Warrior

Warrior Dash race recap

Me and my fellow warrior princesses

 

On May 14th a group of us made the 5 hour drive to Mountain City, Georgia for the Warrior Dash.  There is no amount of training that could have prepared me for this race.  It was a 3.02 mile course with 13 obstacles ranging from a 15 foot wall to crossing a 100yard lake.  It was insanely fun!!
We camped out the night before at a local campground and headed out Saturday morning about 7am for the Dash.  We met up with a few people from our town (including my boys school principle...pretty cool).

Pre-Dash

The helmets are included in the registration! 

We arrived at around 7:30am and the live band was already playing! They played the best 80's music ALL day long! 
We lined up at the starting line around 8:15am for our 8:30am start.  There were waves of 500 people every 30 minutes from 8am-6pm! People were dressed in the craziest costumes!

Who doesn't love the Great American Hero!??!

The first part of the course was about a 3/4mile run and I had that no problem. Then we came to a lake- that we were told was a "creek" and not over our heads...I had to swim more than half of it because I couldn't touch and I'm 5'8".  None of the obstacles were so difficult that I couldn't complete them though I saw a lot of people skipping them.  Why pay the money to do an obstacle course and not do the obstacles?

Of course like always, I went in to this race telling myself I was just doing it for fun....that changed about 1/4 mile into it when I started passing people.  I argued with myself the whole time! It went something like this: "Slow down and enjoy it....pass that guy....no! slow down and enjoy it....you'll enjoy it more if you pass that lady...."
So I did slow down several times... and then I would sprint through an obstacle.  At one point there were people waiting in line for there turn at an obstacle....absurd! this was a race! I didn't wait in line, there was nothing in the waiver about patiently waiting your turn at obstacles. I heard a guy yell at me as I passed him "wait your turn!"...I bit my tongue....

I finished the race in 28:06....25th in my AG out of 727.  Not too bad.. The competitor in my was a little disappointed because I could have gone faster had I not wasted so much time debating whether or not to race for fun or for time.  Now I know.
  I registered for Warrior Dash Tennessee this September. I'll be ready this time!;)
Post race was just as much fun.  If you like to people watch, this is the place for you!!  Plus they had amazing food! Turkey legs, Philly cheese steak, roasted corn...so good.

finished!!

like a "SuperStar"!

the guys weren't feelin' it like we were. LOL!

If you get the chance, do a Warrior Dash! You will have a blast!

Hope your week is going well!
I had a fantastic Memorial Day.  I started it out with a PR of 55:08 at the Cotton Row 10k, a race that honors our fallen heroes.  They started the race playing military taps and singing America, the Beautiful...it was so touching.  I am so thankful that we live in such a blessed nation. I am thankful for all of you who have served or are serving!  This is still "One nation under God".
God Bless!!
Grace and peace,

A little bit of normal

Things are finally starting to get back to normal for us after the tornadoes. Unfortunately there are still so many people who are just beginning to put their life back together.  It's hard not to feel a little guilty doing "normal" everyday things. Especially when I know that 1 mile from here the tornado left a path of destruction, and nothing is normal.  We are still helping as much as possible and I am touched by all the stories I have been hearing of selflessness and love that is being shown to people. If there is one positive thing that comes from this devastation,  it's that the people of Alabama and the churches have unified. Showing God's love to others crosses ALL denominational borders.

I hadn't really thought about how it affected my boys until I watched them pick out some of their favorite toys to give to kids who lost everything. It melts my heart. Ty and Seb both have friends from school that lost family members or homes.

This was my proudest mother's days ever.....

In race news.....

I actually ran a race....I haven't been running very many races this year because I have been trying to volunteer more and let the boys run.  It was a last minute decision to run the Steeple Chase 8k back on 5/7/11. My mileage has been crummy and I had low expectations.  Because of a competitive gene, I am incapable of running a race "just for fun" so I knew I would push myself.  It was a beautiful day for a race and the course was pretty good. I set my sights on several girls that looked like they were in my AG and picked them off.  I ended up with a finish time of 42:01(avg 8:27m) and a first place in my AG!
Talk about a shocker. I'm pretty sure all of the fast people must have aged out of my AG! It was great to have that victory, and it came at a perfect time.  My running confidence was very low and it gave me a little jump start.

something unexpected-
I met a fellow running blogger! Eric, he is a super, speedy, runner from a town not far from mine.  I'm sure I have seen him at races before but had no idea he was the man behind www.rocketcitytraining.blogspot.com... a blog I started following when I was training for the Rocket City Marathon.  He was the 3:45 pacer for that race.  You need to check out his blog, his story is an inspirational one!

Last week my friend A and I signed up for a fitness Boot Camp....Mon, Weds, and Fri from 5:15am-6am.  I thought I was in pretty good shape until I met Sean Miller.

I am loving the classes and think that they are helping push through the weight loss plateau.  I shed 10lbs since Christmas and have 5lbs more to go to reach my goal running weight.  We will see. 

Last Saturday I ran the Warrior Dash in Georgia.  BEST. RACE. EVER.

Full Race Recap with pics tomorrow!

Hope you all had a great weekend and a great start to your week!
Grace and peace,

Quick update from North Alabama

Our power was restored yesterday afternoon. While I am glad to have power, it is sad to know that a mile from here people lost not only their homes but loved ones well.
Yesterday it was confirmed that two tornados passed through the second was an EF-5. It is inspiring to see the people of AL come together in the midst of this tragedy. There is so much to do. School iout for the boys until who knows when and so we have been volunteering the best we can to keep them safe. We have been feeding the Red Cross Volunteers at church. We have heard so many stories......yesterday we were told about a 3 yr old boy from Phil Campbell who was found alive and in good condition in Mt. Hope, miles and miles away. Praise God! A friend of mine who live 3miles from me was in her home with her 3 kids and husband and the only room left standing was the room they were in. The rest if here neighborhood was completely devastated. We will be going to help them as soon as the police let us in that area.
It def makes you ask the question "why?". Why some and not others. I have heard people blame God for this saying" it was an act of God" I even saw someone post in FB that God was punishing people! ABSURD!!
The bible clearly states that it is the thief(devil) that kills,steals and destroys but God gives life and wants us to live it yo the fullest. -John10:10
If God is good and a loving "father" why would he send tornados to kill and hurt his people. The fact is we live in the world. There is a real heaven and a real hell. A real God and a real devil. God never promised living a life for Him would be easy but He does promise the grace and power to get through. This is a fight. Good against evil. What happened last wednesday is clearly evil....and God wants to bring restoration and healing. He will use all of us to do that.
Do what you can. If you can't donate to the Red Cross or another orginization then give blood or pray. Pray that the help that is needed would be supplied.
Thank you for all your prayers.
Grace and peace,
April

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