Motivation

Well, as Jen just said we are just starting our half marathon training to get ready for an adventure race. I am so excited for it. It has been challenging to be consistent, but with Jen and Annie to keep me motivated it helps so much. I'm like you Rachel Haynes, I love to run with a partner. I have been so blessed to have Jen and Annie.  Jen has especially motivated me to get in shape after having a baby. 

   I am especially excited to run tomorrow though, because I just got new trail shoes. I found a super deal on the Teva X-1 Racer. Jen and Annie got a pair, and I think Liz and Rach did too. I hope they work out for you all. 

   I just want to tell all you women thank you for all of your posts. It really helps me to come and read all of your stories. Keep up the good work ladies, and always remember the real reason we are doing this. To glorify God with our bodies and to grow to love Him more every day!

Adventure Race Training

Hello girls

   Well Annie Young, Rachel Barry and I have started our training.  We all want to do an adventure race together.  WE don't know when or where but we have started our training together so when we find the perfect race we will be ready.  We have basically started training for a half marathon.  This is our first week and the humidity is killing us.  I just got in from a run and I am literally dripping with sweat.  We are going to try to run together twice a week.  Those of you that don't know, an adventure race usually includes, kayaking, mountain biking, trail running and sometimes some other fun stuff.  You have to train as a team compete as a team and finish as a team.   I hope we find a good beginner race for us.  It is hard to choose one when none of us know where we will be living in the next few months.  Love to you all!

Consistency & Companionship

My blog posts have been pretty scarce lately...mostly because to journal on an excercise blog, its kind of essential that a person is actually excercising. Which as of late has not really been happening. I told myself that before I could post a blog I needed to have a week of consistent work outs...not just one random morning that Liz drags me to the gym.

With that being said...I have had a week of consistent work outs! Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of pain but its feeling more enjoyable each time I get out. I know many of you are not around the Hastings area, but for those who are, Liz has put together a very casual 6 week training schedule. Whether your single, married, mama or even pregnant...we all meet either at Liz's house or at a park and take turns working out with partners and push each other to "decide. committ. and SUCCEED!!!" It has been a major blessing for me personally, as I ALWAYS push harder with a partner by my side. I am looking forward to another week of sweating to get fit! YES!

p.s. one of my new favorite work out songs is "Jai Ho" from the movie slum dog millionaire...hopefully it has an appropriate message...its all in Indian so i'm not exactly sure. but it makes me feel like i can run another 10 miles! (which never actually happens, but it pumps me up) :-)

Silas is pretty excited too...:-)

I FINISHED! :)

I FINISHED!! :)
I have to say of all the years that I have played sports and been pushed past my limits, I have never pushed myself as hard as I did for the half marathon! This was the biggest physical and mental battle I have ever faced! I thank God for helping me through it.
I really don't know how I finished. I promised myself that I would only walk 30sec at a time if I walked, and I only walked three times for 30 sec each so I was happy!! That 11th and 12th mile were the WORST!! man!

Anyways so I made a goal to finish under 2 hrs and 30 min and then I thought maybe I could set a goal for 2hrs and 15min and then during the race I was like wow I think my goal is to JUST FINISH! LOL .. I decided that at about the 7th mile mark when my knee that was giving me trouble in training decided to start hurting. lol I was like man I didn't plan for this... but then it made me think man if i can finish this with my knee bothering me, than i can face anything. So i prayed right there and then that God would help me forget about the pain or something would happen to get me through, and after a while i was just kind of numb! lol i don't know what happened I guess my mind started thinkin about the giant hill that i was on at MILE 9! LOL THAT WAS A KILLER!!! NOW THATS WHAT I CALL A BIG BERTHA HILL JEN!! Oh but my WORST EXPERIENCE was when I crossed the finish line and ALMOST peed my pants. I had to pee at like a mile and half away from the finish and so I didn't want to stop. So i pushed through, but then when i relaxed crossing the finish line i was like OH DEAR LORD, and I had to sit down to hold back from wetting myself! lol pretty hilarious!

