Nate's the Wind Beneath My Wings

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Life has really been coming at us quickly this summer. We've gone a lot of places, lots of people have come to us, and Emmeline has turned from a baby into a toddler. The days are full, and so are the evenings, and so are the nights. And Nate and I are so tired. One day we're hoping this baby will learn to sleep through the night.

I just wanted to take a second and make a note of how much I appreciate Nate. He had the crazy idea for us to sign up for a trail half marathon several months ago. Somehow he got me to go along with it, even though I could hardly run down the block at that point. Since then, we have run and run and run. We both trained hard and consistently and gotten stronger. I've remembered that even though I have given birth to five kids and I have the body to show for it, I can still do hard things. I can get up early. I can get sweaty. I can set goals that I can keep. Nate has been so encouraging.

More than anything, running has given us a chance to spend time together. On our weekend runs, which are usually the long ones, we've been able to go out together several times. Those runs have been a treasure. Nate is a billion times faster than me, but he runs along with me and it gives us the chance to get reacquainted. It's been a delight to converse together long enough for the conversation to start to meander. Also, Nate is so funny. And he always has lots of interesting news tidbits to share with me. 

Frequently our runs have ended after it's way too dark to be running. And one morning we got up at the crack of dawn to scope out the place where we're going to be running the race. I had been really nervous about the course. So Nate demystified it for me. We hauled ourselves all the way up the 2,000 feet of elevation gain that make up the first 3 miles of the race. And we saw gorgeous wildflowers, an ant hill made of sticks, and snow on the 4th of July.

Our race is on Saturday and I think we're ready. I'm glad that Nate has helped me find the courage to do a really hard thing this summer.
 Class A doofus alert

Passing by Adams Canyon

This is where our race is going to be! Isn't it incredible!?

We're official. We have trail running shoes.

Three miles are no joke when you run them at 10,000 feet!

Comments

Bri said…
This post fills me with bubbly joy and love! You guys are both so excellent. Shell, you are going to KILL this race! I'm so proud of you! I am glad you feel ready. I KNOW you're ready. You're totally inspiring with your ability to do this incredibly hard thing (and all the other hard things you do.) You go girl!!! Wish I could be here to cheer for you both at the finish!
August 7, 2019 at 8:47 PM
Abbs said…
seriously, you 2 are the cutest. love you both! <3
August 14, 2019 at 12:41 PM
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