running thru murfreesboro

so yesterday i (and 2000 others) ran in the murfreesboro half marathon...i'm embarassed to say it was my worst time yet and i didn't beat my personal record of 2 hrs 5 min BUT i did finish (didn't walk!) and had a great time while there! i spent the first 6 or 7 miles running alongside keri acting as her personal tour guide (the first 6 or 7 miles was all the neatest parts of murfreesboro- mtsu, main st, oaklands mansion, downtown...) THEN we hit mercury blvd (for those of you who live in m'boro- you would agree this road makes for an extremely bland run) and at this point i usually pick up my pace to about an 8 min/mile BUT i found myself pretty unmotivated to speed up and tracing our remaining route in my head made it seem all the longer. the last 4 miles felt pretty hard as i could see people all around giving up and many times it entered my mind to do the same. however, my determination to hurry to the finish line trumped my laziness...and i soon saw my dad, sister, brock and the kids, and several good friends cheering as i crossed...a very neat moment. i must say i did get sentimental as i ran thru my hometown...murfreesboro is a place i dearly love and one that i never thought i'd leave...as i drove into town and saw all the new malls and restaraunts, i was a little disheartened ...i don't know i guess like it took away the small town beauty that had once been there...but as i ran and passed locations that were seeping with memories, i found myself very grateful to have lived in such a great place with so many great people. (yes, i shed a tear as i ran)i guess thats kinda how life works...once you get from one place in life to another(i don't mean just physically) it's much easier to look back and be grateful for where you've come from including all the not-so-good moments. once again, i will try to make a point to be grateful for each season of life.