The Crazy Beaver

Don't get too excited! This is not as impressive as it seems!

This weekend I ran my first off-road 5K. When I signed up for it I thought it sounded fun, but mostly I signed up because it was at Joe Pool Lake, and I wouldn't have to drive far to get there. I was really excited at first...it was going to be a new experience, it would be something different. But as the days got closer, I got more nervous! I started to worry about hills, mud, a slower time....and then my dear friend Curt mentioned the possibility of SNAKES! What ?!?! Why didn't I think of all this before I paid my entry? In addition to all of this, the confirmation email said that I had to be there by 6:30am, I think I would have been better off driving somewhere!

So on Saturday morning I rolled out of bed and headed for the lake. It was still pitch black dark when I got there, and it was cold! Because the wind was blowing so hard and it was coming right across the lake, it was 10 times colder than it had been at home. We had a pre-race meeting where even more fears were introduced in the way of possible coyotes and a bobcat! Again I questioned what I was doing here!

By the time the race started it had warmed up a TAD, and I was feeling a little better. This was a small race, only 30 people, so the start was an old fashioned, "runner on your mark, go!" We started off running slightly up hill, across the edge of the parking lot and down into the woods. Nothing was flat because we were running on bike trails. Keep in mind that I train on a treadmill, no hills, not even a bump! I figured out real fast I was out of my league! I will admit I started out pretty close to the front, but about 1/4 mile into it, I was ready to cry! I have run several races now, and never have I felt the need to walk. My desire to walk and or just flat out quit, was what got me so upset. I didn't cry, for the record, but I will say the Lord and I were very close running buddies! I started praying and quoting every scripture I could think of about perseverance! I prayed for God to keep putting my foot down in front of the other one, I prayed that He wouldn't let me stop running, and I prayed that I could just finish and not be last!

I ran up and down rough terrain, through mud puddles too big to go around, through grass that you couldn't tell where the ground was, and dodged many branches. I was never happier to see the finish line! I was terrified to hear what my time was, but I hung around to find out anyways, (because it would make me crazy not to know). To my surprise, my time was the same as my last run in Cowtown, 31 minutes! That was such a relief since I was told to expect 10-20 minutes slower! An even bigger surprise was them calling my name as the 1st place winner for my age group! Wow! I was shocked! Really they should have called out "God" in my place because I quit running about 3 minutes in! I truly believe that God answered my prayers when I BEGGED Him over and over to carry me to the finish! Even though I came home with this lovely plaque, it doesn't belong to me!
I can honestly say that I hated every minute of this race and it will be a long time before I do another off-road again! However, if I had to do all over again, I would make myself do it. I learned so much about myself and what I can do WITH God on that trail in the woods. This wasn't about marking off my 5K for the month, it was about so much more, and for that I am SOOOO grateful!

P.S. I called Corey on the way home and told him I won my division and by the time I got home here is what I saw: