13.1

Last Saturday I ran the Spinx 1/2 marathon here in Greenville. Jay and I both trained for the 1/2, but then we decided I would run it and he would bring the kids to watch. (He mapped out and ran his own 1/2 early one morning a week or so beforehand.) This is my 3rd half marathon and I really do enjoy them. It's a challenging distance, but not so crazy far that I'm injuring myself or anything. The most difficult part is having the time for training. We've pretty much given up every Saturday morning for the past few months for us to take turns doing long runs and my kids are a little tired of going to the gym.

The most challenging part during the race is usually more mental than physical. I don't run with music or anything. It gives me time to think and pray. I thank God for my legs, for my lungs, that I physically can run. The morning of the race, I was very thankful for the beautiful weather since it had been raining up until 6am that day. I pray for Jay and our kids. If I start feeling really tired or discouraged, I tell myself that if one of my children was at the end of this race and needed me, I know I could run there. I tell myself that this lasts a lot less and hurts a lot less than labor. I repeat phrases to myself, like "just keep running." or "I am strong. i am healthy." This may all sound crazy....but my point is that you just have to get your head in the game. So I'm glad I ran this half. My goal is always 2 hours or less; this time I finished in 1 hr 59 mins! And it sure was great to see Jay and the kids at the very end!!