Slow and Steady Wins the Race....or it doesn't

Slow and steady wins the race.  Right?  Yeah, doubtful.  That was my attitude.  As much as I wanted to be the first to finish, I managed to continually come in last.  I was always a "bigger" kid.  I wasn't as fast or active as my siblings and though I loved ridding my bike, rollerblading, and running around the neighborhood with all of the other kids, I always seemed to be the slowest one around.  I came to accept this.

Then, one summer day, we decided to "hike" to the Timp. Cave up American Fork Canyon.  I don't remember the particulars on who was or was not there.  I think it was my mom, my brother Michael, sister Lizzie, my cousin Jimmy, and myself.  As we got to the paved trail hiking up the switchbacks on the side of the mountain, the other kids took off.  I longed to have their speed but I simply couldn't do it.  I just kept moving forward.  Eventually, my mom and I would catch up to them on the side of the trail, sitting in the shade, with a look of exhaustion on their faces.  I just kept moving forward.  The pattern continued:  they'd run ahead, stop for a break, and I would catch up and pass.
 

 I guess I was lucky that day because, while they were resting on a bench, I passed and reached the cave before any of them.  To this day, my mom tells this story and claims she always knew I would make an incredible endurance athlete.  I'd go months, even years, without running then run 8 miles and she would remind me that I was built to endure.  

Fast forward 12 more years to college.  For some crazy reason I decided to join the cross country team.  Yep, that's right!  It was a total joke!  First off, I had a good 35lbs on every other girl on the team.  Secondly, I'd never tried running fast in my life and at such short distances, 6 K, I wasn't even warmed up by the time the race was over, even if I ran it twice!   In fact, I ran in a regional race were I came in DFL!!  There were a couple hundred runners and I was dead last!!!!!!

 (NO PICTURE AVAILABLE)

And so my days of competitive running came to an end.  I was happy to run 5-10 miles a day all on my own.  Nobody watching.  Nobody noticing that my slow and steady was definitely not winning any races.  This was my life.  I would be the lone runner.  When people would ask if I ran I would tell them, not really, and let the conversation pass to another subject, ANY other subject.

My running got me through my first pregnancy.  It helped me get back into shape after.  It helped me with my second.  I would run 7 months pregnant and pushing a 18 month old in her jogger.   I moved to Oakley and just kept on running....slow and steady wins the race.

Six months or so after we moved to Oakley, I was invited to a "girls night" from some ladies in the neighborhood.   A group of them were training to run the Ogden Marathon.  To me one inquired, "Do you run Chelsea?  I heard somewhere that you did."  "Oh, not really," I replied.  "Well," she continued, "you should come out for a run with us sometime.  I just smiled and hoped the conversation would be forgotten.  I cant run with other people! Especially those who have been training for months!

The call came and I was asked to join.  With great apprehension, I agreed.  What had I gotten myself into??? I can't run 10 miles with other people!  I'll slow them down and say something stupid to boot.  But I went and I'll tell you what, it wasn't too bad.  The next week another invitation came.  This time 18 miles!  I hadn't run further then 10 miles since the birth of my second child and only once at that.  I decided to just do it and guess what, I was totally fine until about mile 16 when I fell back a bit, having only run a handful of times all winter.  A marathon?  Why not!  4 weeks later, I ran my first marathon, having only really run for a month.  It wasn't great, but it could have been a lot worse.  Five months after that, I ran my first ultra, 50 miles.  I just wanted to have fun so I didn't race at all.  Turns out my mom was right, slow and steady wins the race.  Did I win?  NO.  But I came in 2nd for the women and in the top 10 overall.   I had a lucky day.  Things came together.

So now I'm back at it after baby girl #3.  I've spent the past 5 weeks having the best time of my life playing in the mountains, meeting new friends, and loving every, often grueling, moment!   Am I the fastest? No?  Am I often the slowest?  Absolutely! But who cares!!  I never gave up.  Looking back at everything, I see that it isn't about winning at all.  It's not even about finishing.  It's about going over and beyond what you thought was possible.  It's about pushing yourself.  It's about giving all to your race, whatever that race is for you.  I've seen the best and smartest runners out there have a bad day and struggle to finish or not finish at all.  But what really matters is that they don't allow those moments to define them.  They go back out there and try again.

Playing on mountain tops:  Matt, Matt, Chelsea, Jennilyn and Kenzie

I realized I'd had the best time of my life "not training" for anything at all! So what am I going to do next?  I guess I'll run a 93K.  Will I win?  Chances are slim to none.  Will I even finish before the sun sets?  Possibly not.  Will I even finish?  I sure hope so.  But regardless of what happens out there, I wont give up.  I'll keep climbing my mountains!  I'll give it my best.  I may not win any actual races but I plan on winning the race that really matters, the race of life.  Everyday is a challenge.  Everyday brings obsticals we think we could never manage.  But I promise you, you can!  Put one foot in front of the other.  The only way you won't finish, is by standing still.  Slow and Steady wins the race!

Just keep going!  Me at Ragnar 2015