1st Time For Everything - 10K and a "Naked" 4 miler

Today, on the 12th anniversary of being brain tumor free,  I ran the Amery Fall Fest 10K with my mom. It was her first 10K and I was SO honored to be running it by her side on my anniversary. I'm not sure who was more nervous, her or me? She had a goal in mind and I was going to do everything I could to help her reach it. I knew the course was challenging with lots of hills and only 1 water stop, but I wasn't going to let her know that. I told her it was "no big deal" - just a few small hills. I didn't see any need to freak her out - we were going to run the route no matter what, either way the hills would still be there. As we started, I kept pace with her. I told her we would speed up if she felt she needed to, but if she kept the pace she was at, she would get the time she wanted. For me, I had been struggling with running since The Women Rock 1/2 Marathon. My pace felt slow, the runs felt really hard and I had "Negative Nancy" chirping in my ear every time I laced up my shoes. I was worried that the same thing would happen during this 10K and I might have a hard time being a good running buddy for my mom. To my surprise, the slower pace she was keeping felt great. My feet didn't hurt, my legs felt light and "Nancy" was gone. We chugged up the hills, chatted when we were on the flats and her energy and excitement was keeping us both going. Around mile 5 I could tell she was struggling a bit, so Trainer Tera kicked it into high gear. Just because she was my mom, I wasn't going to go easy on her. We took a short walk break for her to catch her breath and I told her my little secret I say to myself during every race. "This may be hard NOW, but it WILL be over soon. You only have one chance at THIS race, so don't do anything that you will regret when it's over". That must have lit a fire under her buns, because she ran the rest of the way. And at 1:03:05 we crossed the finish line. She did it and she had NO REGRETS. And when she got 1st place in her age group, I couldn't have been more proud!!!
After the race I decided to take a run by myself. Amery has a beautiful running trail that only the 5K'ers get to experience, so I had to check it out myself.  I left my watch and ipod behind and ran "naked". I can't remember the last time I had done that. I would rather hear the beat of the music than the pounding of my feet and, like many runners,  I NEED TO KNOW how fast I just ran that last mile. But I wanted to make this a run where I shut everything out. This was a run just for me and God. I had a lot to be thankful for - I was celebrating my 12 year anniversary doing something that I love with the people I love. And only by the Grace of God was I able to do that. I ran, I prayed, I thanked and I took in EVERYTHING around me. For four miles I reflected on the person I was BBT (before brain tumor), the person I have become since and the blessing the past 12 years have been. If things had went differently 12 years ago, well I really don't want to think about that. They went the way they went because God has a plan for me. He has given me the opportunity to be a wife, a runner, have the career of my dreams, be a better friend/sister/daughter than I was and appreciate the small things in life. I would never want to ever experience having a brain tumor ever again, but it was an experience I was meant to have. The blessing he gave me 12 years ago wasn't wrapped up in a pretty box and tied with a bow, but it was a gift. A gift that made me a happier person with a stronger faith and desire to make a difference.
Life doesn't always go the way WE planned. We may be throw for a loop by something that wasn't penciled into our Google Calendar or on or list of "to-do's", but if we stop for a second, step outside of ourselves, strip away all of the unnecessary "noise" and see the positive in the negative, we will experience the life that He has planned for us. And surprisingly, it may be better than what you had planned for yourself.