Bluegrass 10,000

On the Fourth, I participated in the Bluegrass 10,000 in downtown Lexington.  This was my third year competing in this 10K.  Last year I beat the woman's pushchair division time and I am happy to announce that I have bettered my time again this year.  I think that the faster time came from dad yelling at me when the finish line was in view that I could beat my time.  I had no idea that I could go that fast!  Here is a link to the Lexington Herald-Leader:  Bluegrass 10,000

This video was taken by my grandfather of the start of the Bluegrass 10K.  I am on the far right in the blue.

Speaking of dad, I want to tell you that I am very proud of him.  He has made the decision to get his para-sport track and field coaching training.  I think that he will do a wonderful job.  He is really good at explaining what he is looking for and he thinks outside the box.  These are two great tools that will help him in training other adaptive athletes as well.  He has done the classroom work to receive his Level I coaching in Track and Field; pray for him as he studies around his busy schedule in order to pass the online test within the next 80 days.  


The Lord told me that He was going to give me a platform from which to speak and He has.  Just on the fourth there were three different opportunities that he gave me to encourage somebody to get into wheelchair racing.  I have had time after time to speak to someone whom I would never have even seen if I had not been doing wheelchair racing.  Before I got started, I had no idea about the running community.  I have even gotten to speak at Red Oak Elementary.  There has not been a repentance seen or a life changing conversion, but there have been many times where I got to be the light.  I have been called to a very cool ministry.  Over this last week, I had another athlete ask me if I was a Christian.  When I answered that I was, she nodded.  She, too, is a believer, and she said she could see Jesus in me in my attitude and actions.  I liked that!

Cedartown

     I had the great honor this last week to compete in the same race with several world-record-setting wheelchair racers.  This amazing opportunity was in Cedartown, Georgia at the Cedartown training camp and 5K.  I was feeling very slow this week being around so many veterans who have so much more experience than I.  At the 5K, Tatyana McFadden set a new world record of 11:11:57!  (I had the time of 20:47--definitely feeling s l o w !)

     To have so many elite athletes in one place was a bit overwhelming for me.  Everyone was quick to listen to my questions and offer help and advice where needed.  They also offered just plain friendship.

Hannah, me, and the Nigerian flag!

 

I roomed with Hannah Babalola from Nigeria, who holds the record as the second fastest woman in the 200 meter.  It was great to share our stories and our faith with each other.  I saw some old acquaintances from track camp last year in University of Illinois who were as glad to see me as I was to see them.  

     I even got to act a bit like a groupie when I finally met Tatyana McFadden.  She was the first wheelchair racer whose name I knew as I began getting interested in this sport.  I found it funny that Ray Martin, who is the world's fastest quad didn't intimidate me, but for some reason Tatyana did!  I had her sign my Cedartown T-shirt; I may have it framed!!!  (By the way, she didn't intimidate Thaddeus in the least, who tried out all of his four-year-old jokes on her and insisted on giving her a high five every time he saw her.)  She is definitely a great role model because she is so humble about all of her achievements and rarely wants to talk about herself.  

     As Hannah would say, the people of Cedartown were "so lovely!"  It was fun to find a knowledgeable group of people who were so encouraging.  The committee, the sponsors, the whole community rallied around the athletes and their families to provide meals, lodging, and encouragement throughout the week.  For the first time, I was a part of a 5K that was only wheelchairs.  They marked the manholes, cleared the paths of gravel, and asked local residents to keep their dogs inside.  These are details that aren't usually needed in a foot race, but they are in a push wheelchair competition!  

     Overall, I was excited to find myself in the family of wheelchair racers, not just out there by myself.  The Lord blessed me with an amazing opportunity.  His hand was with me.

It is God who arms me with strength

    and makes my way perfect.

34 

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;

    he enables me to stand on the heights.

35 

He trains my hands for battle;

    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36 

You give me your shield of victory;

    you stoop down to make me great.

37 

You broaden the path beneath me,

    so that my ankles do not turn.

--2 Samuel 22:33-37

Thank you

I want to thank some of the amazing people who had the resources to help me get my racing chair adjusted.  It has been a long, drawn-out process that has had much disappointment and failure along the way.  I have learned a lot about how I work physically and how not being able to sit on my knees puts me at a disadvantage.  We are still trying to get me siting in the optimum position.  We are not quite there.

Many thanks to Coby Lawson at Lawson Sheet Metal for his welding job.

Thanks to Mary Morrison for her sewing job.

Also to the many others who have thrown in their suggestions on how to get me rolling without pinching that artery that runs down my leg.

I would also like to thank the Kentucky Wheelchair Athletics Association for the handcycle on loan that had allowed me to stay active during the past few months.

One other thank you to the Challenged Athlete Foundation for their grant that will give me two brand new carbon fiber wheels.

The last thanks goes to my dad who has stayed up late and worked persistently to get me moving again.

When I'm Still

Recently we (Coach Dad and I) have been working on my seating position. At the end of January, I went to an event in Louisville hosted by the Kentucky Wheelchair Athletics Association. We were given some tips by some great people. They suggested that I move my seat up and back. Quickly, we implemented their ideas. What we did not know was that we would need even more modifications for me to be able to use my wheelchair. The position that it then placed me in cut off blood flow to my leg. Needless to say, we had to find a solution. That was when the snow hit. That means that I have not been able to get out in my racing chair for the last month and a half. It has been killing me.

