Sick

*Cough Cough, sniffle sniffle* Do you feel bad for me yet? Sunday we drove home from the farm after celebrating my amazing mother-in-laws birthday. Happy birthday Linda Lou Who! The plan was to go to church and then I was going to run, hurry get in the shower and then get ready to help my friend Katie move. Sad :(. So the plan was going according to plan when going home from church I looked at AA and told him my throat hurt and I was feeling extra tired. He said his throat hurt a little, so I didn't think anything of it. I strapped on my shoes, kissed him goodbye and hit the road. I knew something was wrong when I was feeling so tired going DOWN hill. But I plowed through the first 5 miles, often at stop lights having to bend over, hands on my knees. I never EVER do that. AA ran with me the next three miles, instead of at the end. I told him how tired I was, just after 5 miles. He told me I was doing fine and then took off. I knew what he was doing, he was trying to get to the intersection first to make sure there were no cars coming as the red hand flashed. Usually we could have both made it before the light changed, but today I just couldn't. I needed to stop for just 30 seconds to catch my breath. So he came back and realized I wasn't kidding. After we parted ways at 8.5 miles I doubted I could go any further. But I told him I would see him in 50 minutes when I was done with 6 more miles. Down the hill, around the ben and I was heading towards Alki. I told myself to check in at 12.5 miles knowing I would at least get myself to 13.1 to see my time. I was running so slow at 12.5 I really didn't know how much further I could push. It was the first time while running I legitmatly knew I couldn't do this, that day. But I kept going, so tired. I checked in at 13.1 miles. This was the first time since training that I didn't break the 2 hour mark for a half marathon. I was sad but knew I only had .9 miles to go. AA found me on Alki. I told him I had a mile left. He left to go park the car. And when I was finished I couldn't find him anywhere. I started to cry and hyperventilate all at the same time (not a good idea) because I needed to sit down. The people at Spuds probably thought I was CRAZY wondering around looking for somebody and crying. AA found me, loaded me in the car and proceeded to help me once we got home.

The good news, I finished, I am not as sick as I have been in the past, I can sill breathe through my nose (this is the best news of all) and I think I am ready for the Kirkland Half on Sunday. My legs are pretty tired, not sore, just tired from this morning's easy three miler. This is strange because I haven't felt this tired after running just three miles in a long time.

On Sunday at church I was reminded yet again how good God is. And while running it struck me even harder how amazing God is. That is the good and bad part of running. Everything is magnified; little pains, extreme highs and lows, and the clear distinction of how my life would cease to exist without Christ. I think about people who don't have Christ and how easy their life looks. And then I think about my own life, back when I didn't have Christ either. The best way to describe the difference is that I used to live a life in black and white. Now I live a life in technicolor. Life simply was not life without Christ. Life is not easier with Christ, no sometimes I think the exact opposite. But Christ teaches us to have endurance. I know I have talked about this before, but it is so pivotal in our everyday walk with Christ and our everyday run. You don't need endurance until you feel like quitting, and if you are like me I need a lot of endurance.

Remember that endurance only comes from the Big Man upstairs. Keep running...especially towards Him!