The agony of de feet!

For this week's update I am sending out the thank you note I wrote to the volunteers at the race...

If you are not too busy and/or have ever wondered about what it is like along the race you might find it a good read... (a bit long, but then you've seen my posts before, so no surprise there   :) 
Not asking for donations this week - just giving God Glory and Praising Him for the answered prayers! 

Thank you!  Cow town marathon staff and volunteers,

A special memory I’ll never forget was the kind and
caring military officers you used to start the race…

They were AWESOME!  They talked to us, laughed with us
and most of all made us feel safe J

I was in the last corral. I should note that we are not racers
in the last corral ya know… we are there to obey the rules and to finish… we
are not in it to win it but most of us  if not all of us have a story of
something we are trying to Endure… (Endurance Race J) for me it is a heart condition… running gives me hope and strength J  I often finish last and it is ironic that finishing last STILL somehow gives me strength and hope!   My mom passed to Heaven unexpected to us 9 months ago and the
running has helped me process the earthly loss and run off the sadness J

( For those of you who don't know what a corral is ---it's like in the old westerns where they put the cattle in pens.  Yep, just like that, real corrals, and like cattle, they divide the racers in them to
keep people safe, have an orderly start and keep people from getting trampled...) this race had 20,000 runners.

Other special things you did at the race that were special
to our family were you – let my little 8 year girl, Faith  pass out
water – Faith LOVED IT!!! She loved the shirt you gave her and the way you
made her feel important… Honestly in all the races I have run the kids are
soooooooooooooo endearing! J
To see a child volunteer is inspiring!  When a girl scout or boy scout
or ANY child passes you water with a smile – I mean, it just makes your
day J  Our
little girl also enjoyed helping the tired runners run in… Faith
would run to them and run WITH them to the water station over and over… my
husband volunteered too and he said when Faith ran to help the tired runners it
brought tears to his eyes and tears to many of the eyes of the people she
helped… YOU PROVIDED a way for her to SHOW LOVE!  Thank you! She
also LOVED seeing the motorcycle police officers!  What a
wonderful place for her to see Officers in their service/protection role!
To see them as the GOOD GUYS they are! J

I tried to run the Ultra( that’s a full marathon… and keep
going another 5 miles, or 31 miles overall)... I have finished many half
marathons(13.1 miles) and 3 full ones(26.2 miles) but for some reason I could
not sleep the night before the race and only got 3 hours sleep :( but I still
tried to run!  The police officers were AWESOME!  They
followed behind me and another runner who was determined to finish.  At
mile 21 the pain was too much for me and I'm sad to say I gave up.  I assured
the officers following me that my husband would come get me and they continued
to follow Steve the friend I made that was still IN the race.  I sat on a
park bench and began to cry in disappointment and out pops this kind officer
with sweet words of encouragement.  He waited with me for like 15 min
until my husband and daughter found me... on top of that another lady officer
joined him after about 5 min and also shared kind words with me... I
thought the officers would feel like (well at least one more is off the roads
so we can go home now) but I learned something... THEY LOVE US!  THEY
REALLY CARE!!! THEY REALLY WANT TO HELP US IN ANY WAY THEY CAN! 

Yesterday the tender care of the volunteers/military
officers and police officer was HEAVEN SENT!!! Ephesians 3:20-21

Two more angels that touched me were

*The medical students who bandaged my blisters
and were there to keep us safe.  I have an internal loop device(sort of an
implanted heart monitor) in my chest and your medical student noticed it and
gave me kind words of wisdom J

*The lady who decorated the port-o-potty by her house
with the rug in front, PLENTY of toilet paper J,
flowers, butterflies, course map of YOU are HERE, the basket of hand wipes, bio
o freeze samples  (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU) they helped
soooooooooooooo much!!! band aids, Vaseline for our feet , I mean EVERYTHING
was in there…  It’s all in the details and she knew about the details…
AMAZING!  I praise God for you!!!

