What a weekend! We are all exhausted, including my daughter who was a real trouper – she walked almost 4 miles with me downtown on Marathon Sunday! I am thrilled to report that I
met my 2015 fundraising goal of $5,000! I
currently have raised $5,660. The race
went well on Saturday – we had gorgeous weather and I finished the 5K with a
personal record of 41:15. I actually beat last
year’s time by over 2 minutes! It was a
difficult race – about half the time, I was saying to myself “I’m never doing
this again! Why do I think I can do this? I can’t!” But crossing the finish
line is such an incredible feeling, it erases those feelings of doubt and
fear.
met my 2015 fundraising goal of $5,000! I
currently have raised $5,660. The race
went well on Saturday – we had gorgeous weather and I finished the 5K with a
personal record of 41:15. I actually beat last
year’s time by over 2 minutes! It was a
difficult race – about half the time, I was saying to myself “I’m never doing
this again! Why do I think I can do this? I can’t!” But crossing the finish
line is such an incredible feeling, it erases those feelings of doubt and
fear.
In related news, Kevin finished the full marathon (his
first ever!) in under 4 hours, with a time of 3:56 – this put him in the top
25% of finishers. What an
accomplishment! Squeezing into a spot
along the railing and standing on my tip toes waiting for him to come around
the bend on Smithfield Street, and then seeing him and cheering him on with our
five year old, Cassidy, was a major highlight.
Last night I asked her what her favorite part of the weekend was, and
she said “Sitting on that newspaper stand, watching for Daddy!” There is something amazing about watching
people run by so close to the finish line.
The look of exhaustion and accomplishment on their faces is
inspiring. One trio went by at a snail’s
pace, two women nearly carrying an injured male runner. I wondered if they all knew each other and
were determined to finish together or if two strangers sacrificed their timing
goals to help a fellow runner cross the finish line. I immediately teared up at this, and nearly
lost it completely when a mom and son (I assume) ran by, the mom bursting with
pride for her young running partner.
first ever!) in under 4 hours, with a time of 3:56 – this put him in the top
25% of finishers. What an
accomplishment! Squeezing into a spot
along the railing and standing on my tip toes waiting for him to come around
the bend on Smithfield Street, and then seeing him and cheering him on with our
five year old, Cassidy, was a major highlight.
Last night I asked her what her favorite part of the weekend was, and
she said “Sitting on that newspaper stand, watching for Daddy!” There is something amazing about watching
people run by so close to the finish line.
The look of exhaustion and accomplishment on their faces is
inspiring. One trio went by at a snail’s
pace, two women nearly carrying an injured male runner. I wondered if they all knew each other and
were determined to finish together or if two strangers sacrificed their timing
goals to help a fellow runner cross the finish line. I immediately teared up at this, and nearly
lost it completely when a mom and son (I assume) ran by, the mom bursting with
pride for her young running partner.
What a journey each person takes to make it to that final mile. All of those training runs, injuries, forgoing other activities, giving up hours of sleep, pushing through pain, boredom, (running can get boring after a while!) inclement weather, the dreadmill, (treadmill) – it’s a huge deal to prepare for. I know how I feel when finishing a 5K – I can’t even imagine how exponentially overwhelming it is to conquer a half or full marathon.
If you haven’t been involved with the marathon weekend, I
encourage you to come down and support a runner, volunteer with the event or even run one of
the races yourself – we would love to have you run for Light of Life- is this
your year to commit to doing your first 5k?
Message me about running if you want to get involved next year. I swear, if I can do it, you can do it!
encourage you to come down and support a runner, volunteer with the event or even run one of
the races yourself – we would love to have you run for Light of Life- is this
your year to commit to doing your first 5k?
Message me about running if you want to get involved next year. I swear, if I can do it, you can do it!
I am celebrating, but also looking ahead to May 31st,
my triathlon! Don’t worry, I’m not
fundraising for that. J But I would love to have your encouragement
and prayers – I am VERY intimidated by this upcoming event. I am training hard but not knowing exactly
what to expect is nerve wracking!
my triathlon! Don’t worry, I’m not
fundraising for that. J But I would love to have your encouragement
and prayers – I am VERY intimidated by this upcoming event. I am training hard but not knowing exactly
what to expect is nerve wracking!
We are still accepting donations (just FYI, Team Light of
Life is VERY close to overtaking the Animal Rescue League to be the #2 charity
in all of Pittsburgh for this event!) https://www.crowdrise.com/lightoflifepittsburgh2015/fundraiser/jessimarsh