SO.. I finished at about 2hrs and 22min. Which I'm happy with, but I do plan to do it next year and to train harder to beat my time!! My friend Katie who did it with me is a beast, she finished in an hour and 50min! and MY DAD finished 2hrs and 28min!! And maybe it was just me but i could NOT walk afterwards, I felt like i had been hit by a semi truck! lol

THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE: Putting your mind to something, discipling yourself, and reaching your goal. BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD. or as the famous triatholon saying goes, "DECIDE COMMITT SUCCEED!!"

JEN, YOU ARE DOING IT NEXT YEAR WITH ME!!! :)

EL

Humidity

Well the Alabama summer is here with a slap in the face.  Annie and I went running at the trails this morning and it was only in the 70s but it felt so much hotter because of the humidity.  Lord help us!!!  I am sure all of you in the midwest are just happy to get out in the warmer weather.  I am excited that Annie had her baby and is back to running.  She just had her baby 6 weeks ago and we went running today and she pushed me so hard.  Annie, you are crazy!!   How is all the training for the triathlon going?  IT is fast approaching and I will be cheering you all on from far away.  Hopefully from Africa!!!  I am waiting to see all those pictures of you girls running during the half marathon so I can be motivated. Love ya!

Focused thoughts

After coming off my running hiatus, I have found a new appreciation for running. All I desired tonight was to just BE with the Lord...not really pray about anything specific or really seek Him on any one thing, but just BE in His presence. With all the craziness of life, I find it hard to do this even in the comfort of my own home. So I went for a run, knowing it would help clear my head. Not only did it allow me to clear my thoughts but it was such an intimate time with the Lord. I went through so many emotions as I ran--I even cried at one point. I just felt so blessed that running allowed me to spend that time alone with God. For some reason, I can focus best when I am running. I am so very thankful for my run tonight. Because I was so focused on the Lord's presence, I ended up running 4 miles.

We are all so blessed to have the ability to work out. I think about that often when I am running. So many people can't do simple things like run or swim. So today I praise God for my legs and for the ability to run. He is so good to us! All glory and honor be to the King!

Romantic Run

First, I have to say, I miss you too, Lil Sis! You always push me a little further than I go on my own. You are a very good motivator. I ran 3 miles for the first time in years and it felt really good, I was really shocked. Jeni didn't tell me how long the big Bertha hill was, so I was thinking the worst. Then I saw the end and was relieved that my estimation was wrong. I have very few hills out here in central Nebraska.

Now to the romantic run. I took off at 8:30 tonight for a run. It was 68 degrees with a calm breeze. I was listening to Bethany Dillon "So Far. . The Acoustic" (highly recommended) and the song "The Kingdom" and "Hero" just brought my heart to great joy thinking of my King and my Hero, Jesus. I thought of His heart for me, the day when He will come to take me away. My face burst out in a huge smile and my arms outstretched to be with Him, my King someday. Heaven will be more beautiful than the periwinkle twighlight sky against the glowing moon that I saw tonight, and the way He loves me will be more glorious than my happiest day on earth. The beauty in this creation and the thought of His strength and faithfulness romances me. I haven't run at night at all, but it was a beautiful thing. So maybe changing up the time that you run or walk will be a fun thing for some of you to do.

triathlon

Okay so I just saw the new tshirts for the triathlon and they are sooooo cool.  I cannot believe that we will not be there.  I have decided that whenever we do get back to NE I will be doing the triathlon, so any of you that want to join me that would be great.  I will just be doing it and seeing if I can improve my time from last year.  It could just be a fun day for us all to work out together.  LEt me know what you think.

