Ants in Your Pants 5K

On May 4th I got to run a race that my friend put together as a fundraiser for her kid's school.  I had a great time with my running friends, and placed for the first time in a race.  Terry's friend Robert woke up early on his day off, and spent the morning taking pictures.  A fun filled morning supporting a friend!

Capitol 10K

We forgot to take a picture, and I haven't decided if I am going to purchase the official picture.  I had the pleasure of helping my friend April as she set her PR for a 10k.  It was a fun race for me since my only job was to keep moving and encouraging her to push herself.  I had another friend helping me pace her, and the three of us had a fun filled race!

Electric Run

I had the fun opportunity to participate in the Electric Run in Austin a few weeks ago.  It was a great time filled with friends, neon everywhere, as well as glow sticks and laser lights.  Definitely a fun time with friends!

Zooma

I ran the Zooma Half Marathon on 3/23/13 with Hayley and Jennifer.  Hayley and Jennifer were the official pacers for the 2:10 group, and I ran with them for support.  It was a great run with no stress, since we all knew our times.  The hardest part was to keep slowing down since we all naturally run faster than that and run races progressively as well.  Our goal was to get the ladies around us to the finish line, and hopefully help them PR.  We were able to get 3 people to PR, and one even wrote us a thank you note after the race!  One of my favorite race experiences to date!

Austin Half Marathon

Yesterday I was able to run the Austin Half Marathon.  It was the 5th consecutive year that I have completed it, and it was the race I asked my surgeon about when I found out I needed surgery.  I ran it with one of my running partners, and as much as I was excited for it I was nervous that I would have to stop for pain.  The week leading up to the race was stressful as I was ill and I was feeling nervous since the hip has been acting up but I had just met with my surgeon and he gave me the ok to run.  A couple of days before the race, one of my favorite bloggers, Kristen Armstrong, wrote about how pain is a luxury.  She was writing about those that can't be active would give anything to complete a run or ride a bike.  That reminder was repeated to me later when a good friend of mine in my running group emailed me to encourage me to enjoy the race and not focus on the time.  She reminded me that it was a blessing for me be able to run and that it was a celebration of everything that I had been through this past fall.  Those reminders were on the forefront of my mind with every step that I took.

The race was not my best time, but I am proud of every second of the 2 hr run.  My running partner was having a difficult race, but I was able to be there and encourage her through the tough hills.  I was able to change my goal of getting a PR to helping her finish with a smile.  I had already completed the difficult task of rehabilitation and training, and just got to run each mile with JOY on race day!!!

3M

Yesterday I was able to run the 3M Half Marathon.  This was my first time running this race, which has been traditionally "downhill and fast" and has been on my list for a while.  I was looking for an easy first race after surgery, so decided to sign up!  After signing up, I learned that they changed the course to include massive hills at the end.  I had already committed, so decided it would just be a fun first real race after surgery.  I was excited to join fellow Gazelles Andi and Kim as they ran. 
The day started out nice and early, and was cold with a decent wind.  We were supposed to get rain, but thankfully it held off!  My race went amazingly well, and I felt like I could run forever.  I was able to chat with my friends, and just enjoy the run.  With about 1.5 miles left, I was starting to get tired.  Pauline, one of my pacing friends, happened to be right there and ran with me the rest of the way until the finish line.  It was such an encouragement to see her smiling face, and have her encourage and push me to the finish.  I was so excited to finish, and found out that I set a PR of 1:52.  Pretty amazing on a good day, and an exciting finish for me since I am only 3.5 months post op from hip surgery!  It is going to be a great year!

January 1st!

With the start of the New Year, resolutions and goals are the topic of many conversations.  The start of a new year gives me time to reflect over the previous year and set goals of things I would like to accomplish over the coming year.  This past year was filled with exciting ups and downs.  I joined the Gazelles and fell in love with running for the first time.  I was training for my first marathon, and then found out I needed hip surgery as soon as possible.  The rest of my year was filled with physical therapy appointments and cheering for my fellow Gazelles from a distance.  I was blessed by the support of family and friends during my recovery, but itching to get back on the road!

After a long run with the group in December, we decided to run the 5K Commitment run on New Years day as a way to ring in the New Year.  We also decided to complete one race a month this year as a group, and quickly started picking out fun runs!  For me, this year will hopefully be a year where each hill I get to run repeats on, every mile that I complete, and every race I get to laugh through with friends will be a reminder that it is a blessing that I can run.  Running is a gift, and I will try to focus on being thankful for every step that I get to run.