The Things we HOLD

The snow came overnight, the darkest part of the night was lit with the softest blanket of snow. 

It sure is pretty, gracefully landing, dancing really all throughout the night. 

However, it's the COLD that I hate. 

Cold is not a place I tolerate well. I start whining in September, I exercise creative positivity for weeks. 

But I pay a pretty penny for a fancy gym membership, that just went up might I add, therefore that was where I went the snowy Sunday. 

I can't say I feel any real improvements, but then I ran 2 races over the week. 

Gobbler Wobbler 5 miler on Thanksgiving. 

It was so stinking cold, I wore entirely too many layers and covered them up with a 5lb turkey onesie and tutu. 

A gamut of errors. I wasn't planning on racing but with all the layers my heartrate looked like I was racing for the last slice of pumpkin pie.

And in all my sweat and suffering I fell, tripped over a stupid Osage orange ball in the middle of the sidewalk, TURKEY DOWN! 

Black Toenail 1/2 marathon.

I went into this race knowing it was not going to feel good or be good. But I was hoping I could just maintain a 9min/ mi. 

No silly costumes, and I even brought water and nutrition and a whole lotta prayers. 

Not paying attention, the start took off. I was pretty far in the back but made my way relatively smooth through the runners down the trail. 

I caught up to a friend of mine Sandy, and we ran together for a couple miles. I thought the trails were very runnable and even though I felt good I knew the pain in my A$$ was waiting for me at any given curve.  My piriformis started aching about mile 7 but I was still holding pace, and I hadn't fell. 

I also ran a little bit with Celia, another running friend I see every year at this race, but the real shocker was when I saw Danielle running one of the aid stations with her daughter! I would look forward to this station all 4 times just to see her. 

I made it around the loop twice, ran over about a dozen slippery bridges and never fell! 

Around mile 10, it took everything in me to maintain pace. I was sweating, sore, and it felt like the brakes were on when all I wanted to do was GO. I looked at my watch and had no time to lollygag as Andy says. If I could just hold on, I could get a sub 2hour.

BUT then I remembered, the course was long. That's when my brain began working faster than my legs. 

I had 5 minutes to get out of the wood to the finish line, and I was nowhere near where my optimistic brain thought I would be. 

Over 13.1 miles and I still couldn't see the finish, at that point I was convinced they were moving it to humble me even more. 

I saw it! I came out of the woods and my watch said I had less then 2 minutes to get down the hill and back up. 

Erica and Joe were at the finish shouting at me. Joe was yelling the seconds I had to cross, and seconds is all I had left to make it! 

HOLD ON.

So many things we hold on to. 

Some things we cling to. 

Some things we should let go of.  

Some things were never ours to hold in the first place. 

The last mile was my hardest and slowest mile. I kept telling myself to HOLD ON. I felt my goal slowly slipping from my grip. I was frustrated with my body, with the course and with myself. 

But I held on. Seeing my friends at the finish helped me get a better grip and I was able to hit my goal if only by seconds. 

But there are many times we give up because we don't see the finish line. Maybe it's a little farther than we thought or a little harder than we expected and we let go just a bit too soon. 

HOLD ON. 

Some of us this time of year hold onto memories. 

Some of us hold onto resentments. 

Some of us hold onto anger, or bitterness or unforgiveness. 

Some of us hold onto hope, faith and love. 

Some of us hold on to dreams, goals and ideas. 

Holding these special November memories

The RUNDOWN

"But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.." Phil 3:13-14

In running and in life, the finish line isn't always where we expect it to be. Sometimes its farther, harder, and hidden just long enough to make us question everything we're holding onto. But that last mile taught me something: what we cling to matters. 

So, hold on to the right things, HOPE, FAITH, LOVE, the people who cheer you in, and the God who strengthens you. 

Let Go of what weighs you down, like that silly two-ton turkey onesie. Or like resentments, bitterness, fear, anger, the things that were never yours to carry. 

Because when you keep going, even when you can't see the finish, you might just find yourself crossing it..even if only by seconds.

And sometimes that is enough! 

Monthly miles: 161.1

Elevation: 12,043

Black Toenail 1/2 
I was first in my age group. 
1:59:17.39

In Peace, Not Pieces,

Anita