She Finished!

First of all I have to say a big thank you to everyone that supported Mads in her first half marathon.  This means a lot to her, and even more to the kids in Ethiopia that will benefit from this run.  I hope that I can get some pictures of them to share.  Madison raised $1596 from what I can account for, I will confirm that with Jennifer at From HIV to Home.  It is short of her goal, but we are very pleased with how supportive people have been.  We have shed a few tears over the generosity of people we have not met yet, but hope that we will someday.

Ironically, our friend Erin, who has been a huge  part of both of our adoptions, ran a half marathon the day before Mads did, in the exact same time.  We are hoping someday they can run together.  I am so impressed with these ladies and their commitment to get out there and pound the pavement everyday.  My friend Michele has also gone the extra mile to support Mads in this race.  She got out there and made sure she drank enough water, and kept her pace, and they finished strong.  It was a beautiful day in Eugene.  If you are a runner and are looking for a great half marathon in the northwest, this run was beautiful. 

Mads really liked running this distance at this pace.  Michele made sure they didn't start out too fast, and were able to decrease their mile times as they went on.  Mads has learned a lot about taking care of her body when she is going to use it this hard.  She also learned that fundraising is not as easy as it seems, but a few generous people can be extremely encouraging.

 " I actually had a lot of fun running this race and I hope to do it again. The next couple days I will take off from running so I can rest. Thank you very much to everyone who donated and prayed for me, it really means a lot to me. God bless you all. Madison"