TA~DAAH!!! Mission Completed!

The River Bank Run....COMPLETED!!!

So i can't believe that the day has actually come and gone. All that training and we did it!

It wasn't exactly the most beautiful day but it ended up being just what i needed.

Here are some pictures from the day!

The Runners....before the run. It was Freezing and at this point it was actually tempting to forget all the training and go home to snuggle around a mug of Hot Chocolate.

The in-laws from Iowa braving the weather. What good fans we have and thank goodness for sleeping bags to wrap up in! We didn't have a hard time spotting Bonnie in a crowd :)

MY RUNNING PARTNER!!

We were thankful for the near by parking garage to keep warm.

We took this picture hoping it wouldn't be the last one together :)

WE ARE ALMOST FINISHED!!!

I think Nolan even has a smile on his face!!

Amy also ran the last 1/2 mile with us to cheer us on (she's in the Blue).

She may have also gotten a 25K medal for it :)

TA~DAH!!!

We finished!!

We averaged a little under 10 minute miles. My legs felt like Jello afterwards, but overall I felt pretty good. Nolan was a superstar and prolly could have won the thing but he stayed back with the the entire time. The weather actually ended up being perfect for running!

(Thank the Lord and thanks for your prayers!)

The Route was through the woods so the wind was blocked most of the time, and

it really is amazing how many people you are running with...that helps keep you going.

Friends for life!!




THANK YOU FAMILY FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

They were waiting about 1/2 way on the route and at the end It was a definite encouragement to see people we knew along the run.



These last few months have come and gone, and I still can't believe it. I remember when it was amazing to me that i ran 3 Miles! It here went 15! :) It was great. While running i could really feel the prayers and was thankful for the support. But most of all i was grateful that i could run for such a good cause as Youth for Christ. Friday night we had a wonderful dinner put on by Youth for Christ. Not only was the food delicious, but also encouraging to hear their stories of why they do what they do and how they are seeing God busy in the lives of so many middle school youth. It's Beautiful! Thanks to so many of you for supporting me on my run for YFC!
I reached my goal!! So Thank~You Thank~you for your support!!

This whole running journey has reminded that anything truly is possible through Christ who gives me strength. But I realized (or awakened) to the fact that I received the strength once I started taking the steps myself, with out that actual step 15 miles, or job accomplishments, or friendships, or a personal relationship with Christ, or reaching any goal is not possible unless I am willing to do my part in it all...to actually take the steps in the right direction trusting that God will lead me to accomplish the goals and plans he has for me.

I encourage anyone to run!! You really CAN do it!
Let me know if you need a running partner...b/c i really should continue running :)
Thanks again for your support!

1 MORE WEEK!

So i can't believe we are to the last week of training. Saturday Nolan and I ran a 10 mile and i am relieved to tell you it was a great run. I felt like a million dollars at the finish...well, besides the sore knees, sore toes, being hot and sweaty, and ...jk...it really wasn't bad. Last week Monday however was another story. Nolan and I ran another 10mile run and we both felt sick after. I thought i could puke. It prolly didn't help that we had corn dogs an hour before we ran...but still...it was just a bad run. Bad bad...it actually scared me that there was no way I was ever going to be able to finish the 15miles in the race. I could bearly do 10!! So thankfully Saturday was completely opposite.



Maybe our run went so well b/c we had just finished up a garage sale at our house for the weekend. My mom, sister, and I threw one together for Friday and Saturday. It was quite the event. I actually love having garage sales. Once everything is all organized and priced and all you have to do is just sit and welcome people to check out your stuff it's great! It's just the anticipation of having a good sale. However there was one thing that i really couldn't believe someone would do. here is the story:



It is the last costumer of the day...a family comes in. Seems like a nice little family. Cute little girl. We are giving them deals left and right...free thing here, dollar off there...etc. The dad bought something...the little girl came to the table like 3 times for little purchases etc, and finally the mother checks out. When i check someone out i just quick take the stickers off, don't really look at what I'm selling and then total up the bill. Once the lady left i realized what had happened. I had a brand new looking zip up fleece that i never wore so it had a price of $3...now what the lady did was while the little girl was talking to us, she took a $1 off sticker from another item and took the $3 sticker off, and then placed the $1 sticker on to buy it!! It's not that i care about the $2...it's just the fact that someone would just go sneakily and do that. It felt like i had just gotten robbed...taken advantage of. We were being so nice to them giving them free things etc...and BAM she sneaks one on us. I am so naive and trusting of people I just couldn't believe someone would just do that. So i think that frustration just helped to add some fire to my run. Running is a good "cooler-downer" :) But still i was disappointed in the Human Race once again.



But I'm excited for next week Saturday...just excited. I can't believe we've made it this far!! Hopefully it will all work out for the good. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE SUPPORTED ME FINANCIALLY AND SPIRITUALLY! It's been an encouraging few months.



Some people have asked if it's too late to sponsor...and no it's not. i have till Friday to take in more pledges! So feel free to go to https://www.formnut.com/up/8535/YFCRiverbank.html to make a pledge! :) Thanks!! and I appreciate you!

My first 5K

It's about time that i update you on my first 5K run ever this March in Florida. It was quite the event. Not only was it my first 5K, but also my brother and sister-in-law Evan and Sarah. We let Tara run the Half Marathon. We experienced some cool things...and not so cool things. We discovered what happens to nervous runners early on a dark morning in a port-a-potty.... we may have found two potties with "left-overs" on the seat....Delicious :S I also made a new friend running. She is a lady from St. Pete's and is 45. She definitely pushed my on my run and even offered to bark for me when I told her I was used to running with my dog. Prolly the most exciting thing, besides finishing, was that I actually finished second in my age group! (I'm just as shocked as you). So i got a sweet medal. Here are some pictures from our big morning in St. Petersburg, FL.

