Prairie Fire Half Marathon

I love to write about great days, fun times, and of course winning. However, today was one of those days that I pursued my passion and love of running without getting anything in return, except the satisfaction of running.

A week ago I wrote about how I was considering one of two half marathons or possibly both. Little did I know that less than two days later I would come down with a miserable cold. With a runny nose, sinus headaches, and aching from Tuesday through Friday, I had considered not running. Saturday I was feeling better, still with a runny nose but I could handle it. I decided I had nothing to lose, so I drove down to Wichita on Saturday evening and raced Sunday morning.

Starting my warm up, I ran into Kimberly, a friend from college who is very into training and personal fitness. We warmed up together and had a lot of fun catching up. When the gun went off, I found myself feeling relaxed and enjoying the cold temperatures in the rain. This lasted for 5 miles at sub 5:30 pace. Unfortunately, a little past the 5 mile mark, I began having hard times breathing. Severe congestion in my throat was causing me to gag, and I quickly received a side stitch. Right then, I knew I was in trouble. I tried to fight the pain but was quickly caught and lost my lead of the race. I managed a couple more miles before the stitch got bad enough I felt like walking, and a port-a-potty was looking really good. I ended up stopping twice to use the bathroom. Finally at mile 10 I knew any chances of winning or placing in the top 3 were out the window, so I began to just cruise for fun. Cold, wet, and running may sound miserable to most, but I found it to be okay. Feeling pain somehow is very relaxing to me. It is a reassurance that I am alive, that I am pushing my limits. Sometimes it’s not how fast we run, but what we get out of it. My final time was 1:20.55, ten minutes off of a personal best, but I survived and got in a good long run. Catching up with friends, eating at Buffalo Wild Wings with Kimberly after the race and having a few laughs is exactly what I needed to forget the race and make sure I remember what is important. I love to run, I love to run for Christ, and I love to be with friends.

Great job today Tim Testa in the 5K, and to Kimberly, Rob, and Dawn in the ½ marathon, and way to go Ashley in the Marathon! Also, I want to say thanks to my amazing parents and brother who always do such a great job of supporting me in my insanity.


Post race with Kimmie.. Ill open my eyes next time.