Milford Memories: Following through.

    3rd place female overall:18th overall 45:23.1    

 “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans.”

Some friends from church  last week asked us if we were running the Milford Memories race. The conversation was infectious. The more I listened to their enthusiasm the more drawn in I was. I was all in. This race was a race I had heard of but had never ran before. It sounded like fun and it was even more exciting when I knew it was in 1 week. I was SOLD.
I bottled that emotion waiting to see if it was really gonna happen.

A few days later I stopped at work in between rain runs to drop off something and "Christa" came up front where I was standing.  I was a bit of a conversational piece as I looked like a drowned rat and the girls I work with couldn't understand why I was going back out there to do it again. But "Christa" saw a open window to share with me her 5 miler that she had just finished. I was very impressed.  I saw my open window then to invite her to Milford days!!!

As I got ready this morning for this last minute race I wondered if "Christa" was going to make it out. She had a late night so I wasn't sure. After all, most people say they are going to do something and do not do it. As we got driving towards Milford I got a text confirming she was on her way!

"Christa" actually beat us there. She looked amazing after having hosted a "Mustache and Wig" shower the night before.
"Christa" was my running partner in California and she is a tough cookie. I loved seeing her. She has ran a couple races with my family.
As we got ready to start she wished me luck and told me to go big. I just was not feeling it. "I have a long run Monday that needs to get done." I told her as I cowered out of the pressure.
But when the "GO" was barked I went.
The morning was perfect running especially considering I was not prepared for a 6 mile course of all rolling hills!
I wanted to run hard but I also wanted to have fun. I enjoyed smiling and yelling at the runners passing me. "Great Job", "Looking Good" and "That's it, get up it!" I encouraged the runners. The course was a "There and back" so I got to see a lot of the runners pass me a couple times. They started smiling back at me by the second time I saw them.
At mile 2 a girl came up on me. She was my size, my build but very serious. We went back and forth passing each other and running side by side. Only she was not voicing many words like I was at the passing runners.
I saw"Christa" and Andy at mile 3. I got so pumped from seeing them I picked up my pace. As I picked up the pace I was also going up a hill. I never saw her again until we did a loop coming on 5 miles. I saw her out of the corner of my eye, she had dropped back a few hundred feet but was still going hard.
I was determined to maintain my 7 min pace to the end. I only had a mile. I told myself to hold on, move my legs and don't forget to breath!

I finished. And felt pretty good. I had 5 minutes to run to the car now and get the camera and "Christa's" phone before they got to the finish line! I was not done yet!

I patiently waited for "Christa" or Andy or 1 of the other 5 people I knew to come down the straight way towards the finish.

I had no idea who I was going to see first, and then there they were. "Christa" stayed with Andy and together they came!!! I was so proud of her. This was the farthest she had run this year, such an incredible achievement.

We caught our breaths, grabbed some food and checked our times. I had to recheck my time as Andy said I took 3rd place Overall Female. I thought, "No way" I ran hard but I could have ran harder. I mean I was having fun cheering other runners on most of the time. And you know what they say "If you can talk you are not running hard enough."

It was a great race. A lot of rollers. Up and down you ran for almost the entire 6 miles. But it was mostly on a paved trail. Definitely a race I would do again.

I had only one problem. My miles were down and today was supposed to be a long run. So after a power nap I snuck out of the house for another 4 miles before Andy knew I was gone.

Integrity: Doing what you say you are going to do.
Commitment: following through no matter what.
Two awesome qualities I love in people.
I loved seeing "Christa" there. I even said to her "I can't beleive that you are here after the night you had."
She replied "I said I was gonna be here, I had to be here..."

“Integrity is keeping a commitment even after circumstances have changed.”  ~ David Jeremiah 

RUNDOWN

Total weekly miles: 41 miles

Distance: 10 miles-10k and 4 miler

Anita