My point of view

Well, another race in the record books. My husband just ran his second Dam to Dam race over the weekend. I love all the excitement of the race and the atmosphere down at the finish line. This year was a little different for us but oh so much fun. We had a whole group of people from our church run it this year. That was fun in and of itself but in the mix my husband found a running partner until I can train myself to get up to running his distances and his speed. They helped push each other throughout the race.

I want to share the racing experience from my point of view, waiting for him at the finish line. Brad tells me beforehand about what time he can run it in if everything goes well. He has battled severe leg cramps where it prevents him from running in some of his past races and stomachaches in other races that have stopped him in his tracks as well. So there I stand at the finish line where I can see the official race clock and wait. As the time he told me approaches, I get more and more anxious as I search the faces of the runners hoping to spot him coming in strong. As the seconds and then minutes tick by, the more anxious I get. Yes, I should be still and know that God is taking care of him but in my flesh I can't help but worry. How is he doing? Did he get a stomachache or did his legs cramp up? See I dont' follow him around the course. That is just too difficult to do in a car around downtown Des Moines. But then, I see him running and he is coming in strong. I sigh a huge sigh of relief to know that he made it close to the time he was thinking and his form looked great. YAY!!! Then the excitement kicks in as I try to find him in the vast crowd. I can't wait to congradulate him. This time, Dam to Dam went well and turned out to be his best race ever so far.

But when the minutes tick past the time he told me, the more anxious I get knowing that something happened. Sometimes he is forced to walk across the finish line because he just cannot take another running step or his legs will cramp back up again. That was last year's Dam to Dam race and the Des Moines Marathon. He tries to hydrate all week before the race but sometimes things happen out of his control. When your body shuts down, there is no turning it back on. But for me as I wait at the finish line, all sorts of thoughts run through my head. Are there medical personale that will find him on the course and help him if he needs it? Will he be able to make it to the finish line? Then once he does, my heart just goes out to him because he had all these goals that he didn't meet because his body turned against him. He spent the time training and preparing for it but your body can just be so unpredictible. So as he is having "fun" racing, I stand and wait hoping he meets his goals and that his body holds up too.

Well, he made it through this one as his best race ever. Now onto the Des Moines Marathon in October. Good luck honey.