The road to the Half-Marathon

10 days ago now I conquered something I have wanted to do since 2003. The summer before my senior year in college I decided that I needed to take control of my life. I had just been through a rough semester and knew that this was possibly my last year of school before the real world. I was doing a summer internship at a church in Houston and decided I wanted to learn how to do ministry and take care of myself at the same time. One of the downfalls of ministry is that it can be totally consuming and you quickly find yourself sacrificing yourself for everything and everyone else. That summer, despite the busyness, I committed to getting healthy. That began by transforming my eating habits and getting exercise. I started walking/running about 35-40 minutes 5-6 times a week. My goal was to run 2 miles in 20 minutes with those that were going on Trek later that summer. By the end of the summer I had changed my habits....I was exercising and eating really well and it showed. I felt better - more energy, happier, and more confident. I hoped that I could maintain this change as I went back to school for my last year at Lipscomb. Amazingly, I started getting up at 6am several mornings a week to run and my fitness level grew. This was one of those first times I had put my mind to something and stuck with it. That winter I thought I would try to run a half marathon but school, work, and weather just didn't allow me to train like I needed to. Fast-forward several years and running sporadically during the last couple years through grad school. My sister and I were talking several months back and she encouraged me to train for a half. She told me she would run it with me. I knew it would be good for me to have a goal and I agreed. In the back of my mind, I sorta doubted I would follow through but then several people found out about it. It's still a little hazy to me how it all happened but 10 days ago I ran my first half-marathon. It was one of the toughest things I have done but it was so rewarding at the end. I know that through the encouragement of friends and running partners I achieved my goal. I couldn't have done it without several that were willing to meet me and run early in the morning or on Sunday afternoon.