Matthew 17:20

"I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as the mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

If I were to list the times I thought something was impossible, then I'd certainly be here all day.

And tomorrow.

And quite possibly the next day.

Take this running thing for instance.  Two years ago, I had just started working out.  Running for me was really an impossibility, but in late February of 2011, a friend talked me into the McLeod Health 5K in Florence.  I went from one mile to two.  I was assured that not everyone runs those races, and I learned this was true.  My greatest achievement in running was that I finished a 5K.  That's 3.11 miles, folks.

The following year, as I placed 8th in my division for the same 5K, my athletic trainer buddies told me, "You could have done the 10K."  So what do I do?

I sign up for a half marathon.  

Does anyone see the skip in there?

And you know what?  I finished it.

By the end of 2013, I will run one 5K, two 10Ks, and two half marathons.  And I am seriously contemplating the Disney Marathon in 2014.  That, my friends, is 26.2 miles.  

So, how does one jump from the sofa to 26.2 miles in four years time?  Persistence.  People have always told me I was too stubborn for my own good.  And faith.  When I rounded the miles and my iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) was kicking in, I was ready to give up.  

I'm not going to lie, the ITBS still bothers me.  I invested in one of these:

 

and although it hurts like the devil to use it, I have a lot less pain than I used to.  Stretching helps, as well as listening to my body and slowing down when I need to.

I had faith, though.  I knew that because I had prayed for strength.  In my case, my body is a mountain, and the faith will bring me to and through 26.2 miles.

Of course, I still have the issue of running a total of  41.75 miles in races first.

Do Everything you Do. . .

Yeah, if you are a Steven Curtis Chapman fan right now, then the song is stuck in your head.  You are welcome.  But for those of you who don't know it, the lyrics are:

You're picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today
Matching up socks
Sweeping up lost cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip
Color on your lips and head out the door
While I may not know you,
I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?
Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long
As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause he made you,
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
Tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do

Maybe you're that guy with the suit and tie
Maybe your shirt says your name
You may be hooking up mergers
Cooking up burgers
But at the end of the day
Little stuff
Big stuff
In between stuff
God sees it all the same
While I may not know you
I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?
Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long
As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause he made you
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
Tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And everything you do

Maybe you're sitting in math class
Or maybe on a mission in the Congo
Or maybe you're working at the office
Singing along with the radio
Maybe you're dining at a 5-star
Or feeding orphans in the Myanmar
Anywhere and everywhere that you are
Whatever you do
It all matters
So do what you do
Don't ever forget

To do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause He made you
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace

As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause he made you
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do

In every little thing you do
In every little thing you do 

This song matches 1 Corinthians 10:31:  So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (ESV)

So, what does this have to do with running?  Everything.  Every time I step out on the road, on the treadmill, down a trail, I am thankful and give glory to God.  Just two seemingly short years ago, I couldn't run a half a mile.  Today, I ran 8.  Just one year ago, I would have never dreamed of running more than a 5K.  Today, I've run one half marathon, am registered for two more and the Cooper River Bridge Run.  Although I'd love to say it's been because of my inner strength, and pat mysel froyally on the back for it, I know the truth is this:  I've been given the strength to do this all by God.  Sometimes it's just through a Bible verse I turn to.  Often it's because of a feeling of peace I get as I am praying.  And I can think of three times while I was running when I could have given up and the next song was appropriate.  Today was such a day.

Coming up on mile 6, which was uphill, I was very close to my starting point.  One quarter of a mile and I could have been finished.  It was oh-so-tempting to stop.  Then LaCrae gets to this line:

I know the Truth is hitting home like Barry Bonds
Yeah my God runs the streets like a marathon, yes
I'm a believer, yes, I rep the Kingdom
They ask me where to find the Lord, they ain't never seen Him
Homie God ain't got no longitude and latitude
He's on another level you can't put a ladder to
And gon' check him in, before they close the do' (door)
You got that rehab, this is the over dose
Oh, how I want to go through life as God does.  How I want to be the one who takes care of herself in the way the Lord intended.  I want to be the person who runs the streets beside God like a marathon.

