Finding Happiness from Within: A Morning Reflection

As I woke up this morning, I could only think about happy thoughts. I woke with a smile in my heart and on my face. This is not an everyday occurrence but as I started to get out of bed this morning, I made a mental note of how good I felt.

As I started my daily routine and completing my morning workouts, it was truly a blessed feeling to be able to be here in this moment, to be present in all that I get to do in life. It isn’t always easy but it is most always worth it.

Happiness comes from within. There is not one other person on this earth who can make you happy or even steal your happiness, if you don’t allow it. Happiness is finding pleasure and meaning through your own thoughts and actions. It is joy-oriented and not dependent on external sources. True happiness stems from our inner being, rather than external events. If you are not happy with any part of your life, you only have yourself to blame and yourself to hold accountable for making the changes required to find your happiness, keep your happiness, and protect your happiness.

Build yourself up. Keep yourself up. and never let anyone tear you down.

And for the nah sayers…

Yes, you will have struggles along the way. Yes, the devil is out there looking for an opening to get his credits in upsetting your life. And yes, external influences can make us unhappy at times, but we have to hold ourselves accountable for allowing anything to truly steal our happiness.

Our day is ours to own! We should always try to start it on a positive note. Plan your morning ahead of time and try to plan for disruptions and handling them as they arise. Additionally, discover self-help techniques that help you resetting throughout the day in the event something does disrupt your happiness, and you need a refresh.

I understand that this is not always feasible, and I could write a thousand messages about the things that seem impossible. However, adopting that mindset sets you up for failure. If you identify as someone who constantly focuses on the negative, it’s essential to first address your mindset. Seek self-help resources or counseling to learn how to shift your perspective from negative to positive. It is genuinely possible, and you can discover happiness within yourself.

Have a joyful and happy day!

It’s been a Minute….

It has been a very long time since I have taken the time to put some thoughts together for blogging but here we are, making a new entry.

So if you are reading this, thanks for tuning in this morning. Many blessings to you today!

Since I last shared, I’ve taken an extended sabbatical from life—basically just coasting along like a lazy boat on a calm lake. But guess what? It’s high time for that to change! Recently, I’ve found a new focus and have been hustling to get my life back on track. The main culprit for my prolonged hibernation? Menopause—let me tell you, it’s been giving me a run for my money! Menopause is seriously no joking matter; daily, I find myself wondering why bother trying to be “normal” when I’m destined to trip over my own two feet anyway.

Seriously, of the 34 symptoms they mention, I’ve somehow managed to rack up 40! And yes, I may have thrown in a couple of my own, like ringing in the ears whenever someone speaks or the delightful feeling of wanting to kill a bitch every time I swing my legs out of bed!

On a bright note, I’m powering through! I’m absolutely convinced I can outsmart the Menopause Queen at her own game—can we say reigning champion of wishful thinking right here! Either way, what’s the worst that could happen? A little laughter never hurt anyone, right? – Speaking of, let me just say point out that jokes about menopause and PMS are never funny, PERIOD!

Not here to bore you to tears this morning! Just taking a quick pit stop to shower my blog with a little TLC. My goal? To spend a wee more time sharing, a little less time worrying and find some balance so we are not letting this whole menopause circus get us down. Aging isn’t for the faint of heart, but hey, let’s grab some popcorn and enjoy the show!

Thanks for taking a break from your busy schedule of scrolling through my ramblings!

Love to you all!

Land Between the Lakes 60k

LBL 60k

It’s been a long while since my last post, I guess life got in the way of my posting. I hope to do better at that this year but in the interim….

I wanted to share my celebration with you from my run at Land Between the Lakes 60k in Grand Rivers, Kentucky from last weekend

This race is truly one of my favorites. The race management team does a terrific job taking care of all the runners and providing a wonderful race experience. I can’t give enough praise here.

While this was my second time running this event, I feel I truly never know what to expect during an ultra. You train and plan, but you can’t predict how your body will do come race day. All in all, everything went smooth and I felt great most of the race.

The race starts out with a bit less than 2 miles road work before entering the trail head for 11.3 mile loop trail experience. For the 60k I completed 3 loops on the trail and the road out and back to finish. The trail itself is absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful lake views. The first half of the race is pretty flat but the second half provides some hills and nice elevation gain.

