Soaked

I’ve made a new friend recently and she conned me into running with her on Saturdays.  I haven’t been running in over a year but she assured me that she’s just getting back into it as well and we wouldn’t be over-exerting ourselves.  I agreed and so far it’s been good. 

After she realized that I’m feeble-minded, she then conned me into running a 10k with her.  4 weeks after I started running again.  Not even 4 weeks, but 4 Saturdays of running.  AND I’ve been nursing an injury since our trip to the trampoline park.  (I was bouncing Michael and Eva while they sat on the trampoline and on one jump I felt my outer quad muscle rip into shreds.  It’s been bothering me ever since.) 

I’m not one of those people who can just pick up and run.  I’m not excellent at running and even when I’m extremely fit, I’m only marginally good at it.  In short, I didn’t feel ready to run 6.2 miles.  I was nervous, I was sick to my stomach about it, I was icing the crap out of my leg, and I wished I wasn’t loyal and could tell her to go suck an egg.  A rotten egg.

I asked Michael to give me a blessing.  He blessed me that I would find the reserves I needed to finish the race and that it would be a great accomplishment for me.  I was hoping he would say something about my leg being miraculously healed but he didn’t.  The only mention of my leg was when he said that I wouldn’t sustain further injury.  I knew then that the race was going to hurt.  But with the strength from the blessing, I was ready to do it.

The race was on the coast in Newport and the forecast predicted rain.  That was what we prepared for.  What we didn’t prepare for was the other gems of weather we experienced.

Rain.  Check.

Wind.  Check.

Hail.  Check.

Rain, wind, and hail all at the same time.  Check.

At one point the wind was whipping hail directly into our faces and I couldn’t lift my head for fear I would lose an eye or a tooth.  It was crazy.  We were soaked within the first 10 minutes of the race.  That weather lasted for nearly 4 miles and then it stopped and only misted for the remainder of the run. 

Here’s the cool part: I felt great!  My only goal was that I didn’t want to hold Genevieve back.  I told her from the very beginning that she could ditch me and run ahead at any point if I was being too slow.  I was never too slow.  In fact, there were some moments where I was running faster than she was and had to slow down for her.  I definitely had the reserves I needed.  And my leg?  It hurt but it wasn’t unbearable.  It wasn’t too tight, I wasn’t focused on the pain, and I never felt that I was going to fall down and die.  It was a successful race because of the Grace of God.

It truly was an answer to prayers and a strength to my knowledge that the Lord is always mindful of us; even in insignificant moments like a 10k.

 

When I came home I was met with flowers and balloons from my sweet husband and daughter.  I felt very loved.  It was a good day.

Crap.  Does this mean I’ve started running again?