Rockin the Denver 1/2 Marathon

On Saturday night I did all the things I have seen Woody do countless times before his races...
Eat a huge carb-loaded meal...check.
Layout all my stuff for the next morning...check.
Look at all my stuff again to make sure I didn't forget anything...check.
Drink a lot of water...check.
Go to bed early...check.

The alarm went off at 5:00am on Sunday. We bundled up the girls and headed downtown to the start line. At that point, Woody headed with the girls to the first of their many spots along the course, and I squeezed myself in line amongst 10,000 excited runners. Can I just say how encouraging and fun it was to see Woody and the girls along the way! It really helped me and kept me from getting tired.


The race was an amazing experience. It was awesome to be a part of such a huge event. Some of my favorite moments were watching the mountains change colors as the sun rose, running through the skyscrapers and under the twinkling lights that cover Larimer Square, getting cheered on by my family, and having my favorite praise song come on my shuffle while I was coming down to the finish line.


Participating in this race was a bit of an emotional experience for me. In the nine weeks I spent training for it, I did a lot of running, more than I ever thought possible for me. In that time I not only strengthened my muscles, but even more importantly, I strengthened my mind. With Woody as my encouraging coach, I learned how to push through pain and get out for my runs even when I didn't want to. I was packing my "confidence suitcase" as he calls it. Yesterday, I was able to bring that suitcase with me and it helped me get through some tough spots when my feet were saying "stop!".


Overall, for me it was a day to celebrate that God has given me a body that can run, jump and play...and that is exactly what I intend to keep doing with it!