To Be a Pioneer

You don't have to push a handcart,

Leave your family dear,

Or walk a thousand miles or more to be a pioneer.

You do have to have great courage,

Faith to conquer fear,

And run six miles & a little more to be a Speedy Spaniard!

If you haven't guessed, this is my Pioneer Day post. My day started out bright and early (5:30am) because I had to be at the park near my house to run the Speedy Spaniard 10k. The race started at 6:30am and I was very nervous! Like I mentioned before, I am training to run a half marathon in August, but this 10k was only the second race I have ever participated in in my adult life. I have run more than six miles before, but nonetheless I was a basket of nerves on this morning. The race began & I felt like part of a herd of cattle as hundreds of people were corralled out of the park. Once we got on our way & people were more spread out it became a lot more enjoyable. I was able to run (and I use that term very loosely...I'm actually more of a jogger) the entire 6.1 miles & I ran a pretty steady 11-minute mile. So, as you can see I wasn't a very "Speedy Spaniard", but I finished the race in an hour & seven minutes & that was a big accomplishment for me.

As I rounded the final corner & started my sprint for the finish line I was cheered on by my sweet mom. Thanks, mom! And as I neared the finish line I saw my four sweet boys standing on the sideline cheering me on. I couldn't ask for a better finish than that!

After the race we rushed home so we could get ready for the big Spanish Fork Fiesta Days parade. Evan & Mark were part of the parade & I was a parent volunteer with their group. They were able to participate with their karate school & it was fun to watch them walking down the street in "formation" doing karate moves all along the way. Mark is a Pee Wee Ninja so he (and I) got to ride in the trailer. Thank goodness because I was not anxious to walk any more than necessary after my run that morning. I was really proud of Evan because he walked the entire parade route (probably about 2 miles) and he didn't complain. He even said he had a lot of fun!

Below: Here's Evan in action...he's the orange belt in the gray shirt & camo pants standing right behind the two boys that are crouched down.

Later that afternoon we enjoyed a delicious barbecue at my parents' house, after which I went home and took a nice, long afternoon nap. All in all it was a busy but wonderful day. And I realized how grateful I am that I was not a pioneer. I certainly wouldn't want to walk mile after mile, day after day in the blazing heat or the freezing cold to the Salt Lake Valley. I now have greater respect and admiration for what they sacrified to get here.