Due to the snow, cold temps, and wind, the race management team made the decision to push the start time back 2 hours from 6:30 start to 8:30 start. This would definitely be a challenge those running the 50 Mile distance as the finish time could not be pushed out. I was thankful at that moment that I had signed up for the 60k. The weather started out pretty cool at 21 degrees with a feels like temp of 8 degrees. Let’s not skip the 14 MPH winds. I was pretty comfortable starting the race in my winter leggings, 2 cold weather gear shirts and a toboggan but had shed the tobaggan and outer layer shirt after the first loop.

The first loop I wanted to take it easy and let my body coast through the experience without any pushing. I knew it was a long race and I didn’t want to wear myself down by going out hard and crazy. The second loop I let my body continue to lead me and went a little quicker pace and it felt really good. By the third loop I was feeling a wee tired but still in great spirits, strong body and strong mind. The hardest part was the road trip back to the finish. The wind was strong, my feet were heavy, the trail shoes on road wasnt smooth and there was plenty of uphill road climb that my body didn’t want to see. We pushed through!

Nutrition was good and never felt icky, hungry or overly bloated as I sometimes do when trying to stay well hydrated. Midway through the race I did start having some anxiety for some reason, not sure what that was about as I don’t typically get anxious. I kept practicing breathing exercises throughout the race to keep the anxious feelings down.

At the end of the race was lots of food choices; chili, pastas, cookies, cakes, and so much more.

My finish time ended up at 7:48, taking 47 minutes off my 2019 finish. I did not know my previous finish time going into the race and wasn’t really pushing to beat my previous time but it was a sweet treat at the end of the day to know your training paid off so well.

I have a big year planned for 2022 with lots of training and racing. Life is definitely a beautiful experience, our personal journey and footprint 👣 on the world. While my footprints are small, they pack big meaning in my heart.

Thank you all for your support and your encouragement.

My First Ultra Marathon

February 9th – A place in history

• 1971 Feb 9, Apollo 14 returns to earth.
• 1974 Feb 9, US female Figure Skating championship was won by Dorothy Hamill.
• 1985 Feb 9, Madonna’s album “Like a Virgin” reached #1.
• 1986 Feb 9, Halley’s Comet reached 30th perihelion, its closest approach to Sun.
• 1997 Feb 9, Fox cartoon series “Simpsons” aired its 167th episode, the longest running animated series in cartoon history.
• 1998, Feb 9, 10″ of snow fall in Louisville, KY.
• 2009, Feb 9, Thirty Mummies Discovered at Saqqara.
• 2014, Feb 9, Legal Rights Extended for Same-Sex Couples.
• 2019, Feb 9, the day I ran my first Ultramarathon. 

Whether it be our first job, our first paycheck, a wedding date, or child’s birthday, we all have something we remember. A time in history that something significant took place in our lives and we were forever changed.  For me, February 9th 2019 has forever carved a place in my heart as the day I completed my first ultramarathon.

Training

Let me start by saying that while I was born at the end of December, I am not a winter person at all!  I honestly have no idea what I was thinking when I signed up to run a winter Ultra, clearly it wasn’t the smartest thing I had done in life.

Other than it raining every weekend, being cold every weekend, snowing on the weekends it wasn’t raining, still being cold every weekend, and basically just hating life, training was great.  I had a training plan that I rarely followed for one reason or another. I was sick for  one full week of training. We also had some pretty major holidays thrown in there with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s… and this girl likes to eat, shop, drink, and eat, shop and drink some more.  Yet somehow I always found a way to get it in.

As the old saying goes, “If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way. If not, you will find an excuse.”

Race Day 

 

It’s cold, dark, and 18 degrees, lets fake smile and take a selfie.

My biggest plan for race day was to be prepared. I spent the evening before laying out my clothes, pinning on my number, packing my gear, checking and rechecking everything. Just making sure I was packed and ready. The biggest preparation was to get to bed early and try to sleep.  As you know, this isn’t always easy the night before any big event, but I did get to bed around 10 PM and managed to sleep pretty good.

Race morning started pretty  much like any other morning with the exception that I was about to run for a very, very, very long time. The longest I had ever ran!

I arrived at the Horine Center around 6:45 to check out the scene and see who might be taking an early start. Upon arrival I realized I forgot the one thing I would need in order to take an early start, a headlamp, so definitely no early start for this gal since sunrise didn’t occur until around 7:40. So fate has decided I will take the 8 AM start which was perfect since I had enough to think about already.  Which was actually pushed to 8:30 AM due to some icy roads and racers having trouble getting to the race site.

THE RACE IS ON…

Runner #369 is ready! or at least as ready as she is going to be….

It was a cold start but it really was not unbearable. Maybe it was just the energy of race day and the excitement to finally become an Ultra runner.

At the start of the race I sort of hung back and let a bit of the pack get started. I didn’t want to get caught up in the herd, and I wanted to ensure the faster runners got out ahead of me. My goal was to finish, not to be in the way of the truly competitive souls who were on their way to stardom.

I learned that I am good for about 2 hours of running. After that I start picking at every little thing and thinking about every little ache.  I also learned that if you don’t keep the tube of your water supply warm, it will freeze in 18 degree temps. I figured out how to tuck in into my shirt early on to keep it warm with my body temperature.

I began having some shoe issues early on. My right shoe was rubbing against my metatarsal and my backup pair was at the drop station at mile 21, the start of the Scott’s Gap Loop. Luckily I had pack some tape in my hydration pack and was able to tape my foot to help with the rubbing.  It didn’t stop but it helped quite a bit. I swapped out my shoes upon arriving at the Scott’s Gap Loop.

Most of the race was good. There were a lot of hills but I did all of my long training runs on the race trails to I would know what to expect on race day. It was my biggest advantage for sure.

The toughest part of the race…

—was the Scott’s Gap Loop. It took 1:00:18 (18:45 min/mile) to complete, far longer than it had taken on any of my training runs. It was also the only time during the race that I thought about quitting. All of the rain the week before the race was rough on this section of the course. Not only is it the steepest part of the course, it was horribly muddy. An additional factor that I lead to my slowed pace was the my bad decision to take trekking poles for this part of the course. I am not super experienced at running with trekking poles, and they were probably more of a hindrance than a help.  I found myself being very reliant on them and wanted to walk/hike far more than I wanted to run. However, that could also be just the fact that I was super tired and this section is super tough.

Coming out of the Scott’s Gap Loop, I took a very long break. I had about 8 to 9 miles back to the finish line and I wasn’t sure I had the strength to get through it. So I sat there chatting, sipping beef broth, eating some nuts and mentally preparing myself for the trek back. After a while I felt I might be able to make it and headed back out on the trails.

Shortly after starting the route back, a group of 4 strangers forged a bond while working together to complete the journey to the finish line.  All of us dealing with our own struggles, pains, and even some inner demons, but none of us were willing to give up. We chatted for the next several miles, getting to know one another as we passed the time trying not to  think about the struggles of the run itself.

Aaron, Ali, David and myself finished the race as a team. I am very thankful to have met these new friends out on the trails and wish them lots of happy trails as they continue to work on their running journeys. I hope our paths cross again someday, maybe next year at the Louisville Lovin’ the Hills.

 

That’s a lot of Elevation!

My closing thoughts  – I completed my first Ultra Marathon and I feel so blessed. Nothing compares to the feeling you get when you have achieved something you have worked so hard at.

The poster my family made for me while I was out on the trails.

 

To be badass, you have to train like a badass!

 

January Monthly Challenge Reflection

As mentioned in my early January post, part of my 2019 New Year’s Resolution was to commit to a different monthly fitness challenge each month. January’s fitness challenge was the “#100AbChallenge” by Blogilates, and it was both tough and enlightening.

Let me start by saying this is the biggest ab challenge I have ever committed to and I really enjoyed it. At first I was hesitant and unsure of myself. Can I really complete 100 reps a day? Can I fit this in with my regular workout and running routines? How will I stay accountable? What if I fail?

See how easy it is to start letting doubt and negativity sabotage your workouts before you even get started?

I soon realized that I was looking for excuses before I even hit the mat. In order to do this I had to change my attitude and my way of thinking. I started thinking about all of my accomplishments that have gotten me to this point and how hard those goals seemed at the time.

To overshare, my first attempt at running or should I say a running motion, was in my early 30’s in the basement of my home. It was quite interesting needless to say but I dare not risk humiliation in the streets with these clumsy legs. After all, I had not run since I was a little girl and only with my brother chasing me down with some monstrous toy, and even then I would trip and get eaten by the monster.

