Saturday, January 31, 2009

8

Today I was supposed to run 8 miles. I will try again tomorrow. I left my house at 715 to complete those 8 miles around our apartment complex (I have that 2 mile loop). I get to the first gate and it is closed...I'm 5 minutes into my run and the gate is closed. I haven't run this early around the complex in a very long time and have forgotten ALL about this. I turn around and head back to out apartment to get the clicker and have no idea what to do about how far I have run now. So I start running AGAIN and make the first loop and am frustrated and cold and OH NO I forgot to eat! I quickly decided that a 30 minute run around the apartment will suffice for today and I will wake up early in the morning and try the 8 miles again. It's getting mentally tough to finish this training but I am almost there. The big race day is 2 weeks away..TOMORROW! 

Monday, January 26, 2009

Matter of the Heart

My half marathon on Sunday made me cry. I was feeling strong through mile 8 when all of the sudden my heart rate jumped well above 200 beats per minute. Sara (the running partner) stopped to walk with me for about a minute and when we started to run again I could only run for about 2 minutes before my heart rate was right back up again. We walked again and I had to continue this walk/run pattern well toward the finish. At mile ten I told Sara to go on without me and she asked me if I was sure. (As you may remember from the 20 mile race entry, I had to run off without Sara at mile 18 of that race.) That's when I began to cry. I felt so confused and frustrated. How could I have done so well at the 20 mile race and then my heart rate had to go and do THIS at a 13.1 mile race? I was crying because I was frustrated and also because I was scared. Yes, I probably should NOT have even thought about having enchiladas and chips and hot sauce the night before--but Christina was in town. Yes, I should not have had the cup of coffee I had before my race but I only got 5 hours of sleep. SOOOOO you see..there were 3 things that I did wrong that I am hoping contributed to the terrible 13.1 miles. 
1. ate HORRIBLY
2. didn't sleep much
3. coffee??? 
I did some research and according to the American Heart Association an increase in heart rate can be because of anxiety, caffeine, alcohol, and hereditary. I will be sure to stay off of all of the above until after my race. I have been drinking a lot of coffee lately. 
Please pray that I will continue my marathon training without fear and that I will continue to make the right food choices. If this situation occurs at the marathon there is no way I will finish. I was only able to keep running this time because I knew I only had 5 miles left. If that happens to me at mile 8 of the marathon I will still have 18.2 miles to run. 
Thank you to each of you for your support and encouragement. 

Saturday, January 24, 2009

13.1

Tomorrow I have my last race in the Austin Distance Challenge prior to the marathon. It will be 13.1 miles and COLD. I'm not sure why this happens but the last 2 races I have had to run have come at the end of pretty warm weeks and ARE COLD! They say that running in the cold is the best time but I just feel much more comfortable wearing shorts than tights. Oh well, I learned last time that tights are the way to go. I have lost 3 pounds this week with trainer Jim and hopefully that will help my knees on this run tomorrow. Thanks for all your support. 22 days until THE marathon!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Desire

Phil Wickham's "DESIRE" made me cry this morning. I pray Lord that you wouldn't allow me to move from your face. I pray that I will keep focused on ALL You are and keep my eyes on You. I thank You that You control it all. I'm running through the gates of love, as fast as I can and I can't WAIT to see Your face. You are in my heart and I will run with all I have to You. 

I'm running through the gates of love, as fast as I can
I can't wait to see You I'm a desperate man
You made the light and sent it down
To show us who You are
Now It's bursting out of my heart

My desire is burning like a million stars
And I'll keep reaching out, reaching out for You
My desire, is burning with the fire You sparked
And I'll keep reaching out, reaching out for You

I'd be nothing without You, yeah I would die
If I didn't have Your hand if I couldn't look into Your eyes
Jesus if Your Love's the fuel then I'm the desperate flame
That's screaming out Your name

This is glory rising, over a new horizon
I See Your love, I feel Your smile
Your in my heart and I will run with all I have to You

