Wow, I know, 2.5 miles...believe it or not its taken me TWO WEEKS to get up to being able to run that far. I stopped running a few months ago and it is really showing. I am however completely confident in my ability to finish this race:) I actually believe I could even run a full marathon, but seeing as I've never done any kind of race before (do walkathons in grade school count?) I figured going for the half marathon which is 13.1 miles rather than a 26.2 mile marathon is really still quite an accomplishment.

Patricia is my running partner and housemate and she is wonderful. Having a half marathon and a triathlon under her belt PLUS being a Mommy of one yr old Mary Ella:) makes her more than qualified to provide support, encouragement, and just the right kind of push at 5:45 in the morning to get us running. Today we ran about 2.5 miles in around 22 minutes. We are not entirely worried about our speed right now seeing as this is only the pre-training training. The REAL training begins in July. I really enjoy my runs with Patricia. Waking up before the rest of the world. Hearing the peace and feeling the stillness on our skin as we leave our house each morning has been an awesome way to start my day, not to mention the delight of good conversation we share along the way. Everything to me is a way to build a relationship. 

Running has been so redemptive to me in this season. I feel like there are so many things I can't do. So many no's around every corner. We've lost so much control of our lives and our circumstances. And running has been something I can take on with joy, determination, and confidence that I can do it and nothing can hold me back. Running brings such freedom in my spirit. To feel my feet hit the ground, moving forward, and gazing into what lies ahead. Having a goal that seems bigger than myself and definitely greater than what I've attempted before is exhilarating. And lets face it, we probably can all use a little me time.