10K

Suicide Trail Run

There is Suicide Trail Run.....................

Last Saturday I ran in my first 10K!  What an awesome experience it was!! Kelsey and I drove up to Little River at 7:30 am so that I could get there at a decent time to warm up.  Little River is a small community just 15 miles west of McPherson.....such an awesome town.  Little River was in full force at 7:45 when we got there!  I saw alot more runners then I thought I would.  I got a good warm up in by jogging a few blocks and stretching real good.

Right before the race started, I noticed that there were about 30 people in the 10K race. People of all ages were in our group.  When the gun sounded, everyone started sprinting!  HaHa.....I thought to myself, "No way I'm going to keep up this pace for 6.2 miles!"  I got behind a group of people that were running about an 8:15 mile pace, so I got behind the group and kept the pace.

Beginning of Race

The first 2 miles were ran on pavement and dirt roads, something I was really used to.  My legs felt pretty heavy these miles.  My legs have felt really heavy the past few weeks, so I knew I needed to push myself.  My second mile was ran about the same pace....8:30 pace.

Then, the hills started.  At the second mile, the pack turned onto a cow pasture and started the uphill climb.  Most of the 3rd mile was going up and down hills in pastures.  The scenery was awesome and weather was just great.  The pace really slowed down though........10 min pace.  My legs were not used to the hills and rough terrain.

After the 3rd mile, my legs finally felt good.  I took the pace back down to a 9 min pace.  Although there were tougher hills and even 2 creek crossings, my legs felt really good to push myself up the hills.  I knew the "Suicide Hill" was coming up, so I wanted to keep this pace until that mark.

The 5th mile is when "the hill" showed its ugly self.  Really steep and really rocky, the hill was really tough to go up.  I got 3/4 the way up, and brisked walk the rest of the way up.  After I finally beat the hill, it was pretty much smooth sailing to the finish line.

Finish Line

My final time was 54 minutes and 1 second. I beat my goal of less than an hour.  I'm really looking forward to running in some more trail runs in the near future!  Thanks to Little River for putting on a great event!!

Getting some Gatorade and a banana after the race

MMMMM.......banana.......

The miles keep coming.......

Quick thank you to Lynette for sponsoring miles! I appreciate it so much!

I hope to blog more often now that summer has started.  So keep watching!!

Remember to Teach.  Remember to Pray.  Remember to Support.

100 miles down....

Well, if you are watching my daily mile tracker, you might notice 3 digits now!! I ran 4 miles with one of my good friends this evening to make my total number of miles up to 102!!  I'm really excited to get past this hurdle considering it took longer than expected to get here.

Next Saturday I will run in my first 10K race.  The 10K is in Little River, KS and is called the Suicide Hill Trail Run.  Now, looking at what the race is called, I'm surprised anyone wants to participate.  This will be a cross country race with two creek crossings.  It will be interesting to see how I do since I have only ran on pavement since I have started.  Kelsey will be coming with me to take a few pictures and cheer me on.  After the race, we will head west to see mom.

This week is finals week at the college, which is always an emotional week.  It is especially emotional this year since my first real recruiting class are graduating.  It has been a great 4 years watching them grow both spiritually, mentally, and personally.  I must say, McPherson recruiting a fantastic class 4 years ago.

Mom has continued chemo and continuing to eat very well.  I can not wait to see her next weekend.  Thanks again everyone for your prayers and support.

Remember to Teach.  Remember to Pray.  Remember to Support.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!

Kelsey and I got up this morning early and traveled to Ness City to surprise mom for Mother's Day!  Although we knew we were only going to stay a few hours, we definitely wanted to see mom.

So we hopped in the car around 7:30 am and headed west.  Kelsey and I usually talk or listen to music while we are in the car.....but I had something new to make the trip go by really fast!!

Pretty sweet, huh?  Needless to say, Kelsey was fast asleep once the author started reading.  

It was great to see mom!!  She actually surprised us by how good she looked and how much full of energy she was.  I asked her what she wanted for lunch and she replied, "How about spaghetti?" 

(See a few blogs ago to understand how excited I was!!)

A great mother's day it was!  I hope everyone enjoyed their day!   I will leave you with this very powerful and "tear jerking" video!!  Enjoy!!

Remember to Teach.  Remember to Pray. Remember to Support.

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Jogging and Blogging

Greetings all!

Well, one month is down!!  The past week which is really my first week into the second month (got that?) has really been a struggle.  I took a few days off of running to focus on work since we are for sure in the busy season!  My 3 mile run on Wednesday was at a much slower pace then I wanted so it's important that I stick to the plan.  My left leg has also been giving me some trouble but I think I just need to stretch more before and after I run.  I just need to stick to the plan!

Last weekend, Kelsey and I got the chance to go home to see my family.  We had a great time in Ness City.......spent some much needed quality time with mom, had a short but great conversation with grandma, and of course.......got to drink some slushes!!  Mom was in great spirits and she was excited to see us!  My brother, sister-in-law, and nephew are coming to Ness from Colorado this week so I know mom is really pumped to see them.

Kelsey and I have been looking at some more race opportunities to participate in.  We found a few around the area so we are trying to figure out our "summer schedule".  One of the races I'm really excited for is the Blake Reed Miracle Mile!  Interested in this race and want to learn more?  Check out this link!
http://www.mcpherson.edu/news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=2177

This Sunday of course is Mother's Day.  I will be doing a special mother's day post on my blog to tell one of my favorite "mom" stories...so stay tuned.

A few thank you's before I end.  Huge thank you's to Jamie, Mo and Po, and Cody for sponsoring miles.  Cody and Jamie, you guys are great friends........although you live states away, I'm so appreciative in your support.  Mo and Po, thank you for all that you have done......you are the best!  Also, thank you to Coach Eby and Becker!  You might not know this, but you guys have played an important role in keeping me motivated for my runs!  P.S.....Go Bulldogs!

Remember to Teach.  Remember to Pray.  Remember to Support.