At mile 6, when I wanted to give up, I did something interesting.  I ran a negative split.

And I didn't give up.

The mundane, the everyday, the boring in life all has a purpose.  I've decided to blog my way through my running because I want people to see how everything can be done to the glory of God.

I'm reminded here of the shorter catechism:
Q.What is the chief end of man?

A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, [a] and to enjoy him for ever. [b]

[a]. Ps. 86:9; Isa. 60:21; Rom. 11:36; I Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev. 4:11

[b]. Ps. 16:5-11; 144:15; Isa. 12:2; Luke 2:10; Phil. 4:4; Rev. 21:3-4

Several interesting things have occured regarding my upcoming Disney Princess race. 

1.  I ran a personal best for the 10K today.  This is very exciting.  I ran a bit differently.  With the exception of a couple of times, my run/walk split was 0.5 mile run/0.25 mile walk.  Typically it's a 0.25 mile split.  This, of course, speeded me up a bit.

 2.  I did this run with a new pair of Mizunos.  They did not hurt my feet at all, and I'm still dealing with blackened toenails for the Myrtle Beach mini.  These are Wave Precision 13s and they were awesome!  No blisters and no further injury to my toes today.

3.  My husband registered me for the Royal Family 5K the day before the Princess Half Marathon.  I am WALKING this one, so I can be of encouragement to a dear friend and so that I can sport this costume:

I had originally intended to wear this for the Half Marathon, but I think that it would be best not to do this for the half.  I am going to wear it for the Divas in April, but I'll be safer with something else for a half marathon where I fully intend to PR

4.  And speaking of the half. . .here's that outfit:

Gosh, I hope it's not colder than like 40 degrees or I'll need to rethink things.

Either way, I'm down to 70 days until I leave for Florida.  I can't wait!

Don't Sell Yourself Short

Ah. . . .the wind in your face.  The brisk chill of the fall in the early morning.

What on earth am I saying?  It was cold.

Cold I tell you.

Standing in the line for the Porta-potty at 6 in the morning, all I wanted to do is go back to the bed.

"Did you flush?"

Yes, Jessica asked me that.  And yes, I checked.  (DOH!)

We got up early that morning, got dressed, and while I ate my oatmeal, Jessica made me an iced coffee.  Have I ever told any of you that I have some awesome friends?  We took our places in the back of the lies with the walkers.  Intermittently through the morning, there were power issues with the DJ and everything.  From time to time, the power went out, and our little arch at the starting line would lose it's balloony-ness.  (Yes, that's totally a word!)

There I am!  Before long, I had my goo (yuck, but pictured at the bottom right with my prerace fuel collection.)

 And, we were off!

Before we had even hit the first quarter mile walking, I was automatically in the grips of race adrenaline I typically get.  And you know what?  Jess?  Her shin splints were devouring her legs.  She hung back.  I started running.  And how could I not?  "Come Together" by Third Day was playing.  All of the sudden, I was in the midst of Facing the Giants and I could. . .

well, not win the thing, but do really, really well.

I went ahead.  Jess hung behind.

"I'll catch up to you later,"  she says.

Yeah, we saw each other again.  I was leaving the subdivision she was going into.

So I run through Coastal Grand Mall, down the Robert Grissom Parkway, and I'm running!  Well, running 1/4 mile, then walking 1/4 mile, but I'm doing it!

As I round to get to Broadway at the Beach, Jessica's husband was there.  Well, with Dory, and sorry, Brian, but I noticed Dory first.

 There I am, jacket off and tied around my waist!  Didn't last 4 miles.  I saw curbs littered with jackets.  Should've done it, but I just couldn't.

So, I continued through the race, and I was making great time.  And then it happened.

Remember that subdivision I said I met Jess coming out of?  My IT band started killing me there.

I was in tears.  I was thinking, "I'm going to have to give up.  Please, Jesus, take this pain from me."

