My Final Year to Soar

For the tenth year in a row I ran the Soaring Wings Half Marathon. This was my first ever half marathon 9 years ago. I feel like my running journey has grown up with this race. So for this year to be the last... It's a bit devastating. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but there were so many emotions wrapped up in my race this year and that's how I feel.

When registration opened back in April I didn't know we would be moving half way across the country. All I knew was that I'd done Soaring Wings every year since my first time and I didn't want to break that streak. Then I found out that it was the last year and there was no doubt. When my family moved in July I wasn't sure I'd make it back. Obviously it happened and I'm so glad. However with the move came a major drop in running. When it came down to the actual time to train I decided to almost start from scratch and built a beginners plan. I was fine with whatever the outcome of the race would be, as long as I got to run it. We knew Scott wouldn't be able to take time off work to go back to Arkansas for the race so we talked to my dad about taking his place. Dad's training kicked off with a bang and soon I had a new worry- to keep up with him.

You see, for 9 years my parents have been to almost every Soaring Wings race. And the one or two they couldn't make it to, I received texts of encouragement and love through every mile. So for me, they were definitely still present. With Soaring Wings and every other race I have done, they have ALWAYS been the best support team. For me to be able to run this race with my dad was a very special thing. I so badly wanted to stay together but my training was nothing close to how well my dad was doing. Not to mention I don't have the hills in Florida that are pretty necessary for training when it comes to the course for Soaring Wings. I was nervous, to put it mildly.

After many talks Dad convinced me that he didn't care about our finish time and whether or not we walked a little or a lot. Our goal was to run this race together. That is what was important. Having talked to him I felt better as I drove into town, and I came up with my goals.

#1, My Good Goal (which is actually my best goal in this case)- Run the 13.1 miles with my dad and cross the finish line together.
#2, My Great Goal- Get my dad a PR. I didn't talk to him about this for a while. I was fairly sure he didn't know what time he needed and I figured with his training, I knew he could do it, but because of my training I wasn't so sure.
#3, My Amazing Goal- Finish with a pace around 9:30 which was close to what Dad had been averaging with his long runs, which were anywhere from 9:17-9:45 for his last few.

PRE-RACE~
Friday before the race my dad and I were talking details and after crunching numbers and going back and forth Dad said he wanted to go for 9:30. I had not told him my personal goals before this time. When I did, he seemed surprised to hear that *all* he needed for a PR was anything under a 10 minute pace! It seemed so easy. Yet, I was still a tiny bit concerned. It was all about the hills for me. I bring it up a lot, because I was THAT worried.

Friday afternoon my friend, Andrea, and I drove to Conway. We made a bit of a girl's weekend out of our time with the race so we went over earlier than totally necessary. This was Andrea's second half marathon, but first with Soaring Wings. She wasn't new to challenging courses though, as her first half was the Little Rock Half Marathon. (Check it out! The whole weekend is fantastic.) After going to the expo, taking a few pics, and checking out the Soaring Wings merchandise, Andrea and I drove the course so she could see what she was getting into.

Even though I've run this course 9 times before, driving it felt very different. VERY different. I remember thinking, on some of the more challenging parts of the course, that I don't know why they have been so hard in the past, or why I've been so anxious about them this year. I think I definitely learned a lesson in that. Obviously driving a hill is different from running one, but there's a huge mental game that goes along with all that. I think from now on if I drive a course I'll just plan for it to be 5 times harder. Maybe then it will all be ok! :-D

We drove to our hotel to get checked in and by the time we finished with that, my parents said they were close to Conway, so we went back to the expo to meet my parents. More pictures and another drive around the course with Dad and we decided we were definitely ready for dinner at MarketPlace Grill. We tried to turn in early but pre race jitters had us turning circles as Andrea and I gathered whatever we needed for Saturday morning.

RACE DAY!
I woke up Saturday morning before my alarm. No surprise there. I'm glad for it though because it allowed me to get ready a bit more slowly rather than feeling rushed. I dressed for the chilly but perfect race weather, wearing shorts with a tank top, long sleeves I knew I'd tie around my waist, and an extra layer which I knew I'd be tossing pretty early on, but since the coolest weather I'd run in was 70- with humidity- a couple times... and it was 46 race morning, I was too worried about being cold. I also had some knitted gloves.
Andrea and I left our hotel shortly after 6:00 to drive down the road to my dad's hotel, then made our way to my personal favorite parking area. There was a bank near the McGee Center that didn't seem to be open on Saturdays. If participants got there early enough we had some of the closest parking spots that weren't right on site, which were reserved for VIP runners. We walked the short distance to the building where we checked our bag for after the race and then the three of us walked to the start line. Last year I made a mistake in timing and most of us missed the National Anthem and prayer, part of the race that I find very important. So this year we were at the start line long before 7. And yet, we still didn't hear any of that. I don't know why, but I'm definitely disappointed.