I have been sitting still. So in hopes of writing a blog, I looked up the word still in the Bible. Every time it was used in the sense of inaction, I payed attention. I found it cool that every time it was used it was in the contexts of God moving. The word still came up right before God moved or right after he moved. 

• In Exodus 14, Moses tells the people, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” After that, God parted the Red Sea. 
• In Psalm 107:29 it says, “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.”  It is like Mark 4 where “He (Jesus) got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” 

When there is still, it is because God is moving. He will move on our behalf, and we can be still. He will bring calm to the storm in our lives.

So, when life is chaotic and full of overwhelming activity ask Him to speak to your storm. If life seems still and stagnant, just wait for what Jesus has for you. That's what I'm going to do. I can't wait to see what Jesus is going to do through me.

Two Years

Two years ago I was just moving past hockey tape and gardening gloves. Now looking back I thought that I should give an overview of how far I have come.

2012

July-August 2012:  Begin to think about racing

September 2012:  Join Jessamine County Public Library Driveway to 5K running group trying to train with an everyday (slow) wheelchair

October 2012:  God gives me a racing wheelchair and rollerbar for an affordable price (via Greg Insco!!)

November 2012:  Learn how to steer the Tuesday before my first race and complete my first 5K (Jessamine County Parks and Rec. Turkey Strut)

December 2012:  Follow advice from Tatyana McFadden and purchased a pair of harness racing gloves; Find article on proper push technique; Complete 5K in Somerset, KY (where hills are really mountains); Race in Kannapolis, NC where my grandparents get to cheer me on

2013

 January-February 2013:  Continue to train with my dad/coach 

March 2013:  Race at the RJ Corman railrunner 5K

April 2013:  Unexpectedly travel to Greenwood, IN to race in a walk/run for orphans to support the Boaz Project; find out just how many hills Kentucky has (as compared to flat, flat, flat Indiana) and how bad I am at pacing myself without hills to climb and then fly down!

May 2013:  Learn to pace myself; compete in RJ Corman run for the Chrysallis House along with my dad who decided he needed to be in better shape in order to keep up with me

June 2013:  Run in the Hearts of Fire 5K

July 2013:  Winning the second fastest time for the women's pushchair, I completed the Bluegrass 10K in Lexington KY

August-October 2013: Start high school so racing is on hold for a while

November 2013:  Run in the Jessamine County Parks and Rec. Turkey Strut 5K, marking my one year anniversary

2014

April 2014: Meet Coach Adam Bleakney and get tips for seating.  He said you want to become "one with the chair," which means no wiggle room in your seating. 

May 2014:  Run in the RJ Corman run for the Chrysallis House along with Dad

June 2014:  Two weeks out from the Bluegrass 10,000, I ran United Way 5k on the Runway.( I got 20:27 best time so far!) The next weekend I ran the Wilmore 5K. I beat the power chairs there!

July 2014:  I BEAT THE RECORD IN THE BLUEGRASS 10,000!!!  I touched a track for the first time at track camp at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

August-October 2014:  We gained access to our local high school track. I trained on the track and learned how hard it is to stay in one lane in a racing wheelchair.

November 2014: I attended the Gateway to Gold event in Charlotte NC. I ran in the Jessamine County Parks and Rec. Turkey Strut getting my best time for that course. Iannah and Dad ran in this race.

Obviously I have done a lot over the past two years.  Thank you to everyone who has helped me in any way.  I am getting excited to see what I will do in this next year.  My goals are to get more track experience and to complete a half marathon in the spring.  We are looking for regional Paralympic events as close to Kentucky as we can find.  For those of you who have them, pray for me when you where your Aerelle's Wheels of Fire T-shirt.  I will keep you updated on what the Lord is doing through my wheelchair racing journey.

Aerelle

(Aspiring Wheelchair Racer)

The Jessamine Journal

Before heading to track camp, Aerelle was interviewed by a reporter for our local paper.  They had a great time talking together.  Here is a link to the article and some great photos!

Article in the Jessamine Journal
Photo Gallery

Bluegrass 10,000 Winner

I BEAT THE RECORD!!!

Do you see the shirt?

The old record was 42:09.  My time was 39:49 for the Women's Push Chair Division.  That is more than TWO MINUTES ahead of the past time!

The old time was set in 1991 by Kim Martin (that was before I was born).  Last year I had a time of 44:16, a little less than two minutes out from the course record. That was my first 10K.  I was so encouraged by my time that I set a goal to be faster than 42:09 the next year.

This past week I had been looking forward to the race when the thought "what if I don't beat the time?" went through my head.  In my head it had always been when I win and not if I win.  This thought stopped me; I did not know what to do.  On Wednesday morning, I awoke to a sore shoulder.  Now the thought of "What if I don't finish?" was pounding through my head.  I shared this with my family and friends and they rallied around me and reminded me that real strength comes from Jesus.  I don't have to finish and I don't have to win to be the best I can in Christ.  To really win I trust in Jesus.  He gives me victory.





I have conquered far more than I thought was possible:  I have beaten the record by a good TWO MINUTES.  I almost beat the men's wheelchair competitor who has been racing for many more years than I have.  I have conquered my fear with the power of Jesus.  Jesus is who has given me this victory.  To Him be all glory.  He said to me the morning of the race "My hand is with you".

Joshua 1:9(NIV)   "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”