"I'll say a little prayer for you..."

Remember a while back when I shared THIS crazy endeavor with you? Well...somewhere a couple months back, I decided that a good way to get me geared up for it, at least the running part, would be to also shoot for the Country Music 1/2 Marathon. But now, as I sit here on the eve of this part of my goal, I am wondering if I have actually lost my mind. RUN 13.1 (and don't you DARE forget that .1!!!) MILES??? TOMORROW??? For those of you who haven't seen this ole girl lately, I am not in the same running condition I was in when I first started running years ago. For sure. But alas, I will once again set an alarm clock for 5 am tomorrow, fill up on electrolytes and a banana with peanut butter (what I always have eaten before any run...maybe a goodluck charm?), and find myself stretching in front of Centennial Park by 7 am. I will have butterflies in my belly and I will be so far back in the corral that I probably won't actually start running til about 10 minutes after the initial gunshot...that is, when the winner of the race will already be rounding mile 3 of the course. Unbelievable the condition that our bodies CAN be trained to be in! And I will, no doubt, be hurting pretty bad by mile 2...and probably question whether or not I will be able to finish. I will be running alone, which I actually love best...and the 50,000 other people around me will actually become background noise as I pass mile 6..7..8..and start hurting a little bit. Mile 9 is hardest in a 1/2 marathon, for me...and I will probably try to talk myself into walking at this point. I can be pretty persuasive :) actually, so if you are posted at mile 9, you may see me walking (with a limp...ha!). But as I get to mile 10 I will know the end is in sight...and as the course splits at mile 11 from the marathoners, I will just be thankful that, this time at least, I will not be running 15.2 more miles. Around mile 12 you can start hearing cheers for finishers... and then that last mile is exhilerating!!! My body will be so tired, but adrenaline goes a long way! So, as I have sat here talking to my Father (not Monty) this morning, I have asked that He would give me endurance and determination tomorrow...and safety. I am so thankful that I have two legs that WILL carry me on that road tomorrow, two lungs that will provide my cells with oxygen, and a strong heart that will pump that blood where it needs to go! Everytime I starting training heavily, and get back into the "swing" of long distance runs, I find myself in awe of God's intricate attention to detail in our bodies. They are machines that, taken care of, can do GREAT things. Even run...and run...and run!

So tomorrow, as you get out of bed, I will probably be about 1/2 way finished. Would you "say a little prayer" for me?? (...Love that song, especially on My Best Friend's Wedding! :)) I will be depending on those prayers...



...and these three other essentials to cross that finish line!

...Come on out and cheer...or check back later for race pics! It's gonna be a blast...rain or shine!