So, just like before with my basement runs, I had to take each day with a can-do attitude and believe in myself.  Sure enough, I can do 100 reps of ab workouts every day!

There were only 3 days in January that I was unable or should I say, unwilling to complete the daily exercise. Each of these was big run days 17, 18 and 20 mile runs. I used the excuse that my body needed to rest. Let me say that it was never a good idea to do this. The punishment was 200 reps the next day to make up for rest day. Did I mention this is never a good idea???

In short, January’s challenge was overall a success. I enjoyed it for the most part, at the very least the feeling of accomplishment. While the progress is slow, I do see a bit of improvement in appearance and in strength.  It is going to be a great year and I am looking forward to the next 11 months of challenges.

If you are interested in checking out the “#100AbChallenge” you can find a monthly schedule at Blogilates. You can also YouTube 100Ab Challenge for how-to video’s. I plan to continue to incorporate several of these exercises in my daily workouts.

For February my commitment is to 2 challenges:

• 28 day water challenge – 8 glasses of water/day
• 28 day Thigh Slimming Challenge –

If you have any great challenges that you are working on, I would love to hear about them and quite possibly even try a couple of them out over the course of 2019. Please share!

Until next time, keep on keeping on!

January Running Summed Up

January running summed up on one page. These are just the numbers, the memories are in the heart.

Take time to reflect on your goals and accomplishments, its great motivation for future goals.

I would love to hear about a goal you conquered recently! Please share in comments.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Some of my friends think I am crazy, some say I am obsessed, and others simply find it amazing.

All of the above is true. While sometimes these comments are not intended as compliments, it is a compliment to me. I am crazy and obsessed. There’s is nothing wrong with either of these things and I embrace each of those comments and compliments.

And yes, it is very amazing. I wake up everyday knowing that I will make fitness a priority in my day. I will run and I will workout. I refuse to let anything stand in the way of my health and happiness.

My life is great and I am so very blessed to be on this amazing journey. This is my journey, my life and my story. We all have a journey, and our own story, live yours and be proud. Embrace those comments that sometimes seem like insults, make everything a positive and don’t let anyone wreck your journey.

To all of the compliments and comments, say thank you! I do.

New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions

– the to-do list (or not to-do list) for our lives. It is the time of year we all make a list of things we want to fail at within the first few weeks of the new year.  At least that is the case for many of us.

Studies show that 80% of resolutions fail by February and many fail the first week. The reasons for failure vary but most often it is because we tend to make resolutions without a plan for success. 

Some of the most common resolutions include exercising more, losing weight, saving more money, learning a new skill, taking up a new hobby, quitting smoking, cutting out alcohol and/or drugs, travel more and to spend more time with family.

While I like the idea behind new year’s resolutions, most people use the new year’s resolutions as a means for procrastinating change throughout the year and to save it for this one grand day. As if this day has some sort of magical power that will guarantee success. 

With 80% of New Year resolutions failing by February, are we taking our resolutions seriously? Are we setting realistic expectations? Or is it all a game? A game we play with ourselves to see just how long we can withstand the torture before we resort back to the status quo, the rut, the comfort zone. It is almost as if we do not take our lives, our goals, and our plans seriously enough to make them a success.

That is not to say that everyone who makes a new year’s resolution is doomed to failure, Studies show that about 8% of resolutions are achieved with great success.
My tips for success:

1. Start small – taking on a large goal is tempting but it is also a sure fire way to fail. Break larger goals into smaller steps whenever possible.
2. Set clear goals – be clear and specific about what you want to achieve.
3. Write it down – written goals have a higher chance for success than those stored in memory.
4. Plan – start every day off with a plan for getting one step closer to your goal.
5. Track progress – tracking your success is very important to motivation and results.
6. Envision success – Envision a day in the future where you have attained success and how you will celebrate.
7. Find an accountability partner – whether it’s a coworker, friend, spouse, or mentor; it is much easier to follow through on your plan if you have a partner to help motivate you and hold you accountable.
8. Don’t let a sense of failure stop you – everyday is an opportunity for success. If you have a bad day, don’t give up – Dust yourself off and start again.
9. Reward yourself – set milestones for rewards. If your goal is to cut out soda, then find a way to reward yourself for meeting that goal at regular intervals.

