Number 20

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well then, this is gonna be a long post! 😉 I don’t have a whole lot of words for this one but I’ve got plenty of pictures from the last ten years of races! How do I sum up everything that’s gone into making Number 20 possible?

How Did I Get Here?

Over 4,000 miles of training since 2011. Support from friends and family at most of the 20 races. All were in Indiana except for the first one in Disney World. During every race I wonder why I chose this. At the end of every race I’m so glad I did it. 

A few years ago I realized I could run my 20th race in 2020. I had it all planned out. Number 19 was in December 2019 and I was ready to go for the Carmel Half in April 2020. We all know how that turned out!

Eventually I decided to plan my own race. I didn’t know if the actual race would even happen, and I wasn’t ready to run in large crowds again. So, I planned out a route and asked friends and family to come out and cheer for me. And they did! I had someone at every mile supporting and encouraging me along the way.

It Wasn’t Easy Though

Number 20 was hard. I realized that I depend on the excitement of other runners to get me pumped up to run. I also depend on other runners to motivate me. Thankfully my friend Jeff and Brad’s uncle Dan ran different portions with me on Saturday. Even though I was slowing down, they stayed with me and helped distract me from my watch and the wind.

Speaking of the wind! The whole second half of my race was IN THE WIND. I guess it kept me cool, but man, it was hard pushing through that mile after mile. I was ready to quit so many times, but family and friends kept encouraging me to keep going. 

I needed more supporters in the last mile or so — that was the hardest stretch. But I kept putting one foot in front of the other and let go of any goal times I had in mind. For every race I want to finish before 2:30 and this one was no different! 

Number 20 Was a Success

I pushed hard for the last little bit (uphill!) to get to our house where my family and friends were waiting for me. My mom put a medal around my neck (that my friend Joy had made for me!) and everyone cheered. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon outside on the deck and in the backyard — it turned out to be a beautiful day once the wind died down. 

I may have more insights on this later, but I’m still tired so this will have to do! Thanks for all the support near and far. I felt so loved throughout the race. 

peace.

Some thoughts from previous races: Hard Things, #12 Recap, Thirteen, I Did It Again, Number 15, Badass Badge.