To Finish This Race...

I've been contemplating running a marathon for a long time now...

It has come after years of set backs.  

After Shane passed away I coped through 2 things:

1. quilting

2. running

I made beautiful quilts for people I love, my family, my children...and then for a time, I place the quilting aside.  I have recently had a desire and passion to quilt endlessly.

I started training for a half marathon after he passed away as well.  Upon reaching the last few weeks of training, I fractured a toe and was out of running for a year...and then running was set aside for a long while as well.

When life settled after the many moves...and many jobs...and two additional children...

I decided it was time to start running again.

My younger sister and I trained hard, day after day for a marathon.  We rose at 3:30am on some Saturday mornings to accomplish our long 15-20 mile runs just so we could still be mommies and wives when the sun came up.  We ran hard!!!  There were times when our eye lashes froze, our water upon our belts definitely froze, and the only thing that carried us to the end of that long run was the laughter, the therapy (as we worked through our many issues together), and the electrolyte infused jelly beans and chocolate energy gel!  She found this marathon on March 31st...in Lancaster county...on Saturday.

The last Saturday, March 31st we experienced was in Lancaster was in 2007 when Baby Shane passed away suddenly.

Injury set me back through this training again...that along with a sudden respiratory bug, followed immediately by a sever allergic reaction and prednisone treatment, and then followed again by a GI bug.  

In sadness, but prompting, I settled to run the half marathon.  I was comforted by the Lord to know that "MY RACE" was all that really mattered.

Life will always give me set backs, it will always be met with challenges that need to be faced.  What I do with it is what matters in the end...will I raise my hands and say all is lost, or will I continue to move forward...no matter how far I THINK I should be by now.  All that matters is that I am moving forward in the end.

Here we are, with pre race giggles! Me, my twin Sara, and my mother in law, Sandy.

Had to get a picture at the starting line....we then moved away from the starting line to be in the middle of the pack for take off! 

 I almost posted to facebook while we took off...decided not to!

We came across many Amish folk running right along side us...girls in their dresses and boys in their suspenders and black pants!  It was an awesome site! 

My sister checked our pace and at several points-- we were running a good 9 minute pace...all with a sister who had trained up to about a max of 5 miles....and a 55 year old mother in law!  WOW! By the way....my mother in law placed FIRST in her age group!  AWESOME!!!  We ran side by side the entire way!

There I am...running with a smile.  My twin and I climbed a steep long hill and were admonished by spectators for smiling all the while!  You can't get a smile off our faces at times, especially when we have folk on the side lines cheering us on! 

I received a text at mile 12 from my husband, "Slow down...HA...we are almost there!"

They showed up about 2 minutes too late! 

So my sister and I made a pseudo finish for them!   

When I received my metal, I cried as I saw the date in large print...such a life changing day in my life... 

I am so grateful to have had all my family surrounding my on this day...and so honored to see little Aiden looking up at me in admiration! 

Had to add another race photo in...think I was one of few people taking pics along the way! 

Shane became a "FINISHER" of his mortal journey 5 years ago....

and it is with all of my heart that I long to run to steep hills and long paths in this life to become that great finisher that his valiant little spirit accomplished in 4 short months of this mortal journey.

Baby Shane...we love you so very much!