And then, the song, "Should've Been Me" by Citizen Way began playing:

It should've been me, should've been us; Should've been there hangin' on a cross.  All of this shame all of these scars, should've been stains that were never washed. 

Oh, my goodness.  Here I was, wincing over a little bit of pain, thinking of giving up, while my Savior took my place and dealt with unimaginable pain.  How silly of me to think of giving up a race, when He didn't give up and He had the power to end all of that pain.

No, my pain was not removed from me.

Yes, it got worse.  As I hit the Boardwalk pat at Myrtle Beach it really got terrible.  For those of you who are not familiar with it, it twists and turns.  Every turn made my knee feel as if it were coming off of my leg.  I walked most of that way.  I was cheered on by people on the Boardwalk.  I wanted to cry.  I kept going.  Sometimes, I'm sure, instead of taking pain from us, the Lord gives us the strength to persevere.

Actually, I think it's most of the time He does that.

I did start running as I saw the finish line ahead.

And through the pain, I finished.  My goal, which I told no one, was 3:20:00.  And the official time?

3:03:08.  Nailed it.  And passed it.  By almost 17 minutes.

When all was said and done, Nike+ tells me I ran 13.9 miles.  Wow.  That's a lot of weaving there, lol.  Also, according to Nike, I did 13.1 in 2:51:51.  I'll take that.

The ending view was amazing:

I picked up my water, banana, and bagel and waited to cheer for Jessica as she came through.

Hard to believe we were smiling!

And I finished off the morning back at Coastal Grand with this:

After all, I did have to pass two of them while running.

I was given the strength to persevere through a lot that morning for that race.  I was thankful for a friend to share my day with.  I thought I'd walk it.  Due to conditioning I had been doing since October 2010, I was able to run and finish.

And never again will I sell myself short.  If I'm led to do something, then I know, through God's help, I will get through it.

Less than 24 Hours. . .

Last weekend, my friend Jessica and I did the path for the Myrtle Beach Mini.  For those of you who aren't aware, it's a pretty scenic view of. . .

The streets of Myrtle Beach, minus the last 2-3 miles:

And last week's time (walking and crossing the street with heavy traffic many times)?

Okay, so it's not great.  I don't know what happened to my training, but it fell apart, so I am walking this one just for experience.  At this point, I'm thinking the worst thing I can do is give up.

So, I'm leaving tonight after a meal of great spaghetti!

Tomorrow, I'll be crossing the finish line for:

And you know what, at least the name tag is cool:

I've also tweaked my running playlist.  It takes up 7.3 hours (112 songs) and I won't give the entire list, but I want to share some highlights:
1.  What Could be Better (33Miles)
2.  Changed Forever (TobyMac/Nirva Ready)
3.  Lose My Soul (TobyMac/Kirk Franklin/Mandisa)
4.  Forgiveness (TobyMac/LeCrae)
5.  Speak Life (TobyMac)
6.  Come Together (Third Day)
7.  Forgiven (Skillet)
8.  It's Not Me It's You (Skillet)
9.  Awake and Alive (Skillet)
10.  Death of Me (Royal Tailor)
11.  God Shaped Hole (Plumb)
12.  Let me Feel you Shine (Passion/David Crowder Band)
13.  One Thing Remains (Passion/Kristian Stanfill)
14.  God's Not Dead (Newsboys)
15.  Washed by the Water (NEEDTOBREATHE)
16.  Shackles (Mary Mary)
17.  Every Time you Run (Manafest)
18.  No Plan B (Manafest)
19.  Anger Management (LeCrae/Thi'sl)
20.  I'm a Saint (LeCrae)
21.  Go Hard (LeCrae/Tedashii)
22.  Shine (David Crowder Band)
23.  After All (David Crowder Band)
24.  Already There (Casting Crowns)
25.  You Found Me (Big Daddy Weave)

So, even though I won't be with my church family tomorrow, I will be praising the Lord through song and walking/running as hard as I can!

