I don't run.

Of course you have your friends that say, "Ugh, but I don't run!" and then take off leaving you in the dust. Or my favorite, "But I'm so out of shape, I'm sure you'll beat me!" and once again... you're in the dust. I'm the person who could run every day for a year, and still get winded in the first 50 feet of a jog. I played soccer for as long as I can remember, and swum even longer, and any sort of cardiovascular exercise still tires me out faster than is probably necessary. Many of my close friends know that sometimes I go for a jog, end up jogging a mile, then stopping because I just get tired. It's not a lack of will-power, I just don't really like it. However, this summer, that all turned around for me.

I remember my mom used to tell me to go on a run to get more in shape for soccer, and I would grumble and moan the entire run. I've always had this negative association with running. I don't know why really, but up until this summer I just despised doing it. Moving home from college was very hard for me, and I couldn't swim as much as I wanted to because of a shoulder injury, so I started lifting and running much more frequently. At some point during the summer, I decided I was going to run a half marathon in Sioux Falls in the fall.

I have my friends Kathleen and Phoenix to thank for part of the inspiration. A group of friends I had in high school (Karina, me, Kathleen, Phoenix, Zach, Colby, and Karter from left to right) went to Okoboji, Iowa to watch Kathleen and Phoenix run the half marathon there. We all woke up early and ate together, and sent them off at the finish line. Karina, Zach, Colby, Karter, and I drove from stop to stop to cheer on our friends, and then met them at the finish line. They both have been passionate about running for as long as I've known them (even as elementary schoolers they loved it) and something in me was like, "I have to do that". When I first told my mom I had decided to do it, she didn't believe me. She gave me a look that said, "Who are you and what have you done with my daughter", but told me if that's what I wanted to do then I should do it.

So I did. On September 10, 2017, I ran my first half marathon with extremely little training. People honestly don't believe me when I say the most I've run before then was 5.5 miles almost 3 years ago. My training for the half was running 3 miles a run about 4 times a week. I showed up on the half marathon day, after working until 11pm the night before, and it was raining. Looking back, it was a super rough start. However, at the start, the announcer said words I will never forget while sending us off: "May God keep your feet light when you're feeling well, and give you the power and faith when they get heavy. Every step you take, whether you feel good or bad, know that God is guiding you in all your steps, even past the finish line." Once those words were spoken, the mood changed. I ran the entire 13.1 miles, only stopping for the water stations every 2 miles. I also ran the entire thing with no music, and yes, I may be crazy. But, I can tell you I soaked up every moment of that day. I remember each mile and the people I passed, and the people that passed me. I could tell you about the people who came out to support, and all the people running for loved ones. I could tell you how draining it was, and how many times I wanted to give up.

I was fortunate enough to have run it with someone who I couldn't have done it without. Nicole was my manager at the pool I lifeguarded at, and agreed to run it with me. She was the most positive person I could've picked to have by my side, and I know she says she thought I was going to hurt her for being motivating and telling me I could do it, but I needed it. Every mile, every hill, every step I knew I was doing something much bigger than myself. We finished only a couple of minutes apart, but shared an incredible experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. Pictured below is us right after, all smiles (mostly because we were done).

I told myself if I did one half marathon, then I could be done and just say that I had done one. What I didn't know was that this was no "one and done". I fully plan on running another one this upcoming summer, and possibly trying my hand at a triathlon. If you've ever considered participating, I highly recommend doing it. There's absolutely nothing like watching people do what God has called them to do, and it was so rewarding for me to take place in something so incredible.