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Fasin-8-ing

Meagan tagged me to complete the list of 8's 

8 Shows I watch 
  1. American Idol
  2. David Letterman
  3. Craig Ferguson
  4. Big Brother
  5. The news
  6. The Biggest Loser
  7. Samantha Who?
  8. ...... I can't think of 8
8 Restaurants I love
  1. Dominos
  2. Carinos
  3. Adobe Verde
  4. Gristmill
  5. Hula Hut
  6. Chick-Fil-A
  7. Cracker Barrel
  8. Chavelos
8 Things that Happened Today
  1. Ran 4 miles
  2. went to H-E-B
  3. prayed
  4. got on facebook (imagine that)
  5. played scrabble
  6. watched the inauguration
  7. dealt with some drama 
  8. talked to my dad
8 Things I look forward to
  1. My birthday (feb 9th)
  2. finishing the marathon (feb 15)
  3. the costume party (feb 20th)
  4. Fortune Fest in San Antonio (March 5-7th)
  5. Our second wedding anniversary (March 9th)
  6. being a mom
  7. fitting into a few pairs of my old jeans
  8. BEING DEBT FREE!!!
8 Things I Wish For
  1. That the student loan people would write and tell me that I don't owe them money anymore :)
  2. Financial Freedom
  3. a tropical vacation with Kyle
  4. a house for my sister 
  5. healthy children
  6. children who follow Christ
  7. that I would be a better friend
  8. staying strong the last few weeks of marathon training
8 Songs I just listened to
  1. He Loves Us - Kim Walker
  2. Rock Your Body- Justin Timberlake
  3. Desert Song- Hillsong
  4. The Wonderful Cross- Chris Tomlin
  5. Sweetly Broken -Chris Riddle
  6. Nothing- Jeremy Camp
  7. You are Everything- Matthew West
  8. All Who are Thirsty- Kutless
8 Movies I love
  1. Hot Rod
  2. Dumb and Dumber
  3. Dances with Wolves
  4. Bride Wars
  5. The Notebook
  6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  7. The Pursuit of Happyness
  8. Forest Gump
8 People I tag
  1. Jenny H
  2. Julie
  3. Nocona
  4. Julie Wood
  5. ?????

Very Sore

My first session with my trainer was today (well yesterday) and I am already VERY sore. I like him and for those of you who would know who this is, he reminds me of Aaron Colyer but much taller. Same joyful walk. I was very surprised by how strong I felt after the session and am excited to go back on Wednesday.  I had a wonderful eating day and was told by "Trainer Jim" that I should write down every thing I eat. Here is today's but I promise I will NOT bore you with this every single day. 

Bfast: protein bar 
Lunch: BLT with Turkey Bacon (and only one piece of bread)
snack: peach yogurt (low fat)
Dinner: Grilled chicken breast, broccoli, and rice 
Snack: 3/4 cup of egg salad (no bread)

It was a pretty good first day and I probably should try to get all 6 of the small meals in tomorrow. I am excited to maximixe the last 26 days of marathon training!!!! YAY!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Trainer



I don't even know if he and I will be compatible but I am meeting with a possible physical trainer tomorrow at 10AM to try and help maximize my last few weeks of marathon training (and let's face it...burn off a few of the 10 pounds I have gained since I started it up) I will let you know how it goes! I'm excited! 

A special thank you goes out to my husband who is as excited as I am about accomplishing this marathon. 


Friday, January 16, 2009

Bedford Desks


I have wanted these desks (in brown) for about 2 years now. I made an offer on one that is in Cypress, TX and hopefully I will get it for more than half the price. It pays to be patient! 

I'm EXCITED!!!!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Dream Board

This is my Dream Board. Dream boards are a way to put goals and the things you WILL achieve up for reminder of why one should keep on keepin' on. Making this dream board to show the races I will run and complete prior to the marathon has helped me stay on my training track. When I first made this board back in November I had already run 2 races and had thoughts of quitting my endeavor (THE marathon). I decided to make this board so that I could keep my goals in focus. I post my race number and the completion patch in the designated square after each race. I am excited to make this board complete and have several other things that I am ready to complete thanks to my dream board! 

Keep focused on your goals and don't let anything or anyone keep you from, "running your race". 

20 Mile Run

Sunday was race day and it was COLD! 
The first 10 miles were the worst. I don't know if it was because of how cold it was or how many miles I knew I had left. The furthest distance I had accomplished
d training for prior to the race was 13.1 miles (the half marathon I ran back a the beginning of December) so every step beyond that was new territory. I will break it down by miles. 

