Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Remember that race I was nervous about doing?
The River To River Relay Race is done and I survived! Not only did I make it through, but God helped me achieve something amazing.
It’s kinda funny how the artwork inspired by my struggle with fear seemed to mirror what happened during the race!
River To River Relay Results
The River To River Relay race is a long distance race where teams made up of 8 runners run the distance from the Mississippi River to the Ohio river, spanning 80 miles and covering the state of Illinois.
We ran all the way across the state of Illinois. Crazy, I know!
Each team member runs three separate times through the day, about 3-4 miles each time (it’s like running three 5k races in one day) Each team member runs roughly 10 miles through a beautiful yet challenging course. 250 teams run the race each year which makes this one of the most popular relay races in the country.
Now I’m sure you understand why I was nervous! Which brings me back to why I’m so thankful for you, my awesome readers!
As race day started I took a quick shot of my race number and shared it (as well as some of my nervousness) on Instagram.
The next thing I knew, you guys were sharing sweet words of encouragement and it was so helpful! It was wonderful to start the day by being encouraged. It made facing that long and challenging day a little easier!
Our River To River Relay Team
Daniel, Greg, Seth, Hannah, me, my hubby, Kalyn and Adam
Our team was made up of two track and field coaches, two former collegiate runners, one physical education teacher and a couple other really athletic people.
I was the oldest (and probably slowest) person on the team. Thankfully my teammates were super encouraging and wanted me on the team anyway!
My Goals For The Race
I wanted to complete each of my three legs of the relay at a certain pace. I was super excited I was able to achieve that goal for the first two legs! By the time I got to my third leg, my body was tired so I didn’t hit my goal for that part of the race.
The last part of my third leg consisted of a very large, seemingly never-ending hill. I may have not run as fast as I wanted to but I was happy God helped me up that huge hill without walking.
When we averaged the paces of my three runs together, overall I did achieve the time I was hoping for! So all in all I was really happy with how I did!
Something Amazing
The River to River Relay is so fun (in a miserable sort of way) Who would have thought running 3-4 miles, then jumping in a van crammed with 7 other people to rush off to the next stage all day would be so much fun?!?
Everyone on our team wanted to run the relay just for the experience. We had no expectations of placing.
There were about 250 teams that ran the race that day and not every team was able to finish. Out of those 250 teams, our team, that had no expectations of placing, ended up getting 16th overall and getting 2nd place in the mixed division!
That’s crazy!
Not only was it awesome to overcome my fears, achieve the goals I set but now I get a plaque out if it too!
God had something special planned for all of us that day. I’m glad I decided to take a risk and go for it. I know my teammates were glad too.
Now you’ll have to excuse me while I go and enjoy a well-deserved batch of Edible Cookie Dough.
