May 7th at 5:20 AM…
The alarm sounded. So it was, time to get up, time to lace up, time to race.
But we weren’t feeling it. Matt wasn’t. I wasn’t. Maddie wasn’t. We wanted to stay in bed. We wanted to continue sleeping. Mentally we weren’t there. Blame it on the cold weather, blame it on the chance of rain, blame it on the life happenings at the moment.
We wanted to give up,
but we didn’t. We laced up and headed to the starting line.
7:00 AM…
We stood in the starting corral and we waited and we waited and we waited. Talking was at a minimal. But our mind was speaking, sending us bad vibes even though there was an occasional smile here and an occasional smile there. Snap that selfie. Make it look good for the camera. Our minds told us give in. You can turn around now, if you want.
We wanted to give in,
but we didn’t.
Then we heard those magic words…RUNNERS TAKE YOUR MARK!
7:23 AM…
We were off, off running through the streets of Pittsburgh.
Matt racing in his 8th marathon (26.2 miles),
me racing in my 10th half marathon (13.1 miles),
Maddie racing in her 6th half marathon (13.1 miles)!
We cruised down the streets, up the streets, over the bridges, around the stadiums and there were spectators everywhere! And they were cheering!
Cheering for us! All of us who decided…
not to give up,
not to give in,
but to give it our all!
On May 7th we had three choices: to give up, to give in, or to give it our all. And give it our all we did! When crossing the finish line we were in a state of dismay, but smiles were on our faces. For we knew that when we crossed the finish line, it was so much more than just that. It was the training we completed, the challenges we overcame, and the choices we made.
Matt’s stats
Amy’s stats
Maddie’s stats
~~~~~
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Runner, Reader, & Rockin' Mom 
Congrats on giving it your all! What an impressive family accomplishment! I love the photo of the three of you 🙂
Thanks, Molly! Looking back we have no regrets. Getting to the starting line is the most difficult challenge, but crossing the finish line is a whole different story.
I’m glad your sense to persevere was louder than the voice telling you to go back to bed. Why is it that our mind’s voice is so loud when we need it to be quiet? Congratulations to the whole family on a job well done!
WOW! I love the third choice, “giving it your all”!! YES! Congrats on the race, to all of you!
You didn’t take the easy route and it paid off in the end… and you did it as a family! You can bring this lesson forward into so many places in life, I’m sure!
So great, Amy! Congratulations to all! I loved the scaffold that built – to give up, to give in, or to give our all – just a great organizational thread that tied the content together in a most perfect way. Just loved it!
Wow and yay! We are still on the 5K circuit, but hopefully moving up at some point. Not me – Liam 🙂
Yay for Liam!!!
Bravo to you for giving it your all!
I love the layout you chose for this piece. Congrats on the races. There are so many small steps to take before that first one that begins the actual race 🙂
Yeah, Amy! Congrats to all three of you. The accomplishment must be even sweeter since you overcame the inclination to back out. Courageous.
As I read this, I thought of all the things we’d never do if we didn’t press on. Perseverance is a key component of life – thank you for the reminder and inspiration! And congrats. 🙂