18 miles...done!

I did it. Saturday I ran the farthest I have ever run in my whole life. I had a small hitch in my plans, however, because I was supposed to get up early and that just didn't work out. I tried to open the front door at 4AM to see what the weather was like, and the wind was so strong I had to fight just to get out of the house. I made the decision to run later in the day on the treadmill. I did this for a couple of reasons: I could have just sucked it up and gone for the run despite the 30 mph winds with 50 mph gusts BUT I wouldn't have finished my run in time and made Doug late for his gig. Also, the workout would have been miserable and I wanted a good quality 18 mile run. This run and the 20-miler I will run next week are very important training runs and I wanted them to be good ones. So, my gracious friends watched Jack for over three hours while I went to the gym and ran 18 miles at a 10 minute pace on the treadmill. It took me exactly three hours.

I have been training at 9 minute pace so 10 minute pace almost felt easy (well, until you get past 12, then everything just gets sore no matter how slow you run). I felt pretty comfortable thought the last 4-5 miles were tough because my shorts were chafing. It is amazing how much that affects my concentration. I give up trying to find a solution because I don't have the luxury of buying and testing 20 different bras and shorts. This week my schedule is:

Tuesday: 5 miles

Wednesday: 9 miles

Thursday: 5 miles

Saturday: 14 miles

The nine mile run felt pretty good today at a nine minute pace. I can tell my body is getting stronger. I am actually losing some weight now that my mileage has picked up. Bonus.

I took Jack to the Zoo with some friends on Monday morning. He had never been before and had a blast. The picture is from the sea lion tank. They were Jack's favorite. He would giggle every time they surfaced and blew water out. I can't wait to go back as a family soon. For easter, we are having a Good Friday dinner and worship service at church, an egg hunt on Saturday, and service on Sunday. I love meditating and focusing on what happened on the cross and the resurrection. We talked about Jesus' second coming in bible study today. I kept getting chills just thinking about what that is going to be like. We read a verse I had never heard today. It was Matthew 24:14-"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. " I didn't realize that before Jesus returns there will be an increase in the worldwide witness of the gospel. This is very interesting to me because a lot of people say we are in the end times, but I heard today that 4 billion people are still considered "unreached" with the gospel. We have some work to do! We concluded today that in the meantime, we should hold on to what lasts forever: God and people. We should strive to please God with our actions and serve others. I'd say that is a pretty good way to live until we see Jesus whether by death or the second coming.

Something else that has been on my mind lately is the world's prospective on conservatives and Christians. I feel like most people define Christians by what they DON'T do: drink, smoke, cuss, sex outside of marriage, abortion, etc... I have a problem with this because too many times when someone claiming to be a Christian does stumbles, it is really easy for non-christians to point to the finger and say, "Hypocrite! You broke one of your rules!" I believe our focus should be more on what we DO or should be doing: taking care of the poor, serving others, living like Jesus, befriending the friendless, being selfless and sacrificial, and basically reflecting God's love to everyone we have contact with. It makes sense that nothing but arrogance and pride will be gained from following a strict "Things-I-Don't-Do list." However if you are focused on what your actions, it should lead to humility and brokenness because we won't always get it right. I will be the first to say that Christians will screw up. That is why we need Jesus and the forgiveness he offers. Happy Easter, everyone!

Finally Registered

I took a break from blogging for Spring Break, but I am back now. We had a blast camping with Doug's parents and brother in Arkansas for three days. I actually missed a run but I don't feel that bad. It was good to rest. I didn't miss the long run last week which was 12 miles. I ran the first 9.65 at a 9 minute mile pace but then had to run the rest at 10 minute pace. Not too shabby.

This week might kill me though:

Tuesday: 4 miles

Wednesday: 9 miles

Thursday: 5 miles

Saturday: 18 miles

This long run is my second longest I will run before the marathon. Doug has a crazy schedule this weekend because he is playing at a Disciple Now, so the only time I will have to run is Saturday morning at 4 AM. I am excited to see how it goes. I am going to try some new things like pinning my Gu to my shorts and see how that works out.

Well, I officially registered for the marathon today. The website says there is only 32 days left!

On another note, Doug decided that he is not going to teach next year. I don't know what I think about this yet, I am still processing everything. Doug recently listened to a Chip Ingram podcast and Chip made the point that too many Christians today "hope" God shows up and does something huge instead of "expecting" God to show up. I am glad Doug shared this with me and I have been thinking about this a lot in light of our current situation.

What I do know is that Doug has the passion, the calling, the dream, the God-given talent, and the desire to serve God with his music vocationally. I don't think this is something that we should ignore or take lightly. It is easy for me to want Doug to settle and choose a career that is steady and practical, but rarely is the easy way the right way especially when following God's call. I feel blessed that I have a real man of God for a husband: a man who won't settle for less than what he was designed for and a man that abhors mediocrity and complacency. For the few that read this, please be in prayer for our family during this time.