T-Minus 14 days. . .

Yup, 14 days until the first half marathon.  And where am I?  I can run 7 miles.  That's it.  7.  So, I'm doing something a little different.  For the experience and since I know I have the big Disney one coming up, I'm walking the first half marathon.  It's almost a let down for me, but the most important thing is that I finishe this race.  If I'm going to "press on towards the goal" (Phil 3:14), then I'm going to have to learn a little humility along the way.

I'm not Iron Man.  I'm God's creation.  And I've got to learn that I'm not going to have it my way.  It's going to be His so that He gets the glory.

91 days. . .

I think I might be hyperventilating.  91 days.  That's how long I have until the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon.  A little longer than a half marathon, at about 13.5 miles, I'm thinking, "What have I been thinking?"  Seriously.

What am I thinking?

Here's another number for ya:  217.  217 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  I think I'll be fine with that one.  I just have to get through the Myrtle Beach one first.

Lately, running has made me weary.

Back pain.

Lost toenails.

I think I need a little incentive.  Any readers have suggestions that don't involve food?

I can do all things. . .

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  --Philippians 4:13


Watching Soul Surfer this weekend with the kids, I was amazed at how strong Bethany Hamilton was after her accident.  So many people could have one small setback in life and choose to make it be the end of everything.  She was about to be at the pinnacle of her career and it all came crashing down.

Thank God not everyone has the same type of setback that Bethany had.  I don't know why bad things happen to people and I don't know why some people who seem so kind and good have terrible things happen to them when it seems like awful people skate by.  I do know one thing, though:  God takes our failures, setbacks, and disasters and uses them for His purposes.  He doesn't take you around the "valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23).  He takes you through it.

There are many times I allow little things to disturb me to the point where I am not looking to God for help.  I look to my own knowledge.  I look towards my intellect.  I try to fix it myself.  Why can't I just trust God's plans?  " 'For I know the plans I have for you.' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.' " (Jeremiah 29:11)

Sometimes when I am running, I want to just stop.  I just want to drop everything and walk away from all of this.  I'd be less sweaty.  Less sore.  I wouldn't have days where I feel like I could puke.  Then I am reminded of the apostle Paul.  In 2 Timothy, Paul is under arrest again.  He and so many Christians during the reign of Nero are severely persecuted.  Yet in this, he says that he has "I have fought the fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."  (2 Tim 4:7).  I am only running a few races, yet Paul, under persecution, arrest, and eventually murder, keeps the faith, runs the race, and fights the fight.  He did everything for the glory of God.  Bethany Hamilton loses an arm, and continues preaching the word through her athletics.  Tim Tebow almost wasn't with us, but uses every touchdown to praise the Lord.  God had plans for all of them to work toward His glory.  The simple things are acts of ministry to the fallen world.

What am I doing with my running?  I can do it.  I can run the race.  Because "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  And I am certain He has a plan for it all.

I finally sprung for it. . .

Holy, mazoly!  The past few weeks, running has gotten harder and harder.  There were too many problems with the running:

1.  The sun wasn't rising until 6:15am
2.  I have to leave for work by 7:15am
3.  It was too hot in the afternoon to run.
4.  I was being late for work every day I ran.

In the end, Monday through Thursday was getting harder and harder for running.

In comes the solution:

Hello, new treadmill.  My credit card is still smoking and I feel sorry for it.  But this morning, I put in 4 miles, and I am excited to be able to run whenever I need to--even if it's at 2 am!

Do Everything. . .

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.--1 Cor 10:3


Of all of the verses in the Bible, I think this is the one that is hardest for me.  It's so easy to tout my achievements, my accomplishments, my progress.  I forget sometimes that I am not the one who makes the achievements.  There is One who is bigger than I am pushing me through.  Cheering me on that extra mile.  Helping me lift that next weight. 


 When I'm running, I think a lot about how far I've come, and gently I'm reminded that "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13)  It happens when a baby deer crosses my running path.  When I look to the right and the sun is rising over the horizon.  When I look to the left and the ducks swim across the pond. 