Soaring Wings is a self seeded race, so we are able to place ourselves in the corrals where we feel we should begin. Dad and I placed ourselves just barely in front of the 2:05 pacer, as we hoped for a 9:30 pace. Andrea stayed with us until a few minutes before the race began and after traditional start line selfies she then moved to hang out with the 2:15 pacer. That was a little ahead of her goal, but it was a place to start that would keep her moving. Other than a couple texts later in the race, I didn't hear from Andrea again until I watched her cross the finish line.

Start Line Selfies :-D

The race started and I felt good as I try to settle in. It did not take long for me to take off my top layer. I tossed it by the time I hit 1 mile. Soon after that I knew I was going to need to shed my second long sleeve shirt. This one I wanted to keep though so I had to move my bib from my shirt to my tank top and I did not want to stop or walk to do that. It doesn’t seem like much but it definitely took some extra energy. Around 2 miles I finally felt settled and as comfortable as could be. I knew I had the first hill coming up but I also knew it was minor compared to the rest of the big ones. I really tried to just stay in the moment. Not even 1 mile at a time, but one street at a time. Or one block at a time at some points.

Neighborhoods decorated for Halloween were a fun distraction!

Almost 3 miles in
*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

It was weird running the course and knowing that no one would be at the regular corners banging pots and pans for us, but at the same time definitely fun to be running with dad and pointing out where they would be. At each flag marker Dad would whoop and holler as we ticked each mile off. The first of four major hills came in the 4th mile. We pulled back our pace a little bit knowing that at the top we would be rewarded with an awesome downhill. Around 5 miles I felt like my feet were slipping in my shoes. I did not want to stop but I really felt like if I did I would be able to run stronger. Knowing there was a bit of a hill as we reached 6 miles I told dad I would stop at the top of the hill to adjust my shoes. It was less than a minute that we were stopped but obviously made a difference in our pace and time. Up to this point we had been maintaining a pace in the 9:20s. I can’t say I was feeling good, but I was feeling good enough to keep trying for that as long as possible.

A gradual decline after reaching the halfway point gave us a nice view!

I don’t know if it was the stop for my shoes or the pace and distance catching up with me, but I definitely had a harder time keeping our pace for the last half of the race. Even though dad had told me many times that we could slow down or a walk if needed (an agreement we had before even starting, that we were both supportive of the other one walking if needed) I still wanted to walk as little as possible and felt a little bit bad. He would have hated if I said that while we were running though. So after waiting as long as possible and reaching the top of a long incline heading into mile nine, I asked if we could walk between a set of cones.

One of many... Somewhere between 9 and 10 miles

For the next 4 miles I gave what I could. I did not have much energy for talking but I would listen if dad had something to say and acknowledge in short sentences. I walked through two water stops to refill my water bottle and those refreshed me enough to make it the mile and a half or so to the next. I walked through the last aid station, not for a water but to give myself a small recovery knowing that the big mile 12 hill was coming up. Before that though, as we complete mile 11, we get the most amazing and quite long gradual downhill. The down hills feel so great not only because the uphills are so hard but it also gives my legs a chance to use different muscles. After we made the turn off of the downhill the road is somewhat flat, compared to the rest of the course anyway, for about half a mile. And then the gradual incline that leads to the mile 12 hill begins. I braced myself mentally with each step closer. In the nine years that I have done this race I have not once ran the entire hill at mile 12. Even the years that I PR'd, I always walked this hill. To say it is a doozy is an understatement. I’m pretty sure I mention it every year that I have blogged about this race. Dad and I worked our way up the hill. I don’t know if I slowed down or held steady but I focused on what was right in front of me rather than looking towards the top. Except I knew there would be a photographer about 3/4 of the way up and while I was pretty sure any smile I attempted would be through quite a bit of pain, if I was able to get to the top without walking I wanted to have a picture of it happening. So I showed Dad where the photographer was and mustered up the best smile I could. 

