IN THE WEIGHTING

Hello Superstarr!!!  I’m so excited you are here.  For my 1st post I feel like I gotta start with how my 1st Half Marathon came about.  I had been running off and on for a few years, started with walk/running enventualy worked up to running 5K races.  My pattern seemed to be after the race was over I went back to old habits then started training again before the next race.  My friend Angie got into running and then signed up for her 1st Half Marathon in Green Bay, WI at Lambeau Field, Home of the Packers. Angie asked if I would want to do the race with her. Being a Starr, My Husband Bob, was born and raised a Packer fan. So when I became a Starr, I become a Packer fan also. The thought of being able to run my first half marathon at Lambeau Field sounded AWESOME!!! However I really doubt it I could ever run 13.1 miles, at the same time, on the same day. But I continue to think about it and then within a few weeks I realized it was the same day as our oldest son’s graduation from High School. It gave me the excuse to say I was not able to do it. However, I continued to think about it off and on especially when running. So she ran the race did AWESOME  and sent me pictures of her new bling. Which of course was all Green Bay Packers theme. Again I started thinking how Awesome it would be to actually run and to get that bling. She continued to encourage me even though I totally doubted myself. That is the great friend she is!!!

The time passed I continued running during the Summer. That Fall I went to a Women’s Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. While I was there, my friends decided to go take a nap in the afternoon but I had energy and I decided to go running. So I laced up my shoes headed down to the hotel gym, got on the treadmill and ran a 5K. While I was running I felt like the Holy Spirit told me that I could run a Half Marathon if I wanted to and He would help me. Even though I had Self Doubt I knew I couldn’t do it but I knew with God’s help I could do anything he asked me to do. I also knew that if I achieve this all glory would go to God. Everyone who knew me would also see that. So when I got off that treadmill that day I decided that I would be obedient and try. I would do the research, find out how to train, how to do it my way. With my schedule and be obedient and let God do a miracle in me.

When I returned to the conference later that afternoon, I remember standing there looking around the arena, and thinking the next time I come back here I will have ran a half marathon!!!  I will be a half-marathon Runner!!!! I kept repeating it and speaking it so much to myself that I really truly believed it by the time I left the conference. I got EXCITED!!!  On the drive home, I told what happened on the treadmill to my friends and that when I got home I was going to sign up for my first half marathon. Of course when I got home I told Angie that I be running with her next year. She was super excited and as soon as the Green Bay registration was open I paid the money and signed up. I also continue to tell friends and family that I was going to do it. Talking about it with others would be helpful  hold me accountable. I knew they would ask me how it was or how it went. I would have to follow through and I couldn’t back out. For the most part I was so pumped that I really did believe that I was going to do it but it was just extra accountability, if I started to to think about quitting. Plus put down the money for the race I didn’t want to waste my money. So I signed up, starting my training, but I knew I couldn’t take my Husband, Bob up there to Lambeau Field to watch me run a race without taking him to a game first. That Christmas I got us tickets to a game and we went to Green Bay, Wisconsin and watched the Packers play the last game of the season.

While we were there we toured the stadium and I remember just feeling this Super Cool feelings that the next time I was there on that field I would be running it and completing my first half marathon. While on the tour we were able to go through the tunnel and onto the field the same one that the Packers run through every game. I saw this plaque on the wall and it read “Proud generations of Green Bay Packer players, World Champions record 13 times, have run over this very concrete to Greatness.” The tour guide shared that chunk of concrete was moved from the old stadium into Lambeau Field when they moved into it. And that all the players high-fived it as they ran into the field before each game. I knew then that when I was running I would reach over and be high-fiving it as I ran onto the field achieving my greatness!!!

I definitely left Lambeau Field and Green Bay, Wisconsin feeling like I had SuperStarr power. Returning home I continued on with my training with a renewed sense of energy. After being in Green Bay and seeing some of the roads I would actually be running on, being in the stadium, where my family would be cheering for me and on the field where I would be running about to complete my marathon, it all become real. It powered me running through snow and ice, spring rains, and aches and pains. I became Determined Debbie. Determined that I was going to run the entire race without stopping to walk, once.

