June 22nd, 2014 – 5.76 Mile Run

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”


This run was really fantastic! It’s the first time I’ve run with Race Pace since I was diagnosed, so it’s been over a year! Race Pace was *extremely* warm and generous to me when they learned that I’d be fighting Breast Cancer. There were ladies on the team who had never met me before but were adamant about being on the list to drop of food and words of encouragement while I was recovering. I am forever in their debt and even though I don’t run with them often, I’m proud to know them and to be a part of the Team. I love Race Pace!!!

Lisa was one of my biggest supporters. She dropped off food and healthy snacks while I was recovering and she sat and chatted with me (in person and online) many many times. And she never saw me as anything less than amazing. I love her for that. She believed in me and never lost faith that I’d be back out there in no time.

She was right. But right along with my fitness, my confidence had taken a major hit whilst I was recovering. And for quite a while, I didn’t feel like I was ready to run with the Team.

Don’t get me wrong, at the absolute *height* of my fitness, I could never keep up with the Team. They are AMAZING!!! I mean, Boston Qualifiers are Pansies amazing! I ran the L. A. Marathon, came home and gave birth, then ran the San Diego Marathon a week later amazing! I’ve completed so many Iron Man Competitions, they should start calling it “Iron Me” amazing!

My point is……. AMAZING!!!! And more than just a little intimidating.

But Lisa wrote me last week and asked if I was going to run with the Team on Sunday. My first reaction was, of course, “Hell no! I can’t run with them! There’s no way I can keep up!”

Lisa, who was still recovering from her last marathon coaxed me around by telling me that she would tell rest of the Team that they didn’t have to stick around and wait for us to finish and that she would stick with me all the way through it.

Not only that, this weekend was not to be one of their typical 10, 15 or 20 miles runs. This was to be a very doable 5 to 6 mile run.

Also, Rochelle, who is one of my all-time fitness heroes was to be leading the run. Rochelle is beyond amazing. Learn more about her here and vote for her in the “Women’s Running” Cover Model Contest. You can vote once a day every day, until July 2nd. Go Rochelle!!!

Rochelle also wrote and asked if I would run with the team.

Oh, fine!!! As long as everyone knows what my limitations are, and we’re not running all the way to the beach, I’m in!

So I got up early on Sunday morning, fueled up with some good carbs, lean protein and half a cup of coffee and headed out the door to run with Race Pace for the first time in over a year. Was I crazy?? Why drive all that way, just to end up running by myself?

I could run by myself in my own neighborhood and at a more reasonable hour!

But God bless Lisa, she was as good as her word and she stayed with me the entire time. Normally, Lisa and I are pretty evenly matched. But with me recovering for so many months and trying to get back to my old self, she can run laps around me now! But she was recovering now too, so she let me set the pace and we had a very nice relaxing run.

It was great. Best time I’ve had running in a very long time, which I hadn’t expected. Like I said, I love the Team, but I am not at all a social runner. With a busy daytime schedule and a very young family, frequently, my run is the only Alone Time I get during the week and I love it like that…. Alone.

But Lisa is an ideal partner for me. We stick together, we run our course, we really like being together and we don’t expect each other to hold a conversation. We don’t see each other much outside of a workout and that’s ok with us too.

Thanks for getting me out there, Lisa! It was great!

And Christina and Rochelle stuck around and waited for us to come in!! Thanks Ladies, you rock!