The 2nd Annual Relay

On Sunday, BJ and I participated in our second annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Relay. Once again, we had a great time and are already planning for next year! The weather this year was quite an improvement over last year's relay; this year it only rained during about half of my leg instead of during every step of it! The rain was light and, if you like to look at things from the bright side, a little refreshing even. The temperature was the biggest difference though; a balmy 68 degrees compared to last year's 40-something. I wore a tank top the whole time and was never hot or cold.

Our finishing time was spectacular, thanks to every runner of the relay besides me! Greg, for instance, ripped us all a new one and ran eight minutes miles to round out a 48-minute 10K. What what! My goal, as stated previously, was not a time or distance really, which is a good thing since my performance wasn't on par with where I had hoped. I had not been able to run as much as I had planned and was struggling with a prolonged exhaustion as a result of George going through a mega-growth spurt. (You should see him now though! His legs are cute and chubby!) However, the goal of it all was to get myself out running so that I could lose all of that baby weight, which I have. I really would like to be a good runner; I'm not talking about one of those cross-country skinny mini's, because that's probably never going to be me. I just want to be able to run three miles on a consistent basis without feeling as though I'm about to pop a lung. Chanda, her husband Landon, BJ, and I have decided to keep up our running and we are going to sign up for the Moore War 5K at the end of August.

After we left the finish line, we went and paid our respects at the Memorial, which is really what the whole thing is all about. The Oklahoma City bombing has always struck a nerve in me, as it has with everyone who lives here and was here when it happened, and now that I am a mother I find it even more incomprehensible. For those of you who have never seen the memorial, it is a peaceful place on the site of the fallen building with a large reflecting pool. On either end of the pool is a large wall, one with the time 9:01 and the other with the time 9:03 (the bomb exploded at 9:02am). Overlooking the pool are 168 chairs, one for each of the victims. Some of the chairs are much smaller than the others, which I assume represents the children in the daycare who were killed in the blast.

I tell you now, I cry as I imagine the possibility of that happening to my children; should they be taken in a terrorist attack, I would likely go insane with grief. It was no doubt quite motivating that, as you run through the course, there were banners hanging on light posts depicting the names of individuals who lost their lives that day.

BJ and I think we will make this day's activities a part of our family for a very long time. We are eager for the days a few years down the road when Silas and George can participate in the Kids' Marathon also. In this event, the children keep a log throughout the spring and they run one mile 25 times. On race day, they run the final 1.2 miles to complete their marathon distance. What a great way for our family to always honor and respect this day. Many thanks to BJ, Chanda, Jordan, and Greg for running with us this year, and for Landon, who was strong sideline support.