THE Mile 12 Hill
*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

After that I watched for the top. I felt like I was barely moving. But the top came. I was there! I ran the whole thing!! And then I was overcome with happiness and pride over finally kicking butt on this hill that has kicked mine for so many years. I did not WANT to walk at this point but I also could not breathe through my tears. We had less than a mile to go and if we walked much more we would be cutting it very close to not making pace for dad‘s PR. After I got it together we were at the top of a shorter hill that lead into the great downhill again. I pumped myself up and took off down the hill. Probably too fast considering my legs had felt like Jell-O for at least the last couple miles. I had to pull back a little bit once the road leveled out. For the last 3/4 of a mile I was flooded with memories of this same stretch of road. The first time I ever ran it. The time that Scott and I had met up with Angela and she very seriously asked a fire man on a bicycle for a ride. The time Scott and I had been leapfrogging with a lady who seemed to be struggling and we decided she needed to not finish alone. Three different times and points along the road last year when I ran it with my sister-in-law, and then went back and met my two brothers and watched them make their way to the finish line, and then met up with Scott and my other sister-in-law and watched her see through tears how close she was to finishing her first half marathon. These are the things that got me through the last six minutes of a race that had been especially hard for me this year. One foot at a time, passing one street at a time, picturing the finish line. And then we were there. There was a large group of spectators and volunteers on the corner cheering everyone on. We made the turn, and as we ran to the finish line other finishers were coming towards us cheering us on. Cheering the other finishers on. People called our names as we ran by them. Just like that we were done. Smiling as we crossed that line and in an instant crumbling in tears. For dad, I know it was mostly about having just run the race with me. He will be very humble about how he felt for this race. He had so much more in him that he could have given. He never mentions the fact that he could have kept on running, or the fact that he set a four minute PR! For me, all I wanted was to stay with my dad no matter how painful and hard it would be. I was afraid. I really thought that I was going to have to walk more than I did. My tears at the finish line were for sticking through all that and staying with my dad. Tears for being so proud of him for training so hard that he was able to set a PR and hardly look like he ran at all. And finally, tears because this was the final year to soar. 

Finish Time~ 2:07:40/9:45 pace

Overall Place- 331/1075

Female Age Group~ 32/120

We received our medals (and a frisbee this year too!) and saw my mom standing outside the finishers area taking pictures. 

We got some food and mom offered to hold it for us while we stayed inside the finisher's area waiting for Andrea. She had sent me a couple texts while dad and I were still running and based on those I knew she would be finishing soon after we did. I watched for her through crowds of other people that were waiting for their friends and loved ones. As soon as she was in sight Dad and I started shouting for her. Andrea looked so strong in her finish!! In talking with her later, she says that she realized she possibly did have more in her then she gave throughout the race. She was running in at a low eight minute pace to the finish line! Even with having more in her, Andrea also PR'd! 

I’m so incredibly proud of her and can’t wait to see where her own running journey will take her in the coming years. After more pictures we found a table in the sun and enjoyed the most beautiful weather we have had at Soaring Wings in many many years while trying to stretch out our aching muscles. 

Forever and always the Best Support Team 

*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

After a while my parents left and Andrea’s family went to play at the family fun zone. Andrea was going to come to lunch with me and my parents so when she went to say goodbye to her family I stayed at the table and watched the finish line. Cue more tears. I know that I was exhausted and still riding a runners high from my own race, but I couldn’t help feeling emotional while watching these people finish their own race and also thinking again about how this was the last one. 

One last picture at the finish line

In talking with Andrea as we walked back to the car, we came to the decision that it’s possible saying goodbye to Soaring Wings was the release that I needed and did not have when I was saying goodbye to the life I had in Arkansas. There was so much going on in the couple months leading up to our move that I did not really have time to think about and process a proper goodbye to anyone or anything there. So in a lot of ways completing this race was the closure that I needed to really move along. The races I did, the jobs that I had, the friends and my family, are all parts of my life in Arkansas that I will always miss SO much. I think every part of the process I had leading up to and during Soaring Wings was much needed for so many reasons. I am extremely thankful that I was able to come back and run this race!

Thank you for the most amazing journey. I fell in love with long distance running because of this race. I don't think I'd be the runner I am now without Soaring Wings.

For even young people tire and drop out,

young folk in their prime stumble and fall.

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

They spread their wings and soar like eagles,

They run and don’t get tired,

they walk and don’t lag behind.

