My 32 minutes

I know running in a 5K is no sweat for some of you. In fact some of you are probably laughing at me for even making a goal to do so. I however am no runner. In fact I have absolutely hated running for most of my life. The only time in my life I have ever ran is in P.E. when my teachers made me. Let me tell you I hated them for it.

Recently, I have started running as part of my cardio. I don't hate it anymore, but I certainly don't love it either. I made a goal to run in a 5k. I asked my Dad to be my running partner. He has been running for as long as I can remember. I thought it would be a great father/daughter thing. I don't get many father/daughter moments anymore since the babies have come along. I loved having that time with him.

Saturday, we ran in the Race for the Cure. It was an amazing experience. I will admit every year I pay my money, but I have never actually shown up on race day.I now know why so many people attend every year. The atmosphere was so uplifting. Everywhere you looked people were wearing shirts, carrying banners, or wearing signs to remember or honor a loved one who fought the fight of breast cancer. They even released doves right before the start of the race. Simply beautiful.

I was very nervous about the race. I really didn't know if I could run the whole thing or not. Unfortunately, the weather has not cooperated lately and I was unable to get any actual outdoor running practice in before the race. I knew the outdoor conditions would be much different than my practice on the treadmill. I have been including incline into my workout, but again had been warned that the hills along the course would be a challenge.

When we took off I figured out pretty quickly that my Dad planned to run much faster than I did. I made it through the first mile fairly easily, but began to panic when I realized my Dad wasn't planning to slow down. I kept going. I could see the two mile mark. I kept telling myself I could do it. I wanted to do it. And then I just couldn't. We passed the two mile mark. I was worn out. I was sweating like crazy. I couldn't breathe. My legs hurt.I was so thirsty. I wanted nothing more than to stop running and just walk. My Dad was such an awesome cheerleader. He kept encouraging me. He sang army songs to me. He kept telling me how old he was and that I couldn't let him beat me. He wasn't going to give up on me. He wasn't going to let me quit.

As awesome as my Dad was there was one thing that kept my legs moving. Or should I say one person. Jean Pharr. My beyond amazing Sunday School teacher. In the back of my mind I kept thinking of her and the amazing strength she has shown in her fight against cancer. She is the bravest, strongest, most courageous woman I know. She is fighting for her life and she is doing it with grace and strength. I kept thinking in my mind, if Jean can fight each day for her life than I can fight to finish this race. I never stopped running because of Jean. I give her complete and total credit for helping me achieve my goal. Without her strength I never would have ran across that finish line. Thank you Jean. I feel truly blessed that you are sharing your life with me. I know I speak for every member of our Sunday school class when I say we love you!

As for me and my running career... I am not finished. Now that I know I can do it, I plan to do it again. Who knows Amy might just talk me into another 5k real soon.