A Rap for Running

Running has been going GREAT! It actually feels good to run. I never thought i'd say that :)

but i thought i'd post my email to help raise support and awarness to what i'm doing. so here it is !

Hello My Dear Friends and Family, So I've written about a million different practice emails to try and say just exactly what I want to say about running and training for the the River Bank Run 25K and raising support for the wonderful ministry of Youth for Christ. After many attempts of summing it up, I basically decided I really couldn't do it up any better than with a little rap/poem. Please enjoy! (and read like you are a rapper...it has a better effect).

YO YO YO It's Katie here
I've got something cool to tell, have no fear.
These past few months I've been challenged yes it's true
to do something I thought was impossible to do.
I've been challenged to run which is somethin not fun
but now I see how running ain't too crazy

See there's this place where people go and love the youth
they teach them 'bout the Bible and to tell the truth.
They meet with them at school,
they meet with them at home,
they pray for them and love them just like Jesus would do.

In just a few weeks I'll be running you see
but I'd also like to raise some good money.
This money's not for me but to bless these kids
and help the ministry like the Bible says.

So if you are so willing, and so kind
don't be afraid to donate any dollar you may find.
To do so just click on the link below
and soon you will find out how love can grow!

I thank you in advance for your thoughts and prayers
for it just wouldn't be possible without your cares.

THE END...AMEN and THANK YOU!!

I hope that though lame, this rap has summed it up enough for you. Honestly, I am honored to run for this ministry. I believe in the work that these people do and couldn't think of a better thing to be running in support of.

To Sponsor me there are two easy ways.

Online you can go to this safe link and the money will be sent right to Youth for Christ. https://www.formnut.com/up/8535/YFCRiverbank.html

Or you can mail me a check made out to Youth for Christ and sent to
Katie Wiersma
158 W 30th St.
Holland, MI 49423.

Anything from a $1 to a million dollars will be accepted Thanks again and remember I couldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for all of you!

oh, P.S. The run is on May 8. If you could think and pray for Nolan and I as we are running it that would be sweet too...Thanks!

Just do it

So despite what my blog shows, i have actually been running. Life has just been busy. the last few days have been super beautiful and a taste that spring is almost here! PRAISE THE LORD!!

Today was my 9mile run. I had to work till 2:15 and then once i got home it was SOOOOO hard to motivate myself. I realize i really am not a good self motivator. Honest, (this is going to make me sound really lame) but i spent from 2:30-4:30 trying to get myself to run. I'm pathetic! I dread the time it is going to take me to run it, also today i was dreading the wind, and then find myself dreaming of just relaxing and doing nothing so that once I've actually convinced myself to run i could have been done. Today was definitely one of those days. But once i started i felt like i could run forever. I even ran at least a 1/2 mile extra! It was prolly one of the most spiritual run i had to. It almost felt like if you commit to doing something you will be blessed and I actually felt blessed on my run. My lungs felt great, my legs, the temperature, and even the wind felt great. It was crazy but I'm definitely thankful for it.

Teddy has continued to be my running partner. He runs up to 5 miles with me. it's great. Sometimes i feel like he is looking back at me and smiling saying...are you coming? :) or once we've passed a pedestrian and he doesn't bark he sometimes looks back at me as if to say...I'm a good boy aren't i mom :) he has definitely improved his running abilities too and i don't know if i would be doing this well with running if it wasn't for him....a little mutt who loves to chase leaves in the wind.

So things are going well here...i just suck at motivating myself to actually start running. I hope to grow out of that. :)

One more week completed.

So slowly we are creeping closer and closer to the race week. But yet it feels so far away. Today was another 7 mile run, and for some reason when i have already ran that distance it seems to drag longer. But today, as i was running past Kollen park, i just had to stop. It really was SOO beautiful. For those of you not familiar with the park, it is right on the shores of Lake Macatawa. The Lake is lightly frozen over and flocks of seagulls were sun bathing on the ice. So i had to sit for a sec and stop...stop to enjoy the beauty, stop just to take in the wonderful day, stop to realize i have a lot to be thankful for, and stop just to relax for one sec. Sometimes i think that i have allowed this running thing to be just another thing for me to do. i forget to see the beauty behind the running, or the good it's doing, or to just actually try and enjoy it. today i felt like i took a little time to enjoy it instead of allowing it to be another thing to check off my to-do-list.

But i do have a shout out there to Chris and Jill....Thank you for letting me borrow your ipod!! I'm enjoying the random assortment of songs! It's great!

Also, any suggestions from you guys. In a couple of weeks we are going down to Florida to visit some friends. one of my friends is running a 1/2 marathon (13 miles or so) that weekend and I'm scheduled to run 10 miles. What I'm debating is if i should run the race or not...they also have a 5K option...but that i feel isn't enough BUT I'm also debating taking the weekend off from running :) IT'S VACATION RIGHT?? The race will cost about $50, which to me it could be $50 i put toward the money i raise for youth for Christ. but it is also along the Florida coast line. Help me decided, any thoughts are appreciated! :)

7 MILES....COMPLETED!!

i did it...Olympian style! :) well, it wasn't exactly Olympic style but i did average my 10min miles, so i felt pretty good about that, now it just feels good to be done! Happy almost valentines day!