^WHERE:  Davis, CA

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

It’s great to be back in Davis. Last year, I ran this pregnant so hope to better my time(= As I run around warming up and getting my race packet, I run into our neighbor Pete Korn. Anna goes to his wife’s preschool and loves it! Pete is a ultra runner but can easily run fast at any distance!

I run into Teresa Clark and Beth Bourne at the start. Teresa is cheering today. She always gives great support . I look forward to seeing them at the finish.

I see Carrie Chavez at the starting line and surprise her. She’s also doing the ½ Marathon along with Steve who is just ahead of us on the line. We chat about upcoming races and I find out that they are doing the California 70.3 (1.2mile Swim-56mile Bike-1/2 Marathon Run) and Ironman Lake Placid (double the previous distances). She asks me if I’m doing Ironman and I tell her not until Troy is healed. In fact, I tell her that I’m phasing out triathlon all together over the next 3 years to focus on God and His ability to heal Troy. It's a sacrifice but I know that God is going to heal Troy. Triathlon is our ministry and it's more important to do it together than it is for me to do it alone! I’m confident that he will be healed and I will be able to do what we love together. Carrie is so supportive and understands the situation.

Ready, set, go! It’s slow crossing the start line with the crowds. the 10Kers and ½ Marathoners are all together. I’m with Carrie and we are going at a fast clip. I encourage her to go ahead since my pace is iffy. I’d like to run sub-8min pace for the whole thing but I don’t want to bonk. My first mile is 7:28…oops! I know I need to slow down but it’s tempting to hold this pace. I settle back a bit. I’m cold with my tank and shorts. We are running alongside the railroad tracks and the train cars are blocking the sun. I purposely move over to the other side of the road to get warmth…strangely no one else joins me…aren’t people cold?! I see Teresa and give her a holler.

Mile 2 is 7:42 and the 10Kers split off now. I’m feeling good and decide to hold this pace. Several girls are now passing me. I let them go and wonder if I’ll ever see them again. One in particular has great form and seems unstoppable…she’s wearing the CIM relay shirt from this year. I am content with where I am…it’s just a blessing to be able to run…something I need not take for granted.

Mile 3 is 7:47. Still feeling good and excited that the miles to go are in single digits now!

Mile 4 is 7:46. A woman, Doreen, comes along side and we start chatting about triathlon. She’s doing her first half ironman this year at Vineman…a race I’ll also be at. She tells me that her watch broke that morning so I give her my Timex watch. I have my handy GPS watch (that I’m totally addicted to!) . time in a race is important to me and I don’t want her to go without. We plan to meet up at the finish. We run for a bit and then split up.

Mile 5 is 7:44. Great! That’s perfect! I plan to hold steady and see what kind of energy the Lord will give me…mentally and physically! It’s really been great to get away from hills and run flat. There is an overpass and some dips and undulations but they don’t seem bad at all coming from Auburn...a blessing in itself!

Mile 6 is 7:50. I’m starting to see some of those girls from earlier. There are about 6 of them ahead. I ask the Lord to help me to catch up by mile 10 and then see what I have left.

Mile 7 is 7:40. I see the CIM relay girl from earlier. I cannot believe it! Just like Troy always says, you never know what might happen so always keep going for it. I reflect on how this attitude was once foreign to me. Without having Jesus in my life, I was a stress case and was rarely happy with my results. Running was a job and rarely fun unless I was “doing good” and even then the results were never “good enough”. I run now without anything hindering me and just enjoy what my body is able to do…”good” or “bad”. Again, a race is never over and anything is possible…with Jesus!

Mile 8 is 7:51. I continue to make ground on the 6 girls but the CIM girl is still the same distance away. I just focus and one by one the girls come back.

Mile 9 is 7:28. There is just one girl between me and the CIM gal in a skirt. My heart rate has jumped into the 170 range and my body is feeling the fatigue. I continue to push and keep my eyes ahead.

Mile 10 is 7:25. We are zigzagging along the bike paths of Davis and it seems like we are running farther away from the finish line. The skirt girl is just right in front of me.

