simply meant to run this thing I was meant to capture the memories. Not
only for me but for Tyler and all those who love, support and pray for
him. It was my mission. ...in addition to Living Decorated obviously.
 |
| I had to run way out of the way to get this shot but I love the Iowa tractors-in-the-neighborhood feel. |
 |
| Tiger Nation y'all....these flags are everywhere:) Go TIGERS! |
 |
| I've never seen a u-turn sign in the middle of a 5K but then again I'm not that much of an expert I guess they didn't want the route going out to all the farms....then it would've been a full-on marathon I guess. |
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| This is the nursing home where my Grandma Vivian spent her last days....it's also the place Barbie worked for years. GPa Wayne still goes here to witness to the folks making sure they've had the opportunity to give their hearts to Jesus:) |
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| and the pit stop pass off...gotta love it. Look how these folks are dressed....does it give you any idea how COLD I AM? |
I had the BEST time...and
guess what? Other than the few stops I made for pictures I ran the
whole way at the same pace I had from the starting line. Say it with
me......MIRACLE!
 |
| final turn before heading up the hill...this is about where Logan met me for the big push |
I turned the final
corner and was actually surprised I was nearing the finish line.....clear up at
the TOP of that first hill, might I add. It’s ok, I got this! Then
I see my cousin, Logan, coming back to run the last leg with me. What
a champ! He pushed me hard
up that hill...faster than I’ve ever run and guess what: I finished in (we’re guessing) 33
minutes. They forgot to call out my time but gauging by the time I
was at the last corner we came up with that number.
I even got a video of
crossing the finish line (which is a story in itself).
The moral of this 5K
(for me).....GOD is faithful! He
will give you the grace to do something you could NEVER do out of your own
ability. I was (and still am) in awe of HIM! Not by MY
might or my strength but by HIS Spirit I was able to do that crazy freezing run without training or sleep.
Oh, and hold on before
you read this next line or you may just fall out of your chair.....I AM a
runner!!!! No, really, I am......a
RUNNER. Maybe not fast but I know how to
run and have fun at the same time by capturing the moment. I’m ready for my next 5K...maybe this time I’ll
train though???
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| I love my supportive, funny family peoples.....I'm ready to go back....if nothing else than for my orange fanny pack, Garrett:) |
Since this was a long
story and that only puts us at 10:30 am on Saturday I’ll just post the rest of
that crazy day tomorrow....you’ll have to come back for more pictures, more videos and
more amazing stories of the power of God which covered me this whole journey.
His strength sustained
me through days of sleep deprived madness with grace, peace and
abundant JOY! I can’t wait
to share more with you.
Love n High Energy running power,
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