When all else fails….RUN!

Some people are crazy.  Like those who climb Mt. Everest.  And those who swim with sharks.  Last week, I added to my list those who do half ironman triathlons.

Ed has competed in quite a few triathlons, and has discovered he really enjoys them.  Last year, he completed his first half ironman – 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run.  I cheered him on, brought the kids out to see him finish, and thought he was amazing for completing it.  This year, as I have been training to run a 10k, I realized just how crazy he was for doing it not only once, but twice.  Like why do you pay to torture yourself?  And who in their right minds is crazy enough to go all out for 6.5 hours straight?  And how do you even walk after you are done?

Last weekend, he completed his second half ironman, the Raleigh Ironman race.  He did amazing, especially running in scorching temperatures.  I am SO proud of him for finishing and am even more excited all the training is over 🙂

I am also very thankful to my neighbor and her son, Denise and Benjamin, for coming with us to cheer him on at the finish line.  It was quite a journey there and back with the kids (I will spare you the gross details but lets just say both parts of the trip involved poop…yuck!) and I am even more thankful they still love our family after it.

Then, this weekend, Kinsley and I completed our runs.  I did a 10k that our town hosts, Run the Quay, and Kinsley did a 100 yard dash fun run.  Granted, they aren’t anywhere near Ed’s big race, but they were an accomplishment for us!  It was really fun to run the 10k in our town, to run with a few friends, and to be cheered on by so many people from our church.

Kinsley “practiced” for her run the day before, and was relieved to hear that she didn’t have to bike and swim like daddy.  They had a 1 mile run, but we knew that the 100 yard dash would be a feat for her.  She was so excited that morning and thought she was big stuff with her number on her shirt.  She started out strong at the beginning of the race and had all smiles, but those faded the longer she ran.  Needless to say, she completed her run and “won” her metal.  Bless her sweet, sweet heart.  We love that our kids want to be active and get a chance to see mom and dad doing it and to cheer us on.

I would not say I am a natural runner, but it is a great stress reliever, a great way to burn calories, and a challenge.  I definitely see more races in my future, but definitely not any half ironmans….thats only for the crazies.  And you can quote me on that!

 

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