Bradley Brights

The main topic of interest for us right now is the Wasatch Back. I wanted to write down my thoughts before the actual race, because then, pictures and video will be way more important! We are on the two week count down! Time to start panicking now. No, I'm just kidding, we are actually really excited, even a little impatient to get this thing going. For those of you who don't know, here are the facts:

James' sister, Natalie, did this race last year and loved it. She thought it would be a good idea to get her family together and form a team of their own. Although some in the family have dubbed this the NDI- "Natalie's Dumb Idea," I think it is the most exciting, challenging thing that James and I have done together. (Not including getting married and becoming parents, those are no brainers when it comes to the "exciting" and "challenging" categories.) It's been really fun to do this as a family effort too. Not everyone in the family was able to be on the team, but everyone has been involved in one way or anther. This goes for all the wonderful in-laws outside of the Bradley family too! They have supported us, encouraged us, provided us with cold water and let's not forget the babysitting. We couldn't be doing this with out their help!

We have been preparing ourselves for over a year now. A year ago James and I could hardly run a mile without getting winded and even when we did finish up that mile, we were beat. With diligent work and effort, we now consider a 3 mile run an easy run and often go out for 7+ miles.

I remember running with Mckay (my brother) while he was staying with us last August and I complained the entire time on our run. He never stopped encouraging me on those first few runs; he told me I could do it and now, a year later, I believe him. And because of that experience I know exactly how someone feels when they look at me in shock after I tell them I just did a 9 mile run. I can hardly believe it myself. Being able to run like that didn't just happen overnight, it has taken a whole year of work and two very wonderful weeks in NC during the middle of winter.

Although, neither James or I have seen the results with our bodies that we imagined last year (give us a break, we still like our ice cream), we can feel that our bodies are stronger and we have more energy. Mostly we know our bodies can do a lot more than we ever thought possible! James has even all but conquered his asthma! Now, he can't go and have a party with a bunch of cats, but he hardly has to use his inhaler any more. That's just amazing to me! Especially as I watched him really struggle in the beginning with his breathing. Concerns for his breathing never even cross my mind now. Our bodies truly have gotten stronger.

We are excited to see the end of our goal coming so close. And, we especially look forward to seeing how well we actually stand up to the challenge. Wish us luck, and I'll post pictures as soon as we're done! Or, as soon as I feel like moving a muscle.