Rest for the Weary

Ah, rest, sweet rest!  After a 2 am start for the day, my first flight, and running around, I went to the room and crashed.  When I got up later, I had originally planned to go to the pool at POP Century.  But that seemed foolish to do in 40-degree weather.  Instead, I hopped on the first bus to the Magic Kingdom to pick up my tickets early.

This is a little known fact about Disney.  If you come in early for a trip, you can pick up your tickets early if they are part of a package.  The girl at the Magic Kingdom was not convinced, but entertained me anyway.  I threw out a friend's name who is a Cast member (I don't think I ever told Megan I did that), and next thing I know, I was on my way.  I had no intentions of going into the Magic Kingdom, though.  I needed to be over at the Polynesian for dinner, so I hopped on one of these:

I was going to dinner.  I chose a place I had never been to before, but had read good reviews about:  the Kona Island sushi bar.

There, I was able to watch them make sushi right before my eyes, which is truly amazing.  My choice for the night?  A Volcano Roll:

This was true deliciousness in a plate.

Now the new plan for the night was to go to Epcot.  Although it was cold, I walked around the Polynesian for a little bit, taking in the sites:

The lobby waterfall

From the beach

Up the hill.  I think they may do weddings up here

The neverland club building.  Looks a lot like the creepy Polynesian people on It's a Small World and clowns.  I'm not a fan.

I was grateful that this started a real leisurely night.  There is something to be said for taking things slow, and that is definitely what I did.

Who would you trust YOUR bags to?

Some may think it's strange that at the age of 38, I had never flown.  To be honest, I don't know why I had not.  Perhaps it's the fact that I have never lived within an hour of an airport.  I can say it's cheaper for a family of five to drive to Florida than to fly down there.

And that's where all of our vacations are these days, isn't it?

On February 17, 2013, I woke up to this on my phone:

And oh, my goodness.

Look at that time.

Ever heard the phrase "Too excited to sleep"?

Yeah, I was not feeling it until I woke up and realized,

"I'm going to Disney TODAY."

Dan got up real early with me, loaded my things in his truck, and drove me to freezing, sleeting, snowy Raleigh.  After a mild winter, we were finally having snow.  The day I was to leave for Florida.

Now, lots of things really did not go well that morning.  At the airport, I was chosen for the random pat-down (really?  Do I look dangerous?)  And just generally things weren't going right.  Let me tell you this:  the old me would have looked at that as being proof that this trip was doomed to failure.  And this was not the only instance in the trip.  You, my reader, will see that later.  Finally, though, I was at the airport Starbucks with coffee in my hand looking at a plane.

And thinking, "What in the world am I thinking?"

When I finally boarded the plane, I was welcomed to a window seat with this view:

. . .and a dude in the seat next to me who obviously had the flu.  He sneezed and sputtered and coughed the whole time.  And I was thinking the whole time, "This is what I get for taking that earlier flight and missing church this morning."  Either way, I turned from him and he turned from me, and either I have a great immunity right now or he wasn't contagious.

Before we left Raleigh, there was a plane de-icement (seriously?  on my first flight) and we were off!

I remember the pilot saying we were over the Cape Fear River (Fayetteville, NC) and then looking down a bit later and realizing we were still over water.  It took a little bit for me to realize that it was the Atlantic Ocean and Daytona Beach.

So the trip from Raleigh to Orlando?

You take off.  Then you land.

That's it.

Now, I'll have to admit this.  When I saw the pictures of Orlando International Airport, I was a little nervous.  I downloaded the maps and tracked my path.  I don't know that it was really necessary, as these little signs were everywhere:

Either way, I skipped bag claims (thank you, Magical Express) and was soon on the bus.

For those of you who don't know, if you use Disney's Magical Express, you drop off your bags at the airport and then in theory, you don't see them again until you are checked in at the hotel.  Either way, I trusted Disney to take care of my bags.

It was not long after I boarded the bus that we were heading through here:

And then, here:

We had a brief stop for Caribbean Beach on the way, but we got to POP Century just fine.  When I got there, I was informed that my room was ready.  So I went over and dropped my carryon off there:

No Magical Express had been there with the rest of my bags, so I headed over to Art of Animation for dinner:

(Grab shell, dude)

Make your own pasta.

This pasta meal until AoA was built was only available at the Port Orleans Riverside food court.

I moseyed back over to the room, and I thought the entire time, "You know, this is Disney, my bag will be there."  I trusted Disney to have it there because they had never let me down.

