My first 1/2 Marathon....in the bag!!!

I have accomplished something I never thought was remotely possible for someone like me. I RAN A HALF MARATHON!!!!

And what is more amazing???? I ran the ENTIRE race....only paused for a moment to take a chunk of cement out of the sole of my shoe around mile 4 and then later to fix my hair band once..... 2+ hours of straight running!!!

And even MORE amazing??? I had fun! It was my best run ever.

13.1 miles!!!! What an amazing feeling! It was so great to run the race with Shana....we had a great time and both commented along the race about all the crazy stuff we have done together from high school and beyond. What an awesome friend and so glad we could do this together.

GINW girls running the Lincoln 1/2 marathon....Brenda, me and Shana

Our official race chips that recorded our times. A great piece of technology considering there 6107 people running the 1/2 marathon alone. We didn't even cross the starting line to begin the race until 12 minutes after the gun went off! My official race time was 2:08:26....well below my goal of finishing under 2:20:00!!!!

Chad and I after the race! Even though we didn't finish together....he toughed out a hard run and finished strong as well! He is my inspiration and driving force behind this little journey that I started about 5 months ago. I wouldn't have done this without his pushing and encouragement....he is an amazing man, wonderful father and the love of my life.

My sister in law Christa and I headed to the start of the Lincoln Half Marathon early Sunday morning! This is the 3rd race that we have run together and she did amazing finishing in just over 2 hours and 1 minute. Hopefully we will all run together soon!

Some stats from my first 1/2 marathon...

Official time: 2:08:26
Overall finish: 2899 out of 6107 runners
30-34 females: 271 out of 745
Overall female: 1440 out of 3933
9:49 minute mile pace

It was an amazing experience!!! I have more pictures that I will post later as well of all the wonderful support that we had from friends and family during the race. But one thing is for certain.....GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!!!

Thank you to my wonderful co-workers!!

The amazing gals in the counseling center surprised me today with flowers, a balloon and treats! They are so fun to work with and have been incredibly encouraging of me while I have trained to achieve this goal!!

My 1/2 marathon posse of support from the JCMS Counseling Center!!


What a wonderful surprise this morning!!! The gals I work with are the best and have been so supportive.

This is a great send off and a wonderful way to end a crazy work week....I love you ladies!!! :)

It is almost time to head to Nebraska!! The Lincoln 1/2 marathon is now in 2 days!!!!

The Final Countdown

It's the final few days before the Lincoln Half Marathon!!!

The Bunger's getting ready to attend the KSU Spring Game...April 24, 2010

It is now less than one week before I attempt to achieve my goal of running 13.1 miles in Lincoln, NE. After taking 3 days off of any running or exercise because of a nasty chest cold, I was able to get a run in on Saturday. Chad and I also were able to run just over 5 miles together on Sunday before my folks went back to Nebraska.

I am both nervous and excited for the weekend! Chad and I both have our purple attire for the 1/2 marathon....nothing less could be expected from the Bunger's since the race ends on the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium. :)

We have such amazing support from our friends and family! My folks will keep the boys for us and we will connect with them in Lincoln sometime post-race. Our great friends John and Krista Croghan are also coming to Lincoln on Sunday to celebrate with us and hopefully also watch sister Shana Mader finish with us. I am excited to spend time with Shana...it's been since August since we have seen each other and a visit is overdue! With her recent foot injury we may not be able to run together now, but I am still staying optimistic for her and it will be great to see her again!! I'll also be able to thank my high school pal Brenda for all her support via e-mail during my training as she will be running as well on Sunday. We'll also have time to spend with Chad's mom, sister (who will also kick butt running the 1/2) and brother in law while in Lincoln.

We are truly blessed to have all of this support!! Chad and I both have a very busy week ahead with work, so training time will be very limited. Neither of us plan on breaking any records this weekend, but for me the completion of this goal will be something I had always thought would never even be a possibility for someone like me.

Mitchell's picture of mommy....he's a budding photographer! :)

Mitchell's story

Mitchell in 2005 at 6 months old....about 3 months before his frontal orbital advancement

Mitchell Lee Bunger.....August 2009 and 4 years post op

http://www.millionreasons.org/Explore_the_Mosaic.cfm?mcode=48852386


The link listed above is to the Mosaic at Children's Mercy Hospital. I submitted Mitchell's story awhile ago...this is a pretty amazing site!

