Are You Crazy?

Back in July I had a girlfriend in my ward ask us ladies if any of us were interested in running. She wanted to put together a running group. I had been wanting to exercise, but I'm never motivated enough unless I am with others. Thus I became a runner once more. I haven't ran long distances in years. We started running 3 miles. I didn't think I'd even be able to do that, but I did and I was happy; although I was extremely sore; for weeks :(. I run twice a week. Every Tues. and Thurs. morning at 5:45 am. On Tues. we run 3 miles and on Thurs. we have gotten up to 5 miles. I love it, except on the days that I don't want to get out of my bed:)

A few weeks after I started running I knew that my 5 year old running shoes were not going to work. I worried about injuring myself, but I didn't have the money to buy a good pair of shoes. I thought and thought of a way that I could get shoes but I just got more frustrated. I then began to pray to my Heavenly Father for running shoes. That may sound funny, but it was something that meant a lot to me and I was lost at what to do. Heavenly Father has always pulled through for me in the past, so I knew if I was patient, it would all work out. A week or two went by when my friend Mary called and told me that Mervyns was having a sale and the first 100 people to get there would get a $20 gift card. I said, "Let's do it." We woke up early on a Saturday morning and got our gift card. I then found $60 running shoes on sale for $40 and I had a $20 gift card. I walked out that morning with the shoes I needed for only $20. I wanted to cry and yes, I did thank my Heavenly Father. I call my shoes, "My Heavenly Father Loves Me Shoes."

On Oct. 18 my girlfriend who started this whole thing and I ran in a 10k race (just over 6 miles). Our goal was to pass the finish line alive:) I actually had told myself that I wouldn't walk and I wanted to try and make it under an hour. I had gotten a horrible cough from my kids 2 1/2 weeks before the race. My lungs hurt and I had a hard time breathing without coughing to death. I had only ran twice in almost two weeks before my race, due to my cough. I wasn't 100% yet but I really wanted to run this race. We had worked so hard. I was determined. I finished the race in 58 mins and 58 seconds:) and I never walked. Okay I lied, I had to walk for a second at one point so I could cough without wetting my pants, but then I started back up. Don't laugh, if you have had 4 kids, you would understand:)



Look at that tired splotchy face. I haven't seen that face since cross country in high school.


David brought the kids to watch me cross the finish line. Well, they didn't quite make it in time to see me cross the line, but they just happened to pull up next to me in the car when I only had a couple 100 yards to go. They yelled out for me and cheered me on. That made me very happy. The first thing Sadie said when she saw me was, "Mommy did you win? Do you get a trophy?" I just love little kids.


After the race was over, there were all sorts of free activities for families to do. My kids were very excited. Emma was very apprehensive about climbing the wall, but she loved it once she got up there.

I couldn't help but join my girls on the wall. Although I do have to admit that after I climbed I had to finally lay in the shade and sip water. It was hot and my body had had enough:(

Alison loved the wall the moment she saw it. The workers let her climb it three times even though there was a line of people. Lucky!!

Sadie found a huge parachute that us parents had to lift up and down while the kids ran around underneath. She was as happy as could be.

Jayden was SUPER excited to see a fire engine. The kids got to go inside and also talk with the fireman. Jayden is very obsessed right now with jets, motorcycles, street sweepers, most anything with a big engine, and race cars (especially the Disney Cars movie and all the characters). He cracks me up. He loves to count how many exhausts are on a car. He especially loves to look at his Grandpa Dennis' fast red race car in the garage when we visit. It's so much fun to have a boy.