I was not disappointed.

In life, we think of those metaphorical bags.  The things that weigh us down.  Our worries, anxieties, everything.  I was anxious enough about my Disney bags that I did not pack my race day clothes in the bag that was to mysteriously reappear.  I held some of that anxiety bag and attempted to take control over it.  Sure, things would have been fine, but you know what?  I can ask a thousand what ifs that would bring anxiety back to me today.

And what does the Bible tell us about anxiety?

"Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes?"  Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

And in the Old Testament, my favorite verse:

" 'For I know the plans I have for you' declares the LORD.  'Plans to prosper you and not harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future.' " Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

The backdrop of this is that it is at the beginning of a 70 year period of captivity of the Jewish people in Babylon.  Think of how many people died over there and God's people the whole time trusting that they would be brought back home.  Sure, they failed (all the time), but it's a lesson to us.  God's plans are to prosper us, so worrying about what might or might not happen is not going to change things.  And then, there are instances where you see the suffering of another and think, "How can God allow that to happen?"  But for 70 years He left the Jews in exile and finalized this with the rebuilding of the temple and eventually Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection.  I've learned I have to make a conscious decision not to question His decisions.

Do I fail in that?  Of course.

Like packing a carry on and not fully trusting Him to deliver the rest of what I need to me, I walk around with little carry on bags in my arms, on my back, in my pocket.  My prayer is that like I begin to trust that His providential express will deliver it all to me, because He, unlike Disney, is unfailing.

Suitcases

There's nothing holding you back now
      just run
                         --Dara Maclean, "Suitcases"

There are a lot of things  that hold us back.  Most of the time, it's the negativity that either we've allowed others in instill in us or we've instilled in ourselves.  Excuses, really.

Growing up, when I got in trouble and my father questioned me about why I did something, many times when I gave him my response, he would reply with, "That's not a reason, that's an excuse."  I never really understood the difference until I became older and started working out.  Here are some of my more famous excuses:

"I have weak ankles so it's difficult to walk or run"
"I have a weak right wrist so lifting weights is not possible"
"I have a small frame"
"I don't want to look like a man, so I shouldn't lift weights"
"I don't have enough time to do that"
"I work too late to work out"
"My kids need their mother at home."

And on, and on, and on.

None of those were reasons to not be able to work out.  I had not had a major surgery on my ankles or wrists.  No amount of weight lifting was going to make me look like a man unless I was taking testosterone.  I was spending plenty of time watching TV, so I had the time, just not the inclination.  Just because I worked late did not mean I couldn't do something at home.  And my kids have a father, as well, who helps out tremendously.  All of those excuses became little more than methods of procrastination.

As I have worked on packing my suitcases for the Princess Half trip, I've dragged them throughout the house, thinking of how difficult it would be to carry them to my room without wheels.  Today, as I'm finishing up the last 0.20 miles on an impromptu run that was not on the agenda this week, Dara Maclean's "Suitcases" came on. . .

You can't run when you're holding suitcases
it's a new day, throw away your mistakes
And open up your heart, lay down your guard,
You don't have to be afraid

In my running journey, there have been many times I was afraid.  In 2011, I didn't show up to two 5K races because I was afraid.  Even though I had made it through a 5K before, I made excuses,

"It's been so long since I ran last"
"It's supposed to rain too hard"
"I'm scared to do this on my own"

I didn't have faith enough in what had already been proven to me to step out there and take a chance.  Dara puts it better:

How can you move, when they're weighing you down?
What can you do, when you're tied to the ground?
You carry your burdens, heavy like gravity,
Just let them go now, there's freedom in release

Our daily walk with Christ is like that.  Sometimes, when we look at our lives and the mistakes we've made, we are scared that we could never be forgiven for what we have done.  We give ourselves excuses:

"He doesn't know what I've done"
"Why should I try?  I'm just going to mess up again."
"No one could ever forgive me"
"I just can't be good enough"

We run a danger in thinking that it's by our own power we do anything.  We run a danger believing that God is not powerful enough to forgive us.  He does know what we've done, He knows we are going to mess up, and no we aren't good enough, but that's okay, because we are loved more completely than we could imagine:

But God demonstrates His own love in this:  While we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)

Note that it's not after we stopped sinning, but while we are still sinning, a beautiful man, who knew  no sin, died for each of us.

We stumble, we fall, but in the end we are forgiven.  And as Dara says,

Just breathe, your load can be lifