We Ran For Life!

Shad and I woke up Sunday morning to about 35 degrees, gray skies, and no rain.  I was so excited to put on my Run For Life Haiti t-shirt and run my very first 5k.  So with Shad by my side, we headed out the door in our warmest running attire to meet our team.

 

 

Some of us ran fast, some of us ran slowly, a couple of us walked it and two of us even opted to do the 10k.  It really didn’t matter because we were all in it for the same reason.  We had pregnant ladies and new born babies on our minds.  Well, and maybe a little “I wish I would have remembered my gloves” too (not to name names…Shad!).  It wasn’t easy waiting for the start because when we weren’t moving, we were freezing.

I am so proud of my team!  Everyone put their best foot forward (tongue in cheek) and ran with a smile.  It was so much fun to run with Shad.  He has been such an encourager to me through all of my training and fundraising.  He has been by my side the entire way, so it was fitting that he would finish the race by my side, too (really he finished about 2 seconds after me because I decided to RUN through the finish line).  Actually, having him run with me made me faster.  I averaged a 10 minute 56 second mile which is almost a minute faster than when I was training! 

But while it was fun to run the race, the best part was the fundraising.  I set a goal of $1000 tentatively.  I honestly felt like it was a lofty goal.  I should have known that, with God on the job, we would be able to meet that goal.  Oh wait!  We actually one and half timed that goal!  Today I received a check that put us, officially, OVER the $1500 mark.  Our total as of right now is $1515!!  I am beyond excited and thankful for this.  Thank you to everyone who donated, prayed and encouraged.  And, I really want to thank my team.  You guys stepped up without me even asking you to.  Thank you for coming along side me to make this happen! 

 

 

After the race they served us bacon, eggs and pancakes.  That made us all very happy.  But by the time we got done eating, we were all freezing again.  Did I mention it was cold?  Also, it started to mist just after Shad and I crossed the finish line, so that didn’t help with the chilliness.

 

Just because we did our run doesn’t mean it is too late to support Run for Life Haiti.   Barry McDonald starts his 12 day run along the coast line of Haiti on Friday, so the donation website is open until he finishes his run. 

I had so much fun preparing for this run and loved doing the 5k.  It has been an honor to do my little part to help Heartline Ministries get closer to their goal of $800,000 for the new maternity center.  When it opens they will be able to serve three times as many women as they do now, to have a safe and loving environment to give birth.  That makes all the hard work and sweat totally worth it!

 

Thank you all!