Lake Needwood 10K

A few words made me anxious when I read the description for the Lake Needwood 10K: "muddy", "hilly", and "challenging"! They weren't joshing. However, last week we went to test out the terrain, and the light was perfect, the ground was springy and this is what it looked like. (Thank you Laura for taking these beautiful pictures!) And then it rained. And rained.My running friends, Laura & Gina at the starting line before the race.

Unfortunately, Laura had eaten something the night before that made her sick and Gina wasn't feeling well either.


You would think that with all the rain, it wouldn't be humid, but it was. The humidity was tough on all of us and made Gina nauseous, but we both reached our goal to qualify for the National Marathon! Our results are posted here.

Gina has been a great training partner & has become a dear friend. Our conversations while running have always been interesting - from child rearing to music & books to politics! Lots of food for thought and I have learned so much from her.

I have been killing myself all year to keep up with her. She's quite fast and she has run a 10K in 50 minutes. I could tell that she wasn't feeling like herself during this race. We started speed work last week, because something she said struck me. She talked about how important it is to push yourself, because otherwise you become stagnant. Isn't that so true about so many things in life? I despise speedwork, but know she is right.

I admire how down-to-earth she is, how modest she is despite having so many creative talents (like cooking), and how open-minded she is whilst voicing her opinions. I'm grateful to have her as a friend, and she inspires me to be a better person.

I was so impressed with Laura! This was her first time running a distance this long and she did so great! She reminds me so much of my sister, Vickie (and interestingly her husband reminds me of my brother-in-law), she's reflective, insightful, always striving to excel, unassuming and kind.

We had to pose with our cute cheering squad. On the right is Gina's family: baby Anna, her husband Alex, and sons Christopher and Mark.

Aaron was so sweet. I am kind of superstitious when it comes to certain things and the night before the running the 10K I had to have whole wheat noodles. So he made sure to buy them, as well as some sports drinks. He cheered us on in his big, Hawaiian voice and took a lot of pictures. I was so encouraged when I heard him and the kids cheer.

Others who inspire me: My sisters, Liz and Vickie have both run marathons. They are amazing!

Debs, who is basically my trainer. I send her my goals and report to her each week. She's so smart, she's taught me how important it is to be accountable to someone to accomplish your goals!


Kaelene, my first running partner in DC. She ran cross-country at BYUH with her husband Sanoe. I also remember her running two weeks after she had her first child! I know, amazing. I miss you guys!

So, I still freak out when I think about actually running a marathon, but at least now I am one step closer to doing it. And I have a great book. Thanks Annette!