Isaiah 40:31, The Message

Soaring at the Sibling's Half Marathon

What started off as a little joke, became one of the best half marathon experiences I have ever had.

Back in March my sister in law, Crystal, and her kids were here for spring break and she said she wanted this to be the year she did Soaring Wings. She's heard me talk about it every year since my first and the time had come for her to make it happen. I was so happy, of course, but when she texted and said she had signed up my youngest brother, Brandon, as well, I was even more so.
The joke comes in when I registered Scott and myself the next day and posted on Facebook that I thought my other brother, Joshua, and sister in law, Krista, should also run with us. It wasn't a joke because I thought they weren't able, but just because I truly didn't expect them to want to. A week or two later in a sibling group text a screenshot for two more registrations showed up. To say I was ecstatic was a vast understatement.

Building or maintaining a solid base was the goal through the summer and official training began mid August. With a new job keeping me busy and a girl's weekend mid way, I was having to be very flexible with my training. Something that takes a lot of effort for me. I like to stick to the plan 100%. Or at least 85-90%. There wasn't a week that went by that I didn't move a run or cut out miles. Throw in a very last minute work trip the week before the race, and I started to wonder if I'd be able to be the encourager I hoped to be for my siblings.

I had told Crystal long ago that I would run with her for her first half marathon, whenever that happened to be. We stuck with that plan, even when Crystal's training had to take a back seat to a back injury flare up. It didn't matter to me what our finishing time would be. Friday night before the race we talked about a plan for the race and Crystal said she would like to run for at least three miles, but really see how far she could go before taking a walk break, and after that we would do some form of intervals.
A couple months before the race, Scott said he would do the race with Krista. She had been training with 3 minute runs/1 minute walks so that was her plan for the race as well. As far as I know Joshua and Brandon didn't have a specific plan, other than to move in whatever way necessary to finish. I also don't know if they had talked about staying together the whole time, or maybe talked about separating at some point.

My brothers and their families drove into town; going straight to the race expo in Conway. So as soon as the kids were out of school, Scott got off work early and we met them there. My nieces and nephews were doing the kid's races, but the mile race was cancelled because of rain, and the shorter races were moved inside. I was hoping to make it for the races but because of the rain it took a little longer to get to Conway than it should have. I was too excited about this being my sibling's first half marathon and made a silly request for them to wait to get their packets until we arrived. I love that they humored me and waited. It was packed at the expo and I know it really would have been easier with the kids if they had all gotten their packets while they waited for us.

After getting our packets we went to dinner and then sent the kiddos home with my parents. We ran a couple errands and enjoyed some sibling time together before trying to get some good sleep. I don't know that any of us slept much, but morning came anyway. :)

The timing of everything was going well, even though only one of three alarms went off. We still met in the lobby and got to the McGee Center in good time. Until we went to try and trade Crystal's shirt and they said the race was about to start. I thought we still had 15 minutes. Ummm, Rookie Move, Heather! I was wondering why I kept seeing 7:10 for start time. I was thinking 7:10 is when the National Anthem would be sung and the prayer said, and following that, the waves would begin. I read wrong. :-/ So the one that has start line anxiety, and desperately prefers to be TO the start line 20 minutes early... had everyone running late.

PANIC!

Okay, not really. But I didn't like it. Crystal, Brandon, Joshua, and I found a place in a corral where we felt reasonably comfortable, but Scott and Krista didn't show up. After a couple minutes Joshua went up to find them. I guess they had stopped because someone was singing the National Anthem. So, we did end up making it to the start line in time, but no one except the people in the closer up corrals could hear. I was so disappointed. I have a really hard time picking just one favorite part of any race. But the National Anthem and the prayer before the race are definitely up there on my favorites list! So Scott and Krista joined us, and it was barely 2 minutes later that our corral started moving. We had time for my traditional start line selfie and then we were moving! I was so excited and caught up in the moment I forgot to say anything to Scott about seeing him at the end. That's my only regret at this race. I'm pretty sure he didn't think anything of it. I love that we all started this race together.

Caught up in the excitement, Crystal and I left my brothers, other sister, and Scott and went on to do our thing. The other four were almost always on my mind. Joshua and I had shared our locations in a group text so that our dad could track us for spectating, so I would occasionally see where Joshua was, and assume Brandon was still with him. But I really had no idea where Scott and Krista were unless Scott texted. From here on, until nearly the end, it's really all about just Crystal and me. I wish I had asked my siblings to write an account of their side to throw in here.

