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.