10K on Whiskey Row

Part of the gang- Hannah, Krista, MaryEllen and Joy

(the others were registering for the race still)

About a month ago, my friend Krista called and asked me if it would be okay if her and some of the ladies from their dental office could run a 10K for Ainslie.  She explained that she knew Ainslie was having to go through some really tough stuff right now, and they wanted to show her their support by doing something that was hard for them.   WOW!  It was very touching to know that they were trying to relate with Ainslie and let her know how much they support her! 

Water station fun- Ainslie, Koby and Anna- Koby got to spray down all of the runners who wanted a "soak"
Krista knows all about "tough".  Her own daughter, Anna, who is Ainslie's friend, has a pretty scarey medical condition, which is thankfully under control :), and she has a niece who has had to go through similiar stuff to Ainslie.  Krista has been a strong example to me these past few years, even though she may not know that.  I watched her go through everything with her daughter last year and I truly admired her strength.  We got to serve together at girl's camp last summer and again, I admired her as I saw her strength and determination.  It is not easy to see your child suffer-it is very scarey, but you can go through each day with a positive attitude and with hope in your heart, and I watched her do this.  I pray that I can continue to do the same thing- stay strong and continue to have hope :)

The Office Water Crew- they were a lot of fun!!!

Since Ainslie was too weak, and I was too lazy, we didn't run the 10k....lol. But, we did help hand out water and gatorade to all of the runners.  There were marathoners, 1/2 marathoners, 10kers and even some 10K walkers.  I was amazed at how many children were doing the 10k as well- I was definately inspired to change, and I want to try and run it next year, maybe with McKyrie :)  A lot of the office staff that didn't run worked at the water station, and we had a lot of fun getting to know them and hand out waters with them.   It was crazy busy for most of the time and then we would have a bit of down time.  Ainslie and Anna did a great job at keeping all of the discarded cups picked up and Koby was a great "soaker" for the runners who requested it!

 Taking a break- the sun really wore her out

Shelby and Ainslie- showing off their great water cup "skills'

The ladies from the office finished the 10K- Krista told me she did it in  1hr 9min....that is so awesome!!!  I don't know what the other ladies' times were, but I am soooo proud of them for completing the race.  Almost all of them told me that they were not runners, or that this was their first race.  What awesome examples they are to Ainslie.  She totally understood why they were running, and I was so proud of her for recognizing how hard it was for them to run that race.  She was so happy to be there helping hand out the water- I think it was great for her to see so many people running just simply to accomplish a goal.   I am so  glad that she got to see that and I hope it helps get her through this next phase of treatment!!!

Thank you ladies for being such a great example!!!!!!!