13 days to 13.1 miles!!!

Mitchell poses with some of the KSU Classy Cats!


The countdown continues!!!

It is now less than 2 weeks until the Lincoln Marathon and I am now trending down in my training with my long runs. This weekend I ran 7 miles, and when I muttered the words "I only have to run 7 miles on Saturday," I knew I could no longer refer to myself as a non-runner!! :)

I am hopeful that the weather on May 2nd will be similar to this weekend. And I am also happy to announce that both Chad and I have found our purple running apparel as well! The 1/2 marathon finishes at the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium....an awesome way to finish this once unbelievable goal that was set for me. I'm sure most would be shocked if the Bunger's wore anything but purple entering that stadium.....so we are sure not to let anyone down now! I am now looking for suggestions of great running songs to add to my MP3 player for the run. I'm pretty trendy so I have lots of the latest hits....right now my favorite is "Carry Out" by Timberland. But I'm looking for other thoughts.....please share with me! I've got 13.1 miles to fill!!!

Collin going down the slide by himself....he was so proud and climbed and went down the slide over and over at the park this weekend.

11 miles and 11 years

It's been another week of milestones for me! This past Saturday Chad and I ran 11 miles!! This was a good run for me, I felt strong and I think I have figured out what I need to do to "fuel up" before the big race that is in less than 20 days now!!



Chad and I eating at Drago's in New Orleans, LA....celebrating our 11 year anniversary together!

After stretching and icing from our long run, we got ready to leave for the airport. My folks had came down the night before and planned to keep the boys while we were away....thanks again mom and dad! Chad had a American Planning Association conference in New Orleans, LA and I decided to go with him.



Chad and I in the French Quarter....what a great trip!!!

Neither of us have been to New Orleans and while Chad has spent a good deal of the time in conference, I've had time to explore and relax. Our 11 year anniversary of being together is also this week (April 15th to be exact as Chad keeps reminding me), so this was also an exciting way to celebrate the occasion.





Don't worry.....I've taken full advantage of the awesome work out room at the hotel! Having a great view out the window and a TV on each machine makes me wish we could have this kind of upgrade at JCMS!!! We've also done tons of walking in the past 3 days so I feel like I've got some cross training done as well. It's been a great trip, but it's back to reality as we leave for home this afternoon. Time to get in one more run before I start packing up!!!

Side by Side

My mom and I over Easter weekend in Grand Island, NE

Over the Easter weekend we were able to travel to my parent’s house in Grand Island, NE for an extended three day weekend. We had a great time playing outside, spending time with my sister’s family and of course the boys enjoyed being spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa Ammeter!


Ready to run 10 miles!!!


Chad was able to take Good Friday off of work and we planned a route to run 10 miles on the GI hike and bike trails. Of course, these plans were altered when we woke up to 20 mph winds that Friday! It seems whatever course I plan ahead to run….that is the direction the wind also decides to blow that day. We altered our course and decided we would begin running from Hall County park that afternoon.

One hour and 43 minutes later….I did it! Successfully running 10 miles was an incredible feeling! With only one more long run left this weekend at 11 miles, it will soon be all down hill before the ½ marathon in less than a month. Chad tells me it will all be mental at this point. If I can run 10 miles….I can run 13.1. It has been so awesome to have these times to train with my husband, and there is no doubt that I would have not been pushed to do this without him. Even though there may be times I’d like to push him off the trail….like when he counted down every mile of our 10 mile run! That kind of information is okay about halfway thru…knowing a person has 9 miles left to go is too much for this non runner still trying to embrace her long distance mileage!!

In honor of our 10 mile run, I thought I would do Top Ten in honor my running partner!

Chad and I at a Cubs game in Denver...August 2009

My Top Ten reasons to run with Chad

10. He has put up with me for almost 11 years now…this is truly amazing!
9. He is constantly encouraging me to push myself and take those “leaps” in faith.
8. He can handle my crazy need to have things clean, non-cluttered and put away.
7. He is my best friend, the person who makes me laugh and I want to spend the most time with.

6. When things are rough, he’s the guy to have in your corner!
5. He is calm when I am not
4. He’s an amazing father
3. He let’s me try “my way” even when he knows he’ll end up showing me the “right way”
2. . Together we make a great team (not to mention we also make good looking children)
1. He makes life fun…even when you are running 10 miles!