Big Bro Twin Cities Champion/Little Sis Big Woods 1/2 Marathon Champion

My brother and I are the crazy runners in our family! We took on the Twin Cities Marathon challenge on October 7th and trained like mad to get ready for the event. We began the morning feeling great and ready to take on the challenge before us, yet not knowing only one of us would finish. Ben was taking on his first marathon and was looking forward to finishing and enjoying this wild adventure! I however have done a few of these already and was aimed to kick some butt in the process. So, different goals, but the same idea in mind-lets run the race for Christ.

The race did not go as planned for me. The weather was extremely hot and humid and it totally took over my body. All I can really remember is thinking, "Wow it is really hot and I am really sweating!" With little to drink I passed out at mile 10 of the marathon! My time at that point was 1 hour 7 minutes..... on track for an amazing marathon. Truly discouraged I attempted to get back in the race to pass out AGAIN at mile 13. The man who took hold of me said, "You continue running and you will end up in the hopsptal, you choose." So I decided I really didn't have a choice to make, I had bowed out of the Twin Cities Marathon at mile 13.

Ben, my oldest bro, absolutely took over and finished a great race at 4:45! He received a sweet shirt and medal and took home the pride that he ran 26.2 miles on the hottest Twin Cities Marathon EVER! I couldn't be more proud of his accomplishment! Way to Go Ben!

The next few days were so disappointing for me as I thought over and over the details of the marathon bomb. I truly was bummed that I had worked so hard to pass out and never give it my best shot! So, I hopped back on the internet more determined than ever to find another race that I could put forth some of my hard training. I decided to take on the 1/2 marathon in Faribault MN. I packed up the boys and said good-bye to Kyle as he was leaving for a youth retreat and away we went to the cities once again. My dad, always my biggest fan, came with me and Andrew the morning of the race and cheered me on at mile 6 and 13. The 1/2 marathon race was a huge success as I came in third place for women and competed against 600+ runners! Not only did I feel great about leaving my training on the course, but God used this race as a tool to reach others. I met a really neat girl named Jen who loves running too and I was able to encourage her all the way through the race! God had a plan and reason why I needed to race that day in Faribault...His plans are better than mine anyday!

Though Ben and I put our training into different races, we are running the same race for Christ. May we continue to always look at our gift to run as a dance for Jesus.

Jesus I love you more and more everyday. Thank you for my brother Ben and thank you for his encouragement he continues to give me all the time. Way to Go Ben! I am so proud of you in your determination to do your best for Jesus. Keep your eyes on the eternal prize!

The picture above is a shot of Ben wearing his Twin Cities shirt and me wearing my Big Woods 1/2 Marathon shirt. We always laugh at our silly "Running Pose." Enjoy!