Been able to let the events of last week marinade for awhile.  I originally wrote this Sunday afternoon, after the marathon.  The thoughts still hold true.

Thankful that:

-I have the health, talent, and drive to run the way I do

-I have a wonderful family who is incredibly supportive of my passion

-I belong to a number of running communities that support each other

-I live in a community where fitness and being outdoors (in some shape or form) is encouraged and appreciated.

-I belong to a competitive team that is full of people of all ages, passions, and talents.  But more importantly are good people, which seem to be rare to come by.

-I have the opportunity to compete in events like this morning’s Lincoln Marathon.  That Lincoln, NE supports an event like this.  That the race is so well organized (by volunteers).  That even in a football dominated city, the race (well the first half at least) is cheered on by thousands of people.

-That I have been able to meet people like Ivan Marsh who kept the pace going with me today through 21 miles.  People like Jason and Jayci Zakaras, Neil Wolford, Logan Watley, Hayley Sutter, Eric Noel, Ryan Regnier, Chad Sellers and many more I already knew and share this wonderful experience with.

-That I am not so wrapped up in letting everyone know that I just finished a race that I get in the way of finishers as I update my various social profiles.

-That our team leadership is not wrapped up in themselves and continues to find ways to encourage our competitive spirits.

-That the sport continues to grow in Lincoln.  Hopefully this trickles down to the high school team.

I tell our athletes at North Star that there is something to be learned from every single race you run, maybe even every run you go on.  Not sure what I learned today.  Maybe it will take some time to settle in and dawn on me.  With all that is going on in my life right, this might have been the best race I could run this morning.  I was hoping the 4am alarms this Spring and Winter would pay off in something a bit faster or higher placing.  But who doesn’t say they wish they could have run faster in a race?

Regardless it is a result I am very proud of. I hope that everyone who raced today is proud of what they accomplished.  I hope they put the effort into their race that the half and full marathons deserve.  I hope that you learned one of the many lessons that running offers us.  I hope that you found out something about yourself and what you are capable of. I hope that everyone continues to be part of the running community as a racer, volunteer, or event organizer.  It is a pleasure to be out there in the company of all of you.