Run Like A God!

"But those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
- Isaiah 40:31


My first 10 mile race, along with Tony and I's five year anniversary, was this past Saturday! It was a long, tiring, but one hell of a fun day.


Tony and I woke up at 6:20am, got dressed, ate our protein bars and drank our Gatorades to amp ourselves up for this race.

I was ready to go!! 

Tony and I before the race! Our first race together!

The race was called the Cleveland 10 Miler, but you could also sign up to do a 5 mile relay with one other person. Tony and his sister, Alicia, did the 5 mile relay and let me tell you, THEY KILLED IT! They finished 7th out of 21 teams! 

I was so incredibly proud of Tony! :o) 

This race took everything inside of me to keep pushing on to set new goals. The theme of the race was Run Like a God... and by mile 8, I may not have been running like a god, but boy was I sure praying for my feet to keep moving. I could begin to feel the searing pain in my hip and I could feel blisters growing on my feet, but I was so determined to set new personal records that I just didn't care about the pain. I wanted that medal and I wanted a feeling of satisfaction once I crossed that finish line. 


So did I set new PR's, you ask? HECK YEAH I DID! 

I ran like a god!

I set a new PR for my 5k, a new PR for my 10k and a new PR for my 10 mile! Can I get a high five?

My Nike+ app was a little off and told me that I finished when I still had .3 miles left to go! The lady came on and told me, "Congratulations! You have just reached your goal of 10 miles!" I wanted to yell "LIAR!" but remembered that I was surrounded by people and would have received funny looks. So instead I just focused on the finish line in the near distance. The app told me that I ran 10.3 miles in 1:39:43 with a 9:39 average mile pace. 

HOWEVER, my chip time from the race's website told me that I finished in 1:38:55 with a 9:25 average mile pace. I'll take the second time over the first... 


So after the race, not only was I so thankful that I finished in one piece (sort of), but I was so thankful that it was finally over. It was now time to celebrate all of our accomplishments, hard work, PR's, and earned medals!  

 Alicia, Me and Tony with our medals! 

 Me with my first running medal!

 My medal up close! 

Happy Anniversary, Tony! :o) 

It was then time for Tony and I to head back to his sister, Rachel's, house to get ready for the Indians game! Rachel, her husband Jeff, Tony and I, all had plans to go to the Indians game followed by dinner at Wasabi, a hibachi-Japan type restaurant. 

As I was getting ready to hop in the shower, I was quickly reminded of my injuries. My foot had a blister about the size of a quarter... 

Sorry for those of you that hate feet...

...and I noticed that I had chaffing burns on my chest area due to a new tank top that I had never ran in before. (That picture is too gross to post but it looks like a Hunger Games wound.)

Despite my injuries and how painful they felt, I wasn't going to let them ruin the day. We all got ready and off we went!

Whelp, once we left for the Indians game, it started to rain. Figures. The game ended up having a 3 hour rain delay... but did that stop us from going? Nope! 

No bad weather, nor pain, was going to prevent me from enjoying this day...

Yeah it was 40 degrees & rainy... but my 24 ounce Christmas Ale, yes, in April, warmed me up just fine! 

Everyone was is good spirits and we laughed and joked the entire day! 

 We were all smiles! :o)

Me just being facetious! ;o) 

Rachel and I!

Tony and Jeff! 

So Jo(W)anna know what? Your attitude and outlook on things is the true determination on whether or not you achieve a goal or have a good day. There were so many things that could have held me back in my race along with so many things that could have prevented us from having a good day. But a positive attitude, along with not having high expectations, made Saturday one of the most fun and memorable days I have ever had. I ran, ate, drank and laughed like a fool, and I don't regret any of it. I can't wait to run more races and plan more eventful days with the people I love. 

So here's a little word of advice to having more fun and memorable days... 

Well said, sign. Well said.