Following Through

You know you have been busy when...

You finally log onto your blog and realize that you have drafts waiting to be posted that happened all the way back in September. 

Since I am lacking original thought today, lacking current photographs to inspire me, and desperately trying to avoid yet another public post on Facebook from Rah-Rah that implies her favorite blog is broken... Here. Ya. Go.

So waaaayyyyyyy back in September - as the leaves were changing, the pumpkins were ripening, and fall was in the air - I looked at my calendar and realized a very important date was just around the corner one week away. An event, that last year I more than anticipated, I trained diligently for four months for. I bought fancy new gear and actually spent money on an iPhone app! Why is it that I have no problem spending $5.00 on a cup of coffee that is gone in an hour, but the idea of spending $1.99 on an app for my iPhone seems absolutely, positively astronomical in price and 100% ridiculous.

The second annual Dirty Girl mud run was a week away. A new location. Advertisements of being bigger and better. Unfortunately compared to 2011, I believe the last time I had gone for a run was in May - just once... to the mailbox and back... a combination of running and walking... I believe I quickly got a side ache... and there was heavy panting... lungs on fire.

In a panic, I thought I better get my shoes on and run every day I can  S-@-$-%!!!!

I had a million excuses to back out. A million reasons to hit that snooze button never set the alarm on Saturday morning. My running buddy decided to go have a baby a month before and wasn't running with me as my motivation. I had no one to watch the kids. Handy Man was away on a hunting adventure in Wyoming, both Grandma's were out of town and even our babysitter was away for the weekend.

I might as well grab a bag or Doritos and Bud Light and call it a day.

But I didn't.

I thought to my self...

You paid like $60 bucks for this race. 

You didn't plan ahead. 

You have gotten lazy. 

You have gained all that weight back. 

Lost your stamina and muscle tone. 

Not to mention drive, motivation and upbeat positive outlook these days.

At the same moment in time, we had been battling with our Brown Eyed Girl over consequences for our actions - Do as I say not as I do. I felt guilty not setting the example as a parent and swallowing that jagged little pill. Sure she would have never "known" Mommy became a slacker. 

But I knew.

I had to stand up to the consequences of my choices.

I set my alarm.

I squeezed by lazy fanny into some spandex and running shoes - God bless those that had to see me in public.

I accepted the fact that I probably would not be able to run the whole thing this year. I accepted the fact that crossing the finish line would not be the same accomplishment that it was in 2011 at my first race, that I had trained so hard for. 

The day was going to be all about following through. 

I loaded up my Brown Eyed Girl and Mr Blue Eyes and we headed to May Farms. 

I found a fellow, injured, teammate to watch the kids for me while I ran. I gave the kids a kiss and said I would be back soon and they needed to be good.

My Brown Eyed Girl looked up at me and smiled and asked me if I was going to run real fast. 

I stared into those big brown eyes and I told her I would run as fast as I could. 

The Dirty Girl Mud Run is an all women mud run in support of breast cancer. As I waited with my team of fifty other woman and the rest of the 9:30 am wave, I was surrounded by women. Some of which were survivors. Two of which were currently fighting breast cancer. 

Suddenly the day was no longer about me. 

The day was about the cause, a pair of blue and brown eyes and those women around me. 

At the end of the day it didn't matter if I trained or not for my own successes, accomplishments... or consequences.

So I ran.

When I was done, I savored the fact that I would be sore as hell the next day - because I still had the ability to run, to climb and crawl my way though life. 

I embraced my kids, and we spent the rest of the afternoon petting the animals at the farm and playing in the sunshine.