The race was on May 22nd 2016 just a few days before I would turn 36. As I was traveling up I was starting to feel some anxiety like I’ve never felt before.  I know and believe now that it was the enemy trying to discourage me, to confuse me, with self doubt again so that I wouldn’t do my race. As my husband was receiving a phone call my brother-in-law to wish me luck on my race, my hand started sweat crazy, my chest broke out in red hives and I was having difficulty breathing. Never ever had something like that happened before and it seemed like every time someone would mention me running the race or anything about the race my palms start sweating and my chest would break out in hives. I prayed for peace and prayed for my confidence to be in God. During the drive up I was reading a book that my friend and pastor, Chuck Tate wrote called 41 Will Come. And as I was reading one of my favorite chapters, Rawk Stance, God was reminding me that I had done the hard work already. I had trained and prepared. The racecourse before me was my giant but it was about to be defeated. Because I was going to slay it!!!  I decided to shake off the doubt and receive my pay off, which came in the form of really cool bling.  We made it to Green Bay back to Lambeau Field  where I picked up my race packet it all became VERY REAL!!!  Holding my number and my t-shirt  that said  “It’s Personal”  spoke exactly how this experience for training for my first race was. The night Before the Race all of us Runners met up at a restaurant. We were all fueling up for the race. As I sit around with all my friends while eating Apple Bacon Pancakes and Loaded Hashbrowns I realized, God has Me Right Where I Need to Be!!! I was with My people!!!  That’s one of the things that I love with running is that you are required to eat, to fuel yourself so that you have energy to run. Carbs are good, Not the devil LOL!!!

The next morning I woke up and prayed and we headed down to the race start line.   I had some butterflies in my stomach.  It was just nervous energy, to get going, to move, to get running. I passed the time snapping pictures, posting stuff on Facebook that my race is about to begin.

Just before the race begin I had to pee a bit but, I knew there was no way I was going miss the start. While Stretching they played a Prince song and just as the race started, Journey “Don’t Stop Believing” started playing. Even the music was my perfect soundtrack!!!

The whole time while running, I just kept soaking up all that was happening…that I was actually running the half-marathon I had been training for. This dream was happening, God helped me and I realized he was showing me, that he can help me do anything!!! That he had placed those dreams in me for me to fulfill. During the race, I continue to run I never stopped. I ran the entire race!!!  I loved how all the locals had out there garden hoses to help cool us off as we ran by. Different garages had bands playing for us. There was kids handing out freezer pops and high-fives. I had to water bottles on me in preparation to not have to stop, even for water. The feeling of having to pee left me after a couple miles. I ran through the last two water stops because I was getting low and didn’t want to run out. It was a hot race even though we were up North. Definitely different than when I was there and it was the Frozen Tundra!!! Towards the end of the race there was a lady standing there with a sign that said “This hill is your B….!!!” It totally made me laugh and give me the extra energy to get up and over that Hill.  As I was running towards the stadium realizing that it was almost over but I was tired and ready to be done running. At the stadium there was a ton of people cheering and lots of energy.

As I was running towards the tunnel to go out onto the field, I saw that they had that roped off where the sign was. They were directing traffic in an out from the stadium through that tunnel so I understood why. However, even with the security guard there, I didn’t care. I didn’t run that far to not high five THE SIGN when I go to it!!! I crossed the Rope,  he started to speak, I highfived the sign and quickly ducked back under the rope to my side again. He smiled and stepped back and I ran on past him with a bigger smile on my face!!!! I ran out into the field I looked up in the stadium and I saw the big name of Starr, for Bart Starr.  Even though I know it is for him, that day I felt that God had it there for me too!!! As I was running around on Lambeau Field, in the stadium looking for my family and friends I hadn’t seen them yet. I heard them and looked up…. and there they were!!!  How Super Cool that my biggest cheerleaders were there in the stands cheering for me!!!

My husband Bob, my son Ethan, my daughter Melody in her cute little Green Bay Cheerleader outfit, and my friend Angie.  Who believed in me all along and encourage me to do it!!!  As I ran outside and looped around I came up towards the finish line I was just overwhelmed with this SUPER-COOL energy that I had. I was just about to finish what I had worked so hard for, there again was My Mom Deb(who thankfully saved the finish line spots) and Biggest fans cheering me on!!! It was an Amazing race!!! I can’t even put into words the feeling of accomplishment and strength that I hand when I received my BLING!!!

As I was going walking through the end of the finish line this sweet old lady handed me some sliced oranges.  It was like she was sent from Heaven,  because those were the best tasting oranges I’ve ever had in my entire life!!!  They were cold,  super sweet and juicy. I was so hot and thirsty it was so was seriously the best oranges I’ve ever had in my entire life.  On the way home I was tired and sore but I felt amazing. I knew that I wanted to schedule another half marathon. I was hooked with running!!! I had found my thing!!! I’d found what I looked forward to do!!!  My therapy!!!  What energizes me!!! The workout that I missed if I didn’t get to do it!!! I booked my second Marathon in Dubuque Iowa on Labor Day so that I can run again and get more BLING!!! But that’s another story  that I’ll tell you about later. I pray that you would make healthy choices while you are “In the Weighting”.