1-5 Miles: Frozen. I should have worn my tights but last time I wore them it warmed up quickly and I was so hot that I wanted to rip them off and streak to the finish (j/k). I definitely needed them Sunday. I walk at mile five to take a shot blok which sounds funny but CLIFF Bar makes them and they are gummy and delicious and you just chew them  up and it gives you a bit of energy. 
5-10 Miles: I can now feel my legs and realize quickly that it was much better when I couldn't. At mile 8 the part of my leg behind my knee (where it bends) is tight and I stop at a water station to stretch and drink a small cup of water and a small cup of Gatorade. I see 2 motorcycle helpers drive by with 2 runners who couldn't finish as their passengers. "Dear Lord, please don't let that happen to me". At mile 10 I take another shot blok. They are GOOD!
10- 12 Miles: That part of my leg that was hurting is hurting more than even and that is when God sent me my race day angel, "Stephanie".  Stephanie runs by me and she smiles from ear to ear! She asks me how I am feeling and I blurt out about my tightness in my behind the knee thing. She asks if this is my first long distance race and I tell her yes. She runs ahead of me and I am thankful for my perky friend who slowed down to say hello. At least it kept the pain off my mind for a minute or so. At mile 12 I see a water station and slow to stretch and rehydrate. That's when Stephanie became my angel. A water-hander-outer person shouted, "girl in the blue shorts!" and I said, "yes??" and she said, "Stephanie told me to give you this." and what did she hold...?????? ALEVE!!! AMAZING!!! It was just what I needed and I wanted to cry. Within minutes I can feel my leg relax. 
13- 16  Miles: This is taking forever! Are you kidding me! I think I'm sunburned...scratch that..I KNOW I'm sunburned but I absolutely LOVE the sun on my face and begin to get restless with the distance. I start to speed up but remember "slow and steady" and regain my pace to ensure that I can finish. I take a shot blok and continue on. 
16-20 Miles: I am so ready to finish that I can taste it. I feel WAY better than I did the day I ran my half marathon and mile by mile passes. I have to leave my running partner Sara behind at mile 18 because she tells me that she left her achilles tendon at the water station :) I love her and keep on running. The last water station was at mile 18.5 and this cute old bundled up lady tells me that I have less than 2 miles to go. After 18 that is an amazing thing to hear! I keep running and making sure to use my arms. At the mile 19 sign I relax and start feeling great! At mile 19.5 I pick up the pace and can see the finish line. With a quarter mile left I start to sprint ( know) and I see my husband Kyle standing at the finish line. I cross the finish line and smile! 

It may have taken me over 4 hours but I finished. I am looking forward to the last few weeks of training. I guess I am really gonna run that marathon :)



Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Explosions in the Sky


Have you heard of them? They have the most amazing music and have helped to calm my spirit tonight. Take the time to find and listen to their song called, "Your Hand in Mine". There are no words to their songs just beautiful music. Somehow this song has happened to grab at me and is exactly how I am feeling today. I am safest when my hand is in the hands of the Lord. 
I have realized in the past few weeks that there is a huge hunger in my heart for revival. I do not want to wander an inch from what it is that He wants me to do and what He is calling of me. I have the biggest passions in me and things that I know that God has placed in me to accomplish and follow through with. Specific in nature it is comforting to know that he already knows the way that I will choose and ultimately no matter what distractions come my way He and I both know that I am best with My hand in His. The song has given me peace tonight. He leads. 

Heavenly Father, I lay out my fleece. I pray that you would lead me. I pray that you would eliminate any distractions that hinder me from my purpose. I know that you created me for Your purpose and pleasure. I know that You are most glorified in me when I am satisfied with You and You alone. I cannot be out of Your will for my life. I confess that I have been lukewarm and living in fear and I pray for victory. 

Sunday, January 4, 2009

6 More Weeks

I only have 6 more weeks of marathon training left. I really can't believe it! I could not have done it without the help the book to the left. I have said several times that I was "joining" a running club but I have never heard back from anyone on how to follow through with that process. So, I am giving the credit to Bob Glover for coaching me to this point. I bought the book for my jogging class in the fall of 2002 when I was at Stephen F. Austin (the one semester I was there. I'm pretty sure that that course is the only reason that I went to SFA). I don't remember my professors name but the lady was precious and about 65 years old. She wore pink slouch socks, pink sweat bands on her wrists, and some pretty hot looking calves. Not only did she teach the course but she ran with us on our daily runs and then kept running long after we were safe in our dorm rooms. That woman inspired me to keep running and pushed me to run a marathon and doesn't even know it. I am thankful to all of my friends and family for your support and am asking that each of you pray for my body (no injuries please) my mind (running 20 miles on January 11th is scaring me) and my energy! I will keep all of you updated!

THANKS!