Love the Hill!

My sister and I ran hills today.  They were BIG hills.  The kind that made you want to stop and lay down.  As we were trudging up the final one I thought to myself, "UGH why do I run these hills?" Sure the downhill is rewarding and enjoyable.  But sometimes after an hour of endless hills, your legs are so trashed, even the downhill can seem arduous.  So why run those blasted hills?

Once you get to the top and you look around at the view, you remember exactly why you endure those hills.  Not many people get the chance to see and enjoy the breathtaking vistas that I am privileged to see after a killer uphill.

So I run the hills, knowing a view of God's creations is at the top of each and every one.

Here are some of my favorite that I have captured on my runs.

Mini Me's FIRST Half-Marathon

Well she did it!  My sweet 12 year old accomplished something that most adults NEVER do!  She completed her FIRST (and not last) Half-Marathon!  My oldest son ran his first half marathon when he was 14 years old.  He hated it and swore he would never do it again.  At age 19 he has so far stuck to that oath.  Mini-me has wanted to run one for a couple of years.  I made her wait until she was 12.  She has trained hard all summer (something her brother did not do) and yesterday was the big day.

Race start was in downtown Boise at the New York Life building.  The race was called "Run For Your Life."  Our start time was 8:00 AM.  I was concerned about this late start time because I knew how hot it was going to get.  I wore my trail hydration pack to ensure we would always have lots of water on hand.

Our timing chips went on our ankles and we were ready to go!

Getting ready for the Start. We are close to the front at this point.  Mostly because the fast people had not lined up yet!

 

The Start.  We are on the left just about to leave the picture frame.

The race was pretty since the majority of it was on the greenbelt.  Mini-Me surprised me as she hit a 9:45 pace and said it felt good.  She stuck with that pace for the first 3 miles as we came upon the first aid station.  We walked only long enough to drink some nice cold water and then she was off again declaring with a smile, "I feel really good!"

As we continued running she confessed to me that she is "feeling really competitive".  She did not want anyone to pass us!  So she kept a steady pace through the next two aid stations.

Here we are at mile 9.  Mini Me is not smiling as big as she was before.  It was shortly after this photo that she experienced what it was like to hit the WALL.  She hit it at mile 9.5.  At that point aches and pains started to kick in and the heat felt more intense.  She really did a good job breaking through.  We had a few walk breaks, at an orange, and drank lots of water.

Here she is saying good bye to the last aid station.  It was at mile 12 which made her made because they said it should be at mile 11.5.  She called this mistake DUMB!!!

Closing in on the finish line she really found her second wind and started to pick the pace back up.  Once she saw the finish line looming she started sprinting.  I can not keep up with her when she sprints.  She had also made me promise that I would let her beat me!  There was no chance that I was going to catch her now!!

So proud of this little one!  She did great! I can't wait to run many more races with her...if I can keep up!

    Balloons at the finish line from her older brother and sister!

This is exactly what I looked like after my first Full Marathon!!

Leg massage from Daddy!!

FIRST PLACE IN HER AGE GROUP!!

(Let's be honest, no other kids ran the half-marathon! That emphasizes what an accomplishment this was for her to do!)