Greater Louisville Recap

this past weekend was fabulous in every sense of the word:

the leaves were turning orange. fabulous!
the air was crisp in my lungs. fabulous!
the sun warmed my nose and the wind stung my cheeks. fabulous!
the girls, we became more of a family. fabulous!
the race, this is secondary, but it went fantastic. fabulous!
my eyes, they were opened to so much Goodness and Light. FABULOUS!

training is going so well right now even though we are increasing volume workouts and mileage. we are at an advantage when it comes to longer races, which will be good here in about a month when we run SEC's.

my legs felt pretty good going into the race this week. unlike the home meet, my legs were loose and my head was in the right frame of mind-race mode.

the morning of the race was ideal. 2 pieces of cinnamon raisin toast with pb and cream cheese with a small peach yogurt for breakfast, and a cup of joe (of course).

race time. the gun goes off and nothing else mattered. from the get go i was being elbowed and i was elbowing to get out. i went out in 5:38 for the first mile, i was pleased with this. however, after i hit the mile i fell asleep and became content with my place in the race though i was still moving up. mile 2 comes around and my legs are hurting pretty bad, but i know i have to hold on. my teammates are counting on me, i have to trust my fitness. so i put on my big girl pants and run fast. the last mile was incredible. i was hurting, i remember the hurt, yet it felt so good. vandy was in front in their pink jerseys, 4 of them. there was no way i could let 4 of them beat me. so i went after it. kentucky was in front of me, 2 of them. so i went to work. only 3 vandy and 1 georgia in front of me at the end of the race. i learned how to fight back and race from mile 2 to 3. every time a girl wanted to pass me, i went with her and surged back until she broke passing people on my way. i think i worked my way up about 15 places that last mile. i was so excited in crossing the line in 17:42 in 28th (even though it was 3 places from podium) it didn't matter, i PR'd for the first time in 2 years. i literally collapsed at the finish, what an horribly amazing feeling. :)

the best part was i had my family waiting for me at the finish. i am so fortunate to have a fan base like the one i do. family, thank you so much for being there for me every step of the way. i love you.

mom, dad, and me

me and loren on the bus to BJ's Brewhouse

me and my sister, audrey.

in the hotel before friday warm-up

my family, my support, my backbone.

this morning we had a long run and you think i would get used to/take for granted the sunrise that i get to see each morning, but i don't. somehow, each morning i am amazed that God has chosen to give us another day. if you are not fortunate to see the sun rise every morning while watching the stars disappear one by one and the moon shrink of into the sky as the sun takes over, you are truly missing out on one of the world's greatest gifts. this morning was no different than every other monday morning, 12 miles at 5:30, pitch black under the stars and a crescent moon, yet when that first bit of orange turns the night sky into a calm pink and purple, a smile erupts on my face as i am reminded how insignificant i am compared to the master plan of God, yet he chooses to wake me up and use me. "every morning the sunrise says i'm madly in love with you" (sean mcconnell's "madly in love with you")

running into the Light,

r.