I personally tend to shy away from new year’s resolutions and opt for regular goals throughout the year to help me grow and evolve. I don’t always succeed but I have learned that I do far better if I follow the steps.  With that being said, I have decided to place myself in the resolution swimming pool to see if I sink or swim. Personally, I think resolutions can be very good for you if you follow the basic rules listed above, and stay focused. So this year I am going to set two resolutions.

My New Year’s Resolutions:

1. I resolve to take on a new fitness challenge each month – I often start the month great and fail about day 5. My problem is that I put running first and by the time I finish my run I begin to make excuses. This year I am following the steps I listed above and have some solid plans in place to help me stay motivated and focused.  I will post the results at the end of each month to share with you. Which brings me to resolution #2 –
2. I resolve to write at least one blog post a month – I enjoy writing but again tend to start making excuses right away.  However, I am committed to this resolution and by tying it back to my first resolution, I already have a plan in place. You are my accountability partners.

January challenge

I am starting January with “100AbChallenge” where I will complete 100 reps each day of a different ab exercise. Today is day 2 and my abs are already feeling it but I think I can do it. I have joined a team for motivation, support and accountability. I will reward myself at the end of January with a new fitness item to be determined later. I am excited to see how well it goes and I will provide an update at the end of the challenge.

In Closing – 

I want to say thank you all for the motivation to keep going and the motivation to push myself even hard in 2019.  I can already tell that it is going to be a great year and I look forward to the journey.

Please share what works for you. I am itching to see what resolutions you have made, how you plan to achieve success, and how you will reward yourself along the way.

Cheers to 2019! and all it has to offer us!!

 

 

2018 Wrap-up

With only 4 days left in 2018 it seems like a good time to do a bit of reflection. In short, 2018 has had a few ups and downs, but a terrific year overall. Many of you already know that I had to stop running in November 2017 as the plantar fasciitis had just become far too difficult to bear. It had a long 3 years of physical therapy, taping, stretching, rolling, shots and so much more, but with no relief. However, I had just completed a very important personal goal to run every day for a year.

I ended up running 474 days in all before having to call it quits. In those 474 days I ran 2,141 miles with a daily average of 4.5 miles per day and a total elevation gain of 46,565 ft. If I had ran all of those miles non-stop it would have taken me 18 days, 1 hour, 22 minutes and 4 seconds. In all honesty, that could never happen, at least not for me, I would have quit about 6 hours in for sure.

While I was truly elated with my achievements, it was also very hard to realize that I could not keep running in the shape I was in. It had become difficult to even get out of bed in the morning, to have to actually think before standing, and even to crawl at times to get to where I needed to go in the house.

To heal my body I took some time off from running but it was already too late for rest and recovery. The only chance I had to return to running was surgery. I had surgery on March 2, 2018 and as released to return to running in mid-April. Docs orders: take it slow and ease back into it. As you know, those are not words that we runners comprehend very well. So, in true runner fashion, I overdid it and had a little setback. That 4.5 mile run ended up being my only run in April 2018.

Finally returning to running again on May 1, 2018, I took it much slower, did fewer miles and had much better results. I ended up running 57 miles total in May and setting 4 personal records according to Strava. I have no ideas what those records could have been, probably running the slowest I have ever run in my life.

That’s right, I was slow… very slow… much slower than I had ever run before but I was running and I was happy. I was no longer spending 20 minutes taping my feet before going for a run and I was even able to standup without having to think about my feet before doing so.

For the next couple of weeks I just took it slow, ran at the pace my body wanted to run and stopped before my feet had a chance to feel any pain, tiredness or discomfort. I had run a couple of 5k’s and was working on training for a couple of half marathons and the Indy Monumental Marathon.

By July I had the itch to return to daily running but still wasn’t fully committed. I gave it a shot but quit 5 days in. In August I think I made it a full 10 days, impressive right – LOL. Finally in September I was able to commit fully and continue the streak, currently 118 days in as of today.

Overall it was a pretty big year for me and I couldn’t be happier. I was able to return to running stronger than I had been in years; I had a couple of PR’s runs and was able to return to streak running. Below is the list of races I completed in 2018, and I hope to complete even more in 2019.