Liz visited with her family last week.  WE were very diligent to work out even with the kids everywhere.  We did turbo jam a couple of times and ran a couple of times.  Liz made it up the big bertha hill without walking and that is very hard to do.  GO LIZ!!!  We thought of all the marathoners on Sunday, you guys all rock.   It was very fun for me to have a work out buddy for a week.  Miss you Elizabeth.

Battles won

What a beautiful day for a race! Waking up to 55 degrees and not having to wear gloves, tights and a hat was an absolute dream for this tired-of-cold-dark-mornings runner. Prayer #1: answered. With all the runners this year, it took my pace group 8:45 minutes to even get to the start line. Luckily we were microchipped. It was elbow to elbow for most of the race, and I was thinking what a good girl I was for following the rules and not wearing headphones while several rule-breakers ran to their tunes. I've always had trouble keeping my blood sugar even during long runs but this time I ate a clif blok every two miles or so. It worked! Prayer #2: answered. The bike path was extremely packed with people so that slowed me down. I won't forget running that path with Jen 6 years ago and waving at our lovely husbands on their bikes on the highway, in the pouring rain. The dreaded hill came at mile 9, but I asked for perseverance. Prayer #3: answered. Miles 11 and 12 proved extremely difficult for me as my low ab and low back took on extreme cramping-the crippling kind. A running couple came upon me about that time and said, "we've been watching you the whole way. you can do it!". I nearly cried on the spot. "Lord, get me to the finish line. I just want to make it!". I crossed the finish in 2:17:30. Two and a half minutes faster than my goal this year. Prayers #4 and 5: Answered! The Lord watched over me and was with me for every stride, even when I wanted to lay down on the street it hurt so bad. And yes, I too cried at the finish; tears of joy, tears of mental battles won, tears of physical pain, tears of strained faith. I'm so thankful for the faithful God I serve. He is the best running partner I could ever ask for.

I Finished...

Well I made it across the finish line. My goal was to at least run 7 miles and do it under 3 hrs.....Accomplished both. 2 hrs. and 45min. We ran the entire thing not stopping once to walk. My pace was slow but we did do a few 10 min miles. Between 10-13 I wanted to stop and walk but when I tried my legs hurt so bad that I knew I would never be able to start running again. At times my slow jog was matched with people who were walking but I'm soooo ok with that. From someone who hated running and never ever thought I could run even 5 miles I'm happy with what I did. I had a blast too....The people who come out to watch and encourage are awesome.... My friend Allison stayed with me the whole time even though she could have left me in the dust. I had my little fan club at mile 5 and at the finish lines holding GO MOMMY signs..... When I was on the final run about to cross the finish line I saw my husband and my kids and I lost it and finished crying..... It was a very emmotional thing for me. My legs and feet hurt so badly.... So this week will be resting and stretching and were hoping to do a short run on Friday. Thanks to everyone for encouraging me and supporting me. The funniest thing to me was seeing people peeing in trees....not just men but ladies just pushing their shorts aside and going.... I'm excited to do it again next year and train a bit more now that I know what to expect. Hopefully take 20 min off my time......

Runner 6718

Tomorrow's the race and I am pumped! My hubby is taking me to the pasta-thon tonight after we drop off the kids at my mom's. He is so supportive of me and I appreciate him so much. I can count on him to catch up with me every few miles on the sidelines with water bottle and camera in hand. I will post pics also when this race is accomplished. The forecast is for 45 degrees and partly sunny in the morning with no rain!! PTL; hopefully it holds out. Thank you for all of your encouragement on this blog!

Runner 4253

Well I picked up my Marathon info this morning.... I am runner 4253 out of 6500......I 'm really excited and it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of the marathon festivities that are going on here all weekend in Lincoln. I also drove the course so I could mentally have the distance in my brain....I had the stomach flu Tuesday and Wednesday and still have some issues that are lingering from that (but people say there are port a potties along the route...or I will run up to someones house and beg ). My friend Allison did get in to the race so we are set. Thanks to all who have been encouraging me to do something I NEVER EVER thought I would do. I will post pictures this week.