Mile 11 is 7:38. Oh the body is struggling but still holding on! I move past the skirt girl and tell her good job. The CIM girl is closer so I surge to catch her.

Mile 12 is 7:20. God is good! I cannot believe the energy He’s giving me! I’m moving past the CIM girl and we both encourage each other. I don’t look back and keep pushing. This last mile seems endless. I see the finish but have to do another zigzag unto another street. As I’m heading down, I see Troy and the girls. He tells me I’m earlier than expected…yeah, that’s all Jesus…I point and look to heaven and Troy knows. He tells me to go for another girl right ahead of me. I dig as deep as possible and go for it. She’s just a little out of reach and beats me to the finish. She’s in my age group and the old me would have beat myself up. The new me is totally happy and content…6th place! I’m reunited with Beth, Teresa and later Carrie. Another blessing I enjoy.

I see the CIM girl and congratulate her. She’s disappointed in her race which is preparing her for an upcoming marathon. I understand that mindset. She mentions that it might be a slight PR and I tell her to focus on that…always look for the good…boy, that is sometimes a hard one!

Beth, Carrie, Steve and Pete had great days! They all medaled! Way to go guys! It was nice catching up with Teresa who is moving back east…she promises to be back and I hope she does soon! I also got to see Beth’s hubby Ben and cute kiddies, Elisa and Nathan. Her son is about 1 so we are not too far apart.

Now it’s time for breakfast at Café Bernardo! And then Anna gets to do the kids race! She’s so excited!

Go Beth!

Go Carrie!

Go Steve!

Go Pete!

Teresa and Me

Team Chavez

Team Soares

Waiting for Mommy

Yeah Breakfast!

Go Madison!

Mommies' been doing her race for a long time. I'm excited to do my kid's race. After playing on some slides at the playground, Daddy takes me to registration. They give me a number! Cool. Then I show it to a lady who gives me a race T-shirt... really cool! Daddy puts my number on and now I'm ready to run.

Mommy is coming soon. I'm watching the runners, looking for her yellow race shirt. I don't know if Ariel understands how exciting it is when mommy runs by. Daddy says it will be soon. There she is! "Go mommy!" She looks good. I hope I look like that in my run.

We go to our favorite breakfast place and I order pancakes, french toast, eggs, yogurt and juice... I need energy for my run. Mmmm it's good and I even let mommy and daddy eat some of my breakfast. Mommy says my race starts soon. "Come on, Daddy, we need to run". Wow, there's the starting line! We get behind the bigger kids. They're doing the 1 mile. There they go! Cool!

Ok, I know how to do this. I wait at the starting line and then go, go, go until I get to the finish. I tell Daddy, "I do it all by myself". He seems surprised but I smile and insure him that I can do it all by myself. He asks me what I do if a girl is running next to me and falls down. I say, "help her and ask her to run with me". Looks like I said the right thing because Daddy is finally leaving. Great! Just me and the other kids! Ok. I think I'll do a little stretching. Maybe jump up and down a little. It's fun watching all the other kids. They all have race shirts, too. The race guy tells us to shake our arms and yell if we're ready to run. Yay!!! I smile at mommy and daddy with the cameras.

3 - 2 - 1 - Go! We're all running. I love this part. Mommy looks pretty excited with the camera. And Daddy's really not chasing after me. We're going way down the road. I look back and no Daddy, no Mommy. Wow, they're really letting me do this. I hope I can make it.

I've been running a long time now. There's Mommy and Daddy. High 5.. yay! Oh! A girl just fell down! Daddy says, "What do you do, Anna?" I stop and go back and try to help her. She's crying. I say, "Run with me". But her mommy is there to help her. I'll keep going then.

I'm running and running. I'm really getting tired. But I keep running. Sometimes I don't know where I'm going but there's lot's of kids. I have to keep up with them. And there's the finish line. I did it! I got a balloon and a ribbon. I was so tired. But I want to go to a kids race again! And then I won't be so tired.