Jog'r Egg Nog'r: The Results

 

When I first thought about this post last week, prior to the race, I had imagined me saying something about how tough the race was and how I hated every minute of it.   I am not a long distance runner. I am a sprinter. I do not enjoy running. I enjoy aerobics. I don't workout to be able to eat what I want. I just eat what I want, in moderation. I didn't run this race with an "I'm going to give up" mentality. I ran this race with a "I'm so thankful to be alive and have the opportunity to run this race" mentality.   After the tramatic event that occured in Connecticut on Friday I took on this race with a completely new mind set. Everytime I felt like quitting. Everytime I felt like just calling it quits and having someone pick me up (yes, that really crossed my mind). Everytime my hips throbbed and my feet felt as though they were about to fall off I thought about what happened in Connectitcut.    Running 9.3 miles takes quite a bit of time. For me 1 hour and 50 minutes to be exact. In that time period I began to drown out my music and think. Mostly on my mind was the massacure that occured the previous day. Hopeless children who had their lives taken from them. Teachers who risked their lives for their kids. And here I was running, running in a race I didn't even want to run in.    I felt selfish to even, for one moment, complain. With every complaint came the thought of those kids. They should have lived to run a race. It wasn't fair for me to complain. It just wasn't.    Sometimes in life we all complain of things that really aren't that bad. Did I like running this race? No, not at all. I was in pain, I am still in pain, and I need help getting up from a chair, or the toilet for that matter. But, how can I complain of such a silly thing? I can't.   While running I thought about how blessed I am to have the physical ability to even compete in this race. I am blessed the be able to get out there and run, breath, see, and finish. This race taught me that in life there are going to be many things that I don't want to do, or I don't like to do.   

The girls of the race. Only Lauren (#611) and I braved the 15k. She rocked it!

Chris's Mom, Terry, Lauren, his Aunt Cordel, and me after the race.

My husband is SO encouraging, even when I complain. He always sees the good in every situation.

The couples of the race. Love birds :)

The starting line...du-du-dunnn.

And we're off...

God's work is so amazing. White Rock Lake on a gorgeous Saturday morning. #nofilter

 From now on I am going to try and live my life giving thanks everyday for what I have been given. I am going to squeeze Chris tighter, even when we fight. I am going to say "I love you" and mean it everytime, not just say it out of habit. I am going to work on complaining less, and praising more. And when we do have kids one day, I am going to cherish every moment as if it were the last.   The Jog'r Egg Nog'r will forever be a race that taught me a life lesson. Well, a couple life lessons: I am not a distance runner, and to live life everyday as if it were your last.   My prayers continue to go out to the familes who lost loved ones on Friday, and the town of Newton, Connecticut.