Jack Interrupting

Sore, but happy

Saturday was my 15-miler. This is the longest distance I have ever run in my life. Wow. It feels weird to type that considering I have been running long distances for 10 years now. A quick description of the run: my lungs felt great and I definitely felt like I had a good endurance base built up to handle the distance. On the down side, this was my first run without the comforts of a high-end treadmill with good shocks, so my shins took a beating running on the pavement. I was sore the rest of the day Saturday and all day Sunday. Monday they felt a little better and I ran 4 miles today which actually seemed to relieve the soreness immensely. I don't even feel them anymore. There were some interesting moments like when I couldn't find a bathroom around mile four because the one I was counting on in a park was shut down. I was feeling really discouraged about that but then found a portable at a construction site so disaster averted! I have never been happier to see a port-a-potty in my life. Oh, and there was something in the air bothering me so I probably blew my nose into my shirt 2o times. Runners are so weird. But, I made it! Don't ask me my time because I gave up looking at my watch literally after the first mile (which was 8:40 in case you care) because looking down was too distracting. I was trying to push the pace as much as I could without killing my poor shins. This Saturday, I run 16 miles. I will probably run the same course. I am a creature of habit, what can I say. Here is my schedule for this week:

Tuesday: 4 miles

Wednesday: 8 miles

Thursday: 3 miles

Saturday: 16 miles

I didn't run with music for my long run because I love not being plugged in. It is huge for me that I actually listen to the radio now when I am driving. I am not by myself very often unless Jack is napping so running is my alone time. I am amazed how the right thoughts can make or break a workout for me. What kept me going during my difficult miles was thinking how good I was going to feel when I was done or how proud I would be to go home and tell Doug I had done it. I also thought about people I know personally who physically aren't able to run long distances and how even though I was hurting, they would trade places with me in a second. Today in my bible study, I looked at Philippians 4:8, "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things." My footnote in my bible for this verse says, "Paul understood the influence of ones thoughts on one's life. What people allow to occupy their minds will sooner or later determine their speech and action. The combination of virtues listed is sure to produce a wholesome thought pattern, which in turn will result in a life of moral and spiritual excellence."

This prompted me to think of the lovely in my life. I wrote in my book, "I see something lovely because when I look into the handsome, smiling face of my little boy, I see a glimpse of how much my God loves me." I posted this as my status update and I am sure some of my friends now think I have become sappy and corny. Here is a frame of reference for you for anyone I confused. It is so true though. Being a mother is a very lovely, honorable profession. I read in a book today to remember while you are child-rearing that your children are only on loan to you for a little while from God. This responsibility is huge and one of the most important ones ever given to us. Everyday is more than just surviving until nap time or bedtime; it is a blessing given to you by an Almighty God with the purpose of training and discipleing a generation of little ones who fear the Lord. I pray that my though life and my parenting align with what God's word says.

The 3 R's

My schedule for this week is:

Tuesday: 3 miles

Wednesday: 7 miles

Thursday: 4 miles

Saturday: 15 miles (yikes!)

My last long run was 10 miles last Saturday. I felt really good during the run and ran the first 9 at 9 min pace and the last mile at 8 minutes. I felt comfortable during the run and I think it helped that I was watching a really interesting show (Psych) and that I replaced water with Gatorade. This week I have run all runs at 9 min pace which I am thrilled about considering I ran my 7 miles after four hours of sleep. I think my 15 mile run this Saturday will be my first marathon training run that I don't run on the treadmill! I am going to miss having my fluids and Gu right at my fingertips, but I need to practice running with water breaks and pacing on my own.

The weather is finally getting warmer here!!! The news reported this week that Oklahoma has had the coldest Winter in 30 years! Jack and I went for a walk yesterday. It was great. He threw a fit and cried when I took him back inside. I know he is going to love it when we go camping in a couple of weeks for spring break. I hope he is a runner someday. Actually, as long as he never plays football, I just want him to be active. Sometimes, I feel like we should just chuck our TV. It makes our living room ugly anyways.

My sister called today and said she wanted to help me out with some of the costs associated with running the marathon so she offered to pay my entry fee! What a blessing. Now, I can buy new shoes when I need them without feeling bad. I love my sister. It is overwhelming when I think about how much new gear, all the special food (power bars, protein bars, Gu, Gatorade, etc.) entry fee, hotel room will cost in the end. Its almost like I should tell Doug he needs to get a second job to support my running habit. I thought running was supposed to be a cheap sport! And lets not talk about how badly I want a Garmin.

On a more positive note, Doug may be able to start building our night stands next week. He built a dresser right before Jack was born (it was supposed to be a changing table-long story) and he hasn't had time to build the other furniture yet. After the night stands, he is building a headboard and then I will actually have a matching bedroom set. I am sooooo excited. Maybe I will actually post some pictures on this blog when he is done.

Speaking of Doug, he is struggling right now with what to do about next year. He is having a pretty lousy time teaching right now. I guess we are both just seeking wisdom and guidance in this situation. My bible study for today talked about how to successfully gain wisdom. The three R's of wisdom are: Request it, Revere God, and Receive counsel. I love that the primary way to receive wisdom is to simply ask for it. You can't have something unless you ask for it, right? I love what James has to say about this concept: if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him. I think asking for wisdom requires a great deal of humbleness. I have to tell God that I don't know what to do on my own and that he knows better than I do.

I don't know if I am strange or what, but I love asking and receiving advice. If someone has gone before me and done it well, I want to know how they did it! I don't know if I have always been this way or it developed over time. I find myself asking others for advice a lot more now since I became a mom. Overall, I am glad I was able to study wisdom today of all days. I guess I will blog later with info about my 15 miler. I apologize for the drabness and lack of pics. I will renovate at some point.