Sidetracked

It is funny how life can sidetrack you. You are going along living out your "plan" for you life and whammo. Now getting sidetracked isn't always a bad thing. In my case, it was one of the best things in my life...my daughter came into our lives. She just came a little early. I was still a junior at OSU, John and I had only been married about six months and we just didn't think we would be starting a family at that point in our lives. God had other ideas and His timing is often way off from ours. I love to tell her how God meant for her to be born when she was because He has something special planned for her.

One year eleven months and eleven days later her brother was born. Again, another sidetrack. We weren't "planning" on him either but what an amazing surprise.

As alot of mothers know, it can sometimes be hard to find time for yourself as a young mom. I would go to the gym every now and then or sometimes go run with a friend but I was never able to be consistent. Slowly my dreams and goals and "plans" became theirs and that was okay. For a while it had to be about them. That is what you do when you become a mom.

As my children have grown, however, and I am becoming a "seasoned" mom, I realize the importance of me time. Taking care of myself and setting goals and accomplishing them in front of my children is one of the greatest lessons I could teach them without saying a word.

After the Biggest Loser contest, I knew I needed another goal, a deadline to meet. After I signed up for the half marathon, I began to train. I decided in December that I needed to run in a short race just to get my feet wet. I signed up for the Frigid Five in Edmond. On Saturday February 13th, I lined up with hundreds of other people to run five miles in 40 degree weather. I ran it in 57:34.  Twice my daughter found me and ran with me part of the way. One of the best memories I will treasure.

With one race under my belt, in a time that I was really proud of, I was hooked and ready for another race.