The Journey To Get ME Back: My BIG run.

Hello!!

I'm back....sorry I've been MIA for the last couple of weeks. I fell off the wagon and didn't really feel like blogging about how much crap I was eating and how little exercise I was doing. But I'm back and hopefully here to stay for a long time!!!

So I've mentioned my big race that I was training for. Well it was yesterday. This is a huge event for our small town of 1600 people!! It's a one mile or 8K run/walk race. It raises lots of money for local cancer research!! It amazes me how many people come out for this and support this great cause. They had 3,048 people running/walking and raised over $83K....Amazing!!!!! In the past I walked the mile while pushing the stroller Last year I struggled pushing the double stroller while only walking one mile!! And this year I ran the 8K and ran the whole dang thing!!

This year I got my husband in on the action. I really want my kids to partake in this huge event every year but that would be hard to do if I wanted to run. So Chris agreed to push the kids in the stroller for the 1 mile race so that I could run the 8K. We met up with my good friend, who also convinced her husband to join in this year. This is our 3rd year going together and we've grown by two each year!! Our first year doing it together we had our 1 1/2 year olds and I was very pregnant, like due in 3 weeks, and she was a couple months pregnant. And last year we were each pushing 2 kids in a double stroller. And now we've got the husbands involved. (Guess we better get busy if we want to grow it by 2 again next year ;) I hung out with them for awhile and then closer to start time I worked my way up towards the front so I wouldn't be stuck behind a bunch of strollers and walkers.

My little family before the race

Our little group that started 3 years ago with only 4....

All of Main Street is flooded with amazing people!!

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I could feel my nerves going crazy. I think I peed 20 times before leaving my house and still felt like I had to pee the whole time waiting. My favorite part is when they tell everyone to take a knee except those fighting or survivors. It gets so emotional seeing all those people standing there who fought and/or are fighting this awful disease.

Taking a knee for the fighters and survivors!!!

Then it was just about time to start......just waiting for the gun shot to go off and once it did we were off!!!

And I'm off!!!

It was very frustrating at first and I just wanted to quit. I felt like everyone was passing me. I didn't want to look behind me cause I was afraid I wouldn't see anyone!! I know I'm a slow running but didn't' think I was going to be the slowest running out there!! But once I got to the turn-around/halfway point and was able to see all the people behind me and just knowing I already made it halfway I felt so much better about this whole thing. It was really amazing when I got to the home stretch and seeing all the people cheering you on. It felt so good!!! I felt so good crossing that finish line, better then any race before. Maybe it was the fact that it was done on my turf, or the fact that there were so many people there that I knew, or that just last year I was probably breathing a lot harder when crossing the line after walking a mile.

Almost to the finish line....

My time posted was 1:01:16, which blew me away!!! I can't believe I did it in just over an hour!! And I just found out that isn't the official time, that is the time from when the gun went off to when I crossed the finish line so my time may be even better yet since it always takes a bit to reach the starting line!!! Can't wait to find out in the next couple days what my official time is!! I made a bet with my friend's husband that if I finished it at 1:06 that he'd make me fish and if I was faster than that he'd add in potatoes and now I get wine!! yay!!!

So proud of myself

I dont' think I've ever been this proud of myself before. I never thought in a million years I'd run the 8K at The Fools Five Road Race...heck I don't think I ever thought I'd even walk the 8K. But I did it!!!

Here are some randoms of the kiddos at the race.

Fell asleep waiting for mommy to cross the finish line

Briella wearing her Team Leah hat in memory of our late Pastor Leah who lost her fight with cancer.

Eating ice cream after the big race

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Today my husband and I started Jillian's 90 Day Body Revolution....I'll post more on that in the next day or two. I plan to post our measurements and weight and do some before and after pictures.

Until next time......