Crystal ran a very smart race. I was so impressed with her. From the start, if she felt our pace pick up, she would say we needed to pull back so that we could run longer before walking. My parents and the 6 grandkids, ranging from 3 to 13 years old, showed up at what has become the regular first stop right about mile 3. The kids looked a little sleepy (they did have to get up early on a weekend after all. ;) ) and the younger ones were maybe a little confused as to why Nana and PopPop were yelling and ringing loud bells. It was so fun seeing not only my daughter, but also my nieces and nephews on the course! Normally I have a pretty good idea where my parents will show up next, but because we were running in 3 groups, Dad said that they may have to split up. So it was kind of a fun distraction for me to think about possible places for them to show up.

At 3 1/2 miles we were tackling the first of the longer hills on the course. Earlier in the race I had asked Crystal if she wanted me to give her a heads up when the bigger hills were coming. She said she thought that would be a good idea. Later on when I asked again she went back and forth, but again decided it would mentally help if she knew what was coming. This first of the hardest hills is nearly half a mile long and begins with a gentle incline but quickly changes to very steep. I dread it every year! It's mentally challenging on top of tiring on the legs and praying your heart doesn't leave your chest before you get to the top. I fully expected Crystal to tell me she was ready to walk when we got to this point. That didn't happen though. Instead, with some goal points we set along the way, she pep talked her way up the hill. Seriously, I was way impressed. This was my 9th year doing Soaring Wings and I'm pretty sure it's only been in the last 2 or 3 years that I have run this whole hill. And when I do it, it usually involves some grumbling or growling. Not a pep talk. Less than 10 miles to go and Crystal was holding strong.



We spent the next few miles with a mix of talking about parts of the course coming up, altering goals, and focusing on running a smart race. Crystal's hope had been to make it minimum 3 miles without walking. After making it up that hill she decided to go for 4, then 5, then 6. And then 7. 7 miles of running after not a whole lot of training in the weeks leading up to the race because of her injury. Before her injury flared up, she had gotten in 8 miles about a month before the race. At the aid station around mile 7 we walked through the water stop and then took a second for Crystal to stretch out and for me to get a boulder out of my shoe. A boulder that was actually a barely there piece of sand, but extremely bothersome nonetheless.
At this point we were excited to be over half way done with the race, but also knew that the "worst" was coming. I've said it before, the back half of Soaring Wings is the worst. Many more hills, short and long. A long stretch of course with no turns. And more of the mental game knowing that the mile 12 hill still loomed ahead. But still, we stayed positive. Even when Crystal started to hurt. We talked about what kind of pain she was feeling. Was it an injury type pain or the pain that comes with distance running. She insisted it was the distance. We didn't have specific intervals for the second half of the race, but picked points to run or walk between. On the hills we would go back and forth counting down cones, light poles, or mailboxes and encouraging Crystal to keep running to those points. Once in a while she would have a little cry, but quickly recover and make it to the next point.
We had seen my parents and the kids a little before mile 5, and then the next time was around mile 9. I would occasionally check on Joshua's location, and our best guess was that he was never more than half a mile behind us. We were also assuming he and Brandon were still together. There was no way to know for sure, and also no way at all to know where Scott and Krista were, but based on how my parents didn't split up like we thought they would, I liked to guess Scott and Krista were half a mile or so behind Joshua and Brandon. Meaning, each group was only 5-10 minutes apart from each other. It was strictly a guess though.

Somewhere around mile 10 we were reassessing our finish time goal. I had been keeping up with our pace and for a while, even with the walking we had kept our average under 11 minutes. At the beginning Crystal was saying she was expecting a 12-13 minute pace and hoped to finish in under 3 hours. After seeing our pace stay under 11 this far in, our new goal became finishing in under 2:30. We knew our pace would likely break 11 minutes in the last mile or two, and that was ok. I was still confident we could make the sub 2:30 goal.