2018 Race Results
Date	Race	Time	Division Place	Overall Place
5/18/2018	Wally Bright 5k bake-off	28:41.9	1	48
6/19/2018	Iroquois Pizza Pig Out 5K	28:29.0	Unknown	52
7/17/2018	Iroquois Ice Cream Social 5K	28:08.9	1	74
7/28/2018	Iroquois Midnight Climb 3.5 miles	31:46.4	1	53
7/28/2018	Kiwanis 4 Miler	34:14.0	2	86
8/4/2018	St. Matthews Street Festival 5k	26:09	2	56
8/21/2018	Iroquois Toys for Tots 5K	28:15.0	Unknown	Unknown
9/8/2018	Lake Cumberland Half	2:16:25.6	1	54
9/11/2018	Gaslight Festival 5k	25:48.0	3	114
9/15/2018	Humana Inspire Health 5K	25:59.0	Unknown	91
9/29/2018	KY History Half Marathon	1:56:02	2	67
9/30/2018	Downtown Doubler – 30K	2:56:02.9	6	72
10/6/2018	Bowman Field 4 Miler	35:48.6	2	70
10/12/2018	Bourbon Chase	Blah	Blah	Blah
10/27/2018	Pumpkin Spice 5k	28:47.4	3	49
11/3/2018	Indy Monumental Marathon	4:21:10	112	2618
11/23/2018	Iroquois Thanksgiving Day 5 miler	43:18.9	4	202

I have wrapped-up my races for 2018 and I am very much looking forward to the challenges of 2019. I have some big races coming up in early 2019 and look forward to seeing what this body can do as I attempt new adventures, longer distances, and hopefully even more PR’s. I also plan to continue with streak running for all of 2019!!

I would love to hear what you have on the horizon for the new year. What new adventures await you?

As always, keep running my friends!

Getting Back To It

Getting back to it –

After a long time off, both from running and blogging, I am slowly making my way back. There is nothing I love doing more than running. It is the glue that holds me together and keeps me going.  

After a long time off and my foot surgery in March, I hit a rut and just felt totally unmotivated. My overall well being was off kilter. While the surgery was nothing major, it was enough to take me out of the running circuit for a while and put me in front of the television with bon bons and Dr. Phil. It has been a long road to recovery but I am getting back to normal and it feels great.

Yesterday I ran my first marathon since surgery. Ironically it was also the last race that I ran before calling it quits for surgery and recovery.  As you can see in the finish times, it was like running two totally different races. 

My time for the Indy Monumental for 2017 versus 2018:

• 2017 finish time 5:11:29
• 2018 finish time 4:21:10

Shaving off 50 minutes from the race was not expected. Honestly going into the race I felt less prepared this year than in 2017. I had put in far more training miles, felt in a good place with my training and my soul. What I learned is that while I can be physically and mentally prepared, continuing to run with injuries will eventually catch up to you and take you down at a moment when you least expect it.  

Indy Monumental 2017 was very sad and humbling. It was great to have this race as my first marathon post surgery and healing, and to redeem myself on this course. I look forward to 2019!!

 

Thank you Indy for a great race!!

 

Run the County – Boyle & Hardin County

RWhat a busy couple of weeks. Amazing how fast summer gets away from us and we are left wondering where the time has gone.  That is always the case for me but I am happy to share that I have completed races in two more counties over the past couple of weeks.

Both races were beautiful, yet different in many ways.

McDowell Wellness Center 10K – Boyle County

This particular race was in beautiful Danville, KY. It has been about 18 years since I last visited Danville, my how things change. Driving through downtown was just more beautiful than I had remembered and ever so peaceful so early in the morning.

I took my youngest two daughters with me on this short excursion. I love crossing the finish line and seeing them cheering me on. Their support and cheers are just the best.

I also won a pretty cool hat for first place finish in age bracket.  

We finished off our trip to Danville with a late breakfast at Grace Cafe before heading home.  A sweet little place that supports local farmers.  The food was delicious and extremely filling.

 

USA Cares Heroes 10K Run – Radcliffe, KY – Hardin County

This particular race is a very special race. The hills in this race are a bit challenging and at times you feel like your going to die before you get over that hill. It is amazing the conversations you have with yourself when you are trying to push through some of the hardest shit of your life – at least it feels like it at the time.  You pray for anything and everything – please god if you let me get over this hill before another runner passes me I will give up Twinkies for a week, okay two weeks, okay you win ~ I wont eat another Twinkie all year.  Then you realize what you just did – you agreed to give up Twinkies???, what were you thinking?!?!? – you begin to pray for someone to pass you because you know you can’t give up Twinkies. You even slow down (as if a crawl isn’t slow enough) to ensure a runner passes. Then you begin to thank god for letting a runner pass you and ensuring you can eat a Twinkie when you are done!

