The Soda Screamer 13.1

Now for the race!

Another LONG post

Our race started and ended in a little park just outside of the main part of town. Since it was a Halloween type of race, a lot of the runners were dressed in Halloween costumes, which was kind of fun. It was a tad chilly, but absolutely perfect weather for running. Something I didn't know before the race was that almost 4 miles of the race would be trail running up and down a bunch of steep hills. Now, I trained on flat paved roads and only went up and down a pretty steep dip 4 or five times during training so trail running was a bit of a challenge. Anyway here's an overview of the race.

Mile 1: I felt really good. My muscles were starting to warm up and really warmed up on heartbreak hill. Running up all of those hills was a killer.
Mile 2: Still feeling good. We passed Superman so that's saying something. :) We were at a really good pace and things were warming up.
Mile 3: Grabbed a drink, ran through some muddy areas and up and down some more hills, but things were still going great and our pace was still pretty strong.
Mile 4: Just happy to be running.
Mile 5: Urges to throw-up come on. I have never gotten sick while running. Chelsie and I had run 10 miles the week before and I had felt great the entire time and I still had energy at the end of our run to pick up the pace. I figured feeling sick would pass and everything would be fine, but it seemed to get worse with every mile.
Mile 5: Still wanting to puke.
Mile 6: Had a GU and some Gatorade, which made me feel a little better.
Mile 7: We hit the end of the road on the course where we were supposed to turn around and run back the way we came. This area was so beautiful! The weather was overcast with the sun peaking through the clouds occasionally and the air was crisp and full of the smell of sagebrush.
Mile 8: Feeling a lot better from the GU and Gatorade, but still needing to stop and walk quite a bit.
Mile 9: We were back on a trail out in the middle of nowhere, next to a canal and it was once again, beautiful.
Mile 10: Back on a paved road and abandoned by my sister :)
When Chelsie and I had planned to train for this we planned to run the race separately, but when we ran together for training we were pulling out faster miles than she had previously done so she knew she could beat her past times from other races. It may have also helped that I begged her to run it with me because I get so bored running alone. Isn't she SO nice?
Half-way through mile 10 I was so close to tears because 1. I was so disappointed in myself and frustrated that I couldn't pull myself out of the rut 2. I was holding Chelsie back from her goal and 3. Well I felt like crap. I told Chelsie that I needed her to leave me so she could get her time. At first she didn't want to because she is too nice and was worried about me, but I assured her I'd make it and that she needed to go! She picked up her pace and was soon out of sight.
Mile 11: I started talking to myself A LOT and praying to try and get my body to do what my mind wanted it to do. I was only able to run about .25-.5 miles at a time without walking, but I figured as long as I was moving forward, it didn't matter.
Mile 12: I could see Chelsie about a 1/2 mile ahead of me and I decided I'd try and run as much I could to catch up. That didn't last long. :)
Mile 13: I started thinking about how blessed I am. The fact that I was out there in the middle of nowhere running as far as I was running was amazing. I was so grateful for the legs that carried me through those past 12 miles and for the heart that was beating in my chest, and for the hot air I was breathing out of my lungs and the crisp air coming in. I prayed a lot in the last mile asking Heavenly Father to help me to be able to make it and to have the ability to be proud of myself when it was all over even though the race wasn't going how I wanted it to.

The last stretch: I came around the corner where I saw the finish line and Chelsie running toward me. She came up next to me, grabbed me by the elbow, and started cheering me on. She told me I was doing so great and that I could do it! This helped me to push my feet into the ground as hard as I could. The finish line seemed like it was SO far away and I did think to myself 'So this is what Hell feels like', but Chelsie being there to push me forward was such a blessing and I got there! I couldn't believe I had done it! I was so relieved to be done and very happy. I sat down to stretch and got very emotional. I couldn't help, but feel so blessed.

I know that Heavenly Father helped me through the entire race and that he helps all of us get through other races in life. Whether it be the race of going to school, work or working through any tough problems in life, he's always there, watching over us and pushing us through. He also sends us wonderful people/angels throughout those races and challenges. They are right by our sides so none of us are alone and we can make it to the finish. Life is so good.