I am pretty sure one of the highlights, or probably the number one highlight, for Crystal was at mile 11 when we saw our family again. Crystal's 7 year old son shouted, "You're doing great momma. I love you!" as we ran by. Of course that definitely got the tears going. At this point she's gone 3 miles past her longest distance ever. She's hurting so badly. And her son has pulled on her heart strings by telling the world that he sees how awesome she is doing. That one took a bit of time to recover from. :)

By the time we were nearing the mile 12 hill, we had run a long stretch. Close to a mile I think. It was the longest run we had since throwing in the walks. As we got closer we decided we would run to the base of the hill and then walk up until we decided to run, or at the top. Whichever happened first. Well, we got to talking to a couple girls and it was a fun distraction. I knew we were heading up the hill, but Crystal did not. She and one of the other girls realized at the same time that we were already about 1/4 of the way up. So we picked a point to get to before walking. We were both feeling the distance. It's a special kind of pain. The kind that's hard to ignore, and when you're not expecting it, it's hard to remember you have earned it. Passing the mile 12 flag was crazy exciting for me. Just one more mile!!! I tried to pump Crystal up with the happy news, but there's a chance she wasn't in the right mindset in that moment.

For the next mile I tried to keep positive and let Crystal know what was coming up. Down the hill- Okay, a couple small inclines that can't really be called hills after what we've done over the last 12 miles- See that intersection right there? That's where we made our first turn at the beginning of the race- Almost there- Around the curve you'll see our final turn into the finisher's chute- Last turn- GO!!

As always, the special kids that live on the Soaring Wings Ranch were there to hand out our medals. Crystal and I got ours and some water and then worked our way through the spectators to find our family. We recouped for a couple minutes and I checked on the location of Joshua. My best guess was they were a little past 12 miles. We decided to walk back up the course, about 1/3 of a mile or so, to cheer them on when they were so close to the end. While we were waiting, Scott texted to say they had just gotten to 12 miles. Crystal started walking back towards the finish line while I started jogging towards everyone else. I saw my brothers soon after Crystal and I separated and yelled and cheered them on until they were too far to hear. I texted Scott to see if he and Krista minded if I met up with them to run the rest with Krista, and he said, "Come on!". So I went one way while my brothers went the other. I cheered them on in my head and pictured them crossing the finish line together. The thought made me smile so big.

I met up with Scott and Krista when they had maybe 3/4 of a mile to go. Krista was all smiles. She joked about hearing Scott's life story and now it was my turn to distract her. So I asked about how things had been going, if they had kept the 3 minute run/1 minute walk intervals, wondering about other runners they had run with, anything to bring a distraction. As we got to the last curve, I told Krista how close she was, pointing and telling her that once we rounded the curve she would see the finishing area. She made kind of a gasping sound and I was so worried that what I said about how close we were made her feel like we actually weren't close enough to the finish. Then with a choke in her voice she said, "That's it? That's the finish??" Scott and I cheerfully said YES and then Krista said, "It's SO CLOSE!!" and started sobbing. I reached over to hug her and she continued to cry as we walked holding each other with barely a quarter mile left.
When she was ready, Krista stood up straight ready to take on the final stretch.

As we got closer to our last turn I was looking for Crystal, Brandon, and Joshua. The night before the race I had told everyone about this sappy vision in my head of how I saw the end of the race. It wasn't something I expected, but I just saw us all crossing the finish line together, no matter when each individual finished. I was hoping that I'd see the other three at the start of the final chute, but as we got to the corner I didn't see them. I knew it would be hard to arrange that, especially without having a way to track where we were. So I wasn't disappointed when I didn't see anyone...

We started the last running interval just before making the last turn and Krista told us she wanted to sprint to the finish. She was not kidding. We made that turn and she took off!! I wasn't actually sure if I could keep up. And then, from the side walking past the roped off final chute, I saw Joshua. And then I saw Brandon. And then Crystal going under the rope (pretty sure finishing off a hamburger as she did so LOL). It happened. We were all six going to finish together. I was so happy. SO. Happy.

Running down the finisher's chute hearing people cheering, knowing that the MC was calling out the names of finishers, and confident that my parents and all the kids were right across the finish line waiting to see all of us finish was the most exhilarating feeling. I feel like I could not hide my pride. I was doing one of my most favorite things in the world. And all my siblings were there with me. Words cannot describe this feeling.

Brandon, Crystal, Joshua, Krista... look what you have done. Look what WE have done.

I don't remember our finishing stats, and I'm not going to look them up. Because it doesn't matter right now. If my siblings decide to do another half marathon, and if they do it for time, maybe the stats will matter then. But right now, to me, it does not matter. We just ran a half marathon together.

We started together. We finished together. Siblings Half Marathon (#1) is in the books! <3