On a side note…I did not even know to ask for someone to
help me with my blisters until the last marathon – it was a Rock and Roll
marathon and they have people in the middle of the street with Vaseline on
popsicle sticks passing them out! BRILIANT!  I mean I don’t think
about the blisters until it is too late (see photo below)  – they passed
them out at mile 7 and 17 and at 7 It made me think YEP I need it and I fixed
em then at 17 I was thinking yep that would be good to put on again and that
was

the FIRST race I did not get a blister on or lose a toe nail J

They also pass out SALT… packets… and you know that
REALLY helped the cramps… mile 18 I think they were there passing out salt…

Mile 20…. The medics were calling people out…. Hey come
over here and let us wrap that knee so you can keep going… J Their medics were IN the road at
hum the 4^th hour J
you had to run past and around them – it made you do a gut check --- do I
neeeed these guys… J   They
were sooooooooooooo nice…. They had lawn chairs for folks to sit in and wrapped
knees, took blood pressures and it made the DIFFERNCE for at least TWO people I
saw… in the brief seconds it took me to pass them I could tell they were a
tent of angels hard at work J
You know after mile 20, for me at least, I am not thinking real straight… I am
thinking FINISH, FINISH, FINISH not … what do I NEED to do to take care of my
body… THEY did the thinking for folks… they didn’t call me out so I thought
hum, yes I’m tired, I'm hurting a bit  but I’m not limping and I’m ok and
thank you thank you thank you Jesus they are helping those that neeeeed it… It
helped me AND the ones that they were putting ice on knees and so
on…    

Anyway that is just my interesting observations… interesting
to me I hope they were to you…

Oh also your water stations were AWESOME, AWESOME,
AWESOME!!!! You guys stayed until the last of us came through… It was
sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo nice….I mean you even had a dozen or so
cups of water and power aide on the table when we, the last two came through
so, so kind of you!  … that was sooooooooooooooooooooo kind… I mean we
were the last two running and you did not give up on us…. AMAZING LOVE, AMAZING
LOVE!!!!   In one marathon I was in, the water stations left and left
us two water bottles on the side of the street and they  went home. I felt
like I was being swept up with the trash that was being swept up on the
streets... it was sad. You made us feel loved!!!  

Oh did you know some races are letting us old, slow,
folks that are not in it to win it but in it to endure it and find hope and
strength along the way start early… like at 6:00a.m. and 5:00a.m. – I heard
it goes something like this...

Our chip timers start the time. We stay out the way of the
fast guys and honestly it would be  sooooooooooooooooo amazing to hear the
fast runners breath as they pass us!  Their Breath of health would spills
out on us and helps us finish!  There are always a few officers that are
early and WE don’t mind waiting for the traffic lights… 2 min is not a big
thing to us J  we are 15 min milers
so we would only get 4 to 8 miles ahead depending on if you let us start at
6:00 or 5:00a.m. but it helps us finish and get off the road when the
volunteers are tired and ready to go home  J
The first water stations are setting up as we go by and we are fine we bring
our own water J It’s a blessing….
the pack… or, I call it the (FLOCK of geese) J would  hit us about mile 6 or so and honestly LIKE
geese in flight they carry us and we speed up J yay God!!!

Oh I just have to tell you about “Kool N Fit”!   In the marathon in Kauai they had these two
stations that had dozens of volunteers with BIG BUG Sprayers FULL of Kool n Fit!  The company that made the product  donated the supplies anyway it was awesome!!!! We had to run up a mountain 5,000 feet elevation J at the base
of the hill and the top of the hill coming down they offered to spray our legs,
back whatever we wanted…It is like spray on bio o freeze!!! It is AWESOME!
Anyway you guys neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed them to come volunteer your race for the
base of a couple of your hills J  I mean I can’t wait to go back to
Kauai and it was a harder course than yours but felt easier J… I think the
Kool n Fit helped a lot!!! :O on a side note you could let em spray our feet
before we go over the cobble stone at the ft worth stock yards toooo J  the
stock yards was a GREAT view and will make awesome photos but ouch!!! It was
worth it J
don’t get me wrong – don’t change the course that was FUN to run through J and the hill
up to the capital was FUN too don’t change the course just help us with the
pain J
and most of all hills or valleys... in life or on a marathon - God is with
us!!! Amen :)

Ephesians
3:20-21 

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

God bless each of you and may you be refreshed for
allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
you did!!!

Love in Christ, Susan Mathis  

Thank you John and Susan.... You are a great team member and
I praise God for your friendship, love and prayers.  May God bless you in
your hills, and valleys.... Win or Loose... First or Last... God is with us!!!!