In all seriousness, this race is tough but beautiful, and well worth the drive from anywhere in Kentucky. It supports a great cause – our heroes and veterans – and the people are just some of the nicest you will ever meet.   I love running but love the people I meet more. Sharing a few brief sentences with a fellow runner is sometimes just the perfect push when your running against ‘the wall.’

I also collected some cool bling – first place age group and third place overall female.

Two more counties marked of my “Run the County” goal. Truly blessed to be a runner.
 

Owensboro 10 Miler – Thank You Daviess County for a great Run!

Some time ago I created a blog to share my running experiences with others. I have done very poorly at keeping a steady stream of posts and every month I promise to do better – I continue to fail significantly.  I am still hoping it will eventually stick – please be patient.

With that being said, I want to share with you my Owensboro 10 miler experience from this past weekend. A race that I nearly missed turned into a very tearful 2 hour ride that would leave me feeling so many emotions.

The trip started out as normal as any other – up early and flying around the house like a mad woman to gather my belongings, then out the door with toothbrush and shoes in hand. Someday I will get the hang of this running thing and actually put my “flat Tammy” out the night before like normal people – or maybe not, lol.

Anyway, I settle in and get the cruise set for the 2 hours journey from Louisville to Owensboro. I search the radio for some uplifting music to get the blood pumping and to keep me awake at 5 AM but no such luck, so I stumble on some Saturday morning talk radio – not what I had in mind but lets see what this guy has to talk about.

The gentleman speaker began to tell a story about a crash that occurred some 30 years ago. He has captured my attention and I was listening intently to what he had to say. He went on to talk a bit about his life as an instructor at Evansville University and a bit about the history of Air Indiana Flight 216, a tragic crash that occurred on December 13, 1977. I sat there, cruising down the highway, listening to the  narrated story of how the plane crashed within seconds of take-off. Drying my eyes did very little to help, the water works just kept coming as if it just happened that morning. Part of me wanted to change the station but the other part of me wouldn’t dare let that happen.

I continued to listen as he shared the story of how all but 1 member of the 1977 Purple Aces Basketball team were on the plane and all aboard the plane died in the crash. As if this was not tragic enough, just two weeks later the only member of the basketball team who was not on the DC-3 was killed after being hit by a drunk driver. The entire 1977 Purple Aces Basketball team was gone.

I have lost many loved ones in my 45 years of life but today I was crying like all of these players, whom I didn’t even know, were my own family. My mind wandered to visions of young men playing basketball, earning their achievements, and the joyous lives they lived. I couldn’t help but want to hug their parents and pray for their nightmare to end. This went on for much of my ride.

I finally made it to my destination – Owensboro 10 Miler. I arrived a bit early due to the hour time difference that escaped me, but it was a very good thing as I needed some time to pull it together and get ready for the race. I spent a few minutes upon arrival to reflect in silence on my ride and how truly blessed my life is.

Before the race start, I say a little prayer of thanks for my tearful ride, my safe travels, my blessings as a runner. and for the 1977 Purple Aces Basketball team. While their lives were taken far too soon, the tragic story of these young heroes should never be forgotten.

Without dragging this out too far, I had met two other Mom’s from the MRTT running group – a group of wonderful runners that brings my life so much joy. I was still in a blur upon meeting up with my fellow running Moms but was happy to see them. Truth be told, I was still in a blur through quite a bit of the run but it was a blessing to be running.

As many of you know, it is a personal goal to run a race in every county in Kentucky – yes you read correctly – all 120 counties.  The Owensboro 10 Miler marked Daviess County from my list.

We all had a great run and finished strong. I finished the race and took first place in my age bracket. A fellow running Mom took second in her age bracket. While the race finish was far more than I could ever hope for, I can’t help but think about the young men who never had the chance to finish their goals. These young men I never knew were far more than basketball players, they were heroes to all who knew them, and to so many that have followed after them. They are heroes to me.

The movie of this tragic event will be released later this year, and you can bet I will be crying through the entire viewing. If you have any interest in seeing the movie, it is called From the Ashes. On a side note, I have no ties to this movie, other than personal interest.

Happy running! Count those blessings!