May I be reminded daily that I am running the good race not for myself and ultimately not for my health, but for the better of God's kingdom.

New 1 Mile Record

Yesterday, I posted my lament about not hitting my personal best for the mile.

Well, this morning, I broke it!

Just Wearin My Brand New Shoes. . .

I didn't want to, but I had to.  I had to get some new shoes.  On Monday, I ran what I hoped to be my fastest one mile.  


I failed miserably.


Miserably.


I mean, I didn't even break a 10-minute mile.  And to top it all off, when I got back, my knee was in such pain that I wondered what on earth I was thinking of doing. 


So I researched and apparently, you shouldn't use a shoe for more than 300 miles?  Who knew?  Well, I'm sure my runner friends knew.  Anyhow, although I know I have not logged that many miles in that particular shoe, I have been using those shoes on leg day at the gym.


I retired them this week and got these:





I am not a big fan of gimmicks, and I am sure there are better shoes on the market with much bigger price tags.  They guy at Dick's Sporting Goods tried to sell them to me.  But I tried these on, walked around, and I like them.  


And yes, I got that color.


And I will definitely be seen on the road.  With those and this outfit:





Yeah, I know it's bright. 


I've also put up a motivational  board in my bathroom:



The top right has a line up of my before to present day pictures, which I still am not confident enough to post on a blog, but one day, I will.


My Bible verse this week comes from Hebrews, and it reminds me that I still have to keep pushing, even though it seems like a daunting task:


"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees."  Hebrews 12:11-13


No discipline seems pleasant at the time.  The Lord disciplines me daily.  He makes me wait for answer to prayers.  He tells me no to things I really, really want.  And he shows me daily that my desires and His will are often at odds.  And you know what, His will blows my desire out of the water.  


My running is my discipline on myself.  When I get up at 5:30am, even when I could sleep another 30 minutes, I am telling my feeble arms and weak knees that even through this discipline, this frail body that I have been gifted will be in better shape when I am finished with it.  When I have molded it and shaped it, it will work not perfectly in the way that I wish it to, but it will more or less do as I need it to.


God does that with all of us.  He molds us, pushes us, disciplines us, and though we are still not perfect in the end, He uses us to do His will daily.  We have to get up early, strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees, and head out the door.  In perfect weather, freezing weather, pouring rain, 100+ degree heat, through mud puddles that destroy our new shiny shoes, and facing a head wind that might knock us over.  Just like my body trusts my mind to know how far to push it, God knows how far to push us.  All we have to do is listen and go through the training.


I am so thankful for each day I can get up and run.  I am thankful for every pound that I lift, yes, for every injury I feel, and for sore muscles the next morning.  

iPod Playlist: Christian Music for Running

To be honest, I probably have spent the most amount of time finding music for running.  The biggest challenge?  Finding music that does not have copious amounts of cursing it it!  I've posted one of my playlists on Facebook, and of course it has changed dramatically.


So, what do I listen to when running?  I have three playlists and this one is my favorite:

1. Jesus Freak--DC Talk
2. One World--tobyMac
3. Changed forever--tobyMac
4. Suitcases--Dara Maclean
5. Hold Me--Jamie Grace
6. Awake and Alive--Skillet
7. Shackles--Mary Mary
8. No Plan B--Manafast
9. Supernatural--Manafast
10. Every Time You Run--Manafast
11. Hero--Skillet
12. It's Not Me It's You--Skillet
13. Should've When You Could've--Skillet
14. Forgiven--Skillet
15. I'm for You--tobyMac
16. Show Stopper--tobyMac
17. Hands and Feet--Audio Adrenaline
18. Make a Move--Royal Tailor
19. Control--Royal Tailor
20. Run to Love--Royal Tailor
21. Love Come to Life--Big Daddy Weave
22. Free--Dara Maclean
23. You Lead--Jamie Grace
24. While I'm Waiting--John Waller
25. My Own Worst Enemy--Casting Crowns
26. Move--Mercy Me
27. Do Everything--Stephen Curtis Chapman
28. Stronger--Mandisa
29. Love the Lord--Lincoln Brewster
30. Courageous--Casting Crowns
31. You are My King (Amazing Love)--Newsboys
32. After all (Holy)--David Crowder Band
33. Let Me Feel You Shine--David Crowder Band
34. Jesus Saves--Jeremy Camp

I hit shuffle for my playlist.  I am sure when I run my next race, I'll select from this playlist 2 hours worth of music to play.


In other news, I hit my longest run at 4 miles today.  I need to start looking at shoes, though.  


And I tried my first smoothie today:

• blueberries

• banana

• skim milk

• peanut butter

• plain yogurt

Loved it!

It may be time for a new blender.

I know last night I was freaking out about the upcoming half marathon, but here is my comfort today:


For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

So you know what?  The strength to get through this is going to be from above.  If he wants me to do it, I will do it.  And I know he wants me to take care of my body so I can do His service.  So I can let go, and let Him take care of the rest.

120 Days? Oh! No!

I have been determined that I will run the Myrtle Beach mini marathon this year.  That's 13.2 miles.  The farthest I have ever run?  According to Nike+, it's 3.64 miles on April 24, 2012.  Oh, No!  What am I thinking? 

Yesterday I downloaded the Runner's World Smart Coach iPhone Application.  I would start it next week, because it's a 16 week program.

One might ask, why on earth, at the age of 38, I would decide to run a half marathon.  The reason begins with my mother, who went to be with the Lord on May 29, 2002.  By the time Mama was diagnosed, she had Stage 4 esophageal cancer.

Cancer is a killer.  Although there are no definitive causes of this particular cancer, there is a higher risk in individuals who are overweight, have acid reflux disease, or use tobacco.

Okay, so on count three, I'm innocent.  On counts one and two.  Guilty as charged.  When my kind family practitioner informed me that I was damaging my esophagus, I looked at my children.  I knew I had lost my mother way, way too early.  So in addition to taking the medicine prescribed by my doctor, I determined I was going to lose the weight.  This was in 2007.

The weight and this picture were my wake up call:

Walt Disney World Jan, 2007

I bought into Nutrisystem.  I lost 40 pounds.

I was exercising, doing awesome.  The acid reflux was gone.  In 2008, I had made it to this point.

Walt Disney World, October 2008

And then it happened.  Walking through the house, I fell.  I broke my tailbone.  Not being able to do my chosen way of exercise, the exercise bike, I started slowly putting the weight back on.

Until I was here:

Walt Disney World, December 2009

My home, Easter 2010

I had put every pound back on.  And then some.  I stayed in denial until the fall of 2010.

I was back at the doctor.  And this time, it was plantar fasciitis.  It was October.  I was back where I was in 2007.  And I was sick with myself.

It was at that time I started lifting weights, with the help of my husband and his fellow gym rat buddies.  I knew that staying on my feet by running at the time would be too difficult on my poor sad feet.

I lost 30 pounds.  Then I decided to try to run.  I entered my first 5K.

Other than pictures that are now part of my encouragement wall, the next picture I allowed to be taken of me was in March 2011 at my first 5K:

McLeod Sports Medicine 5K; Florence, SC, March 2011

Time of completion:  39 minutes, 46 seconds.  Not great, but for someone who was barely moving the year before, it was an awesome feeling.

I was doing better, but still no where near I wanted to be.  At the same 5K this year, my time was 37 minutes, 17 seconds.  I placed 8th in my division, and recorded my personal best.  I'm still slow.  But I've not stopped!  Today I look better, feel better, and know that I will be ready in 120 days.

And my ultimate goal?  246 days away.  Walt Disney World.  The Princess half marathon.

Today I look like this, but I know by February, I'll be confident enough to post a bikini picture:

Walt Disney World, June 2012