She beat the Marines!!! OohRah

Today I ran in the Toys For Tots 5k here on Yokosuka main base.
As you know I am not a runner! Being that I love fitness and a challenge I was there after a full body weight work out! - got to get the work out in when you can as a mommy.
The entry fee was a new unwrapped toy therefore not only was it a physical challenge for me personally but a worthwhile opportunity to help others. The toys will be personally delivered by US Marines to many of the orphanages "nearby" in the Philippines, Korea, Japan and Thailand.

This was my first real race yes I did the 9/11 remembrance walk. Hence the name it was a walk and I was a stroller mom. Today I was running and sans little bambino! At first I was wondering if I would remember how to balance without a stroller;)

United States Marines lined up in formation in front of all of us at the starting line and started us off on the race. They were given a 1 minute head start!?!? At the starting line I was chatting with a friend from Bible Study who runs marathons and has been for years. She told me to start off slow. So thankful she was there because it KILLS a competitive person to see people she knows she can beat blow past her at the beginning. Slowly I began to pull away from my friend so I was on my own. Athletes have this interesting thing we like to do and it has nothing to do with age - we talk to ourselves! I was running steady then realized I had more to give. I started to pick out people in front of me and would talk to myself until I passed them. About halfway through the race the cadence of the marines was louder and louder. Oh my heavens they were right up ahead. There was a huge dose of motivations catch the Marines!!!!!! Slowly but surely I willed these short legs on to within inches of the last Marine in formation. That is when my adrenaline and competitive juice kicked in!! There was no just catching up with the Marines I was going to passing them. Can I tell you how motivational their cadence was - man I could use a group of Marines jogging with me on a regular basis. Granted I have no desire to have to be someone who chants while I run. For this non runner I am happy that I am still breathing as I run:) sometimes it can be as loud as a cadence - OK so teasing with that one I am not that bad. As I started heading around the right side of the group many emotions hit me. None that slowed me down though which was good. To be honest the first one was oh yeah baby you can do it beat these guys!!!! Lengthen that Stride Girl!!! The next was oh my these are guys that could go off to war at any time for their country, for my son's freedom and NEVER come home. It is strange how even though I am surrounded by military members those thoughts are not a daily occurrence. How grateful we need to be when we see our US military members. I would have gotten a good chuckle out of this next aspect of the story if I wasn't so focused on one foot in front of the other;) As I was coming up on a section of Marines I was being pushed along by a man's voice from the far right of the line motivating his brothers. As I slowly passed this group he said OK come on guys that should be motivation - awww what you don't want this momma to beat you!;)
OK so in all honesty these guys may have already workout this morning, like I did and they may already have run. Plus I didn't bust out my pair of combat boots for the run nor did I wear camo pants and "sing" the whole time. Still it does a heart good to finish strong, finish before the Marines and clap the whole time they crossed the finish line - after you. OK so I have to rub it in a little. Truly I am so grateful for all they sacrifice which was why I was one of the only people standing at the finish line clapping for every Marine that came through.
For those of you who care I ran the 5k in 24min 10sec. I was happy though I never caught up with the one lady I had my eye on and wanted to beat!


Word of Encouragement:
You are fearfully and wonderfully made!!!! As I was running I was thanking the Lord for the ability to run that is when I wasn't talking myself past the next person. Being thankful is so very important. Were you able to get out of bed on your own this morning? What a blessing not everyone can. If you couldn't did you open your eyes by yourself? Was there someone there to help you out of bed - what a blessing! Not everyone has some one to help. Do you have a reaally messy dusty house - praise God you have a house! The Lord will give you the grace to see the positive in life and to be grateful for the small things - truly they are what matter.
No I am not anywhere near perfect!! I am not always grateful though I am confident the Lord won't stop working on my heart. I have things I dislike about myself but.... we need not dwell on our outer appearance - man looks on the outside but the Lord looks on the heart! I encourage you to take the serenity prayer seriously in many aspects of life but where a lot of us can apply in is to the physical. The Lord will give you the power to accept the things that cannot be changed and He will give you the courage to change those that can and should be. Nothing positive comes from staying unsatisfied, wishing or beating ourselves up - be positive, motivated to change what you can and find the blessing in it all!