#17 of 52 - Vancouver Lake Half Marathon

I got the family (including Hero) up early this morning and my husband drove us to Vancouver, Washington, for the race. I had a hard time registering for this race and then the race filled up. I emailed the race director and begged him to let me in, and he did!

I started chatting with a woman around mile 4 and ran the rest of the race with her. That pushed me to run faster than I anticipated, especially since I just ran yesterday too. This was a nice course though fields with the start/finish at a lake. I still can’t reach that elusive 2 hour mark. I finished in 2:04.

#16 of 52 - Tukwila to Alki Half Marathon

Today was a nice, home-grown race put on by my friend, Steve. I brought Hero with me and we ran on the Duamish River Trail. Right after the start of the race, the trail crossed under I-5. Cars were hitting a metal bar as they drove over and it made a big bang. Hero freaked out and hit the deck—he started crawling around on his belly. I got him out from under there as fast as I could. I think he thought someone was shooting at him. He has buckshot in his chest and we don’t know if that was spray from a hunt he was on or if he was actually shot.

We met Tami and her dog, Baxter, at about 8.5 miles and they ran the rest of the race with us. The finish was along Alki beach and the sun came out. Our finisher’s medals were popsicle sticks on a string with glitter glued on. This is definitely my favorite race so far! Here's a picture of Baxter and his mom at the finish line. You can't really see me and Hero.

#15 of 52 - Nookachamps Winter Runs

My friends have done this race before and loved it. They said it was a scenic route through farmland. AND you get a nice, thick, hooded sweatshirt! I didn't noticed the scenery because it was raining sideways for the whole race. The wind and rain had me looking no further than my next step forward. I had to concentrate on not getting blown over. And I was soaking wet and cold.

Was I looking forward to that warm, cozy sweatshirt at the end of the race? It sure would have been nice, but this year you had to pay extra for it with your entry fee and I did not.

Someone asked me recently what my favorite race is and it got me to start thinking about it. But this was definitely not it!

Touched by God

It has been one year. One year ago today, I witnessed a miracle.

My hamstring hurt. It hurt so much that I couldn’t sit. Driving was painfully difficult. It had kicked up from an old running injury. It was also the week of fasting and prayer at church. I have never been successful at fasting because I start shaking without food. But I can pray. So, I spent my lunch hour that week at church praying. I had to do it on my knees since sitting for an hour was not an option. On Thursday of that week, my pastor prayed with me. He prayed for heeling in my hamstring. I was surprised by his plea to God! When I left, I got in my car and felt no pain. I have not had that pain for a year! God healed me that day. But I know that wasn’t His main goal. This is what God wanted me to grasp:

1)     He is real. Stop doubting His presence, His power, His love for little ol’ me, and His strength.

2)     Stop trying to take care of life on my own. Everything I had done to try to fix that hamstring didn’t work. Why hadn’t I just asked God to take care of it? Why did I think I had to deal with it all on my own? God wants to hear all my wishes, desires, and requests; not just the ones that I think are worthy enough to offer up to Him.

Thank you God for miracles.

#11, 12, 13, and 14 - Four Halfs in 9 days

#11 Seattle Locks Fat Ass (12/28/13) It has been a few weeks since my last Half. This was an out-and-back race and I was following a couple because their conversation was interesting. I eventually apologized for hanging on behind them and they invited me to join them. The miles went by quickly.

 

#12 Sporty Divas Last Run of the Year (12/29/13) I ran 5 laps around Green Lake. The first 3 laps were with Hero. Then, I put him in the car and finished the last 2 laps. He seemed happy to lay down and rest at that point. I have not run at Green Lake since my 20’s so it was kind of fun to spend some time there!

 

#13 First Call New Year’s Day (1/1/14) My friend Tami and her sidekick Baxter joined me and Hero for most of this race. The sun was out and it was the start of a new year!

 

#14 Lake Samish Half (1/5/14) Drove to Bellingham and spent the night with my friend. Two laps around Lake Samish. Close to breaking 2 hrs, but not quite—2 hrs and 3 minutes.

My New Running Partner

 I ran 5 miles with Hero today. It seemed to be a walk in the park for him. I think he really enjoyed it,too!!

My Hero

I think I want to adopt our foster dog. He is a really nice dog--calm, great with kids, smart. He was brought to the Northwest from Georgia where he was scheduled to be euthanized. He doesn't act like he has been abused but he has had trauma in his life. He has a big wound on his back. Hair isn't going to grow there again. It looks grotesque. People look at me strangely when I take him for walks, so I keep his back covered when I am out with him. My only problem is I can't tell if he wants to kill our 2 cats or just play with them. I don't know how long I want to live in a divided house, constantly making sure doors are closed so Hero can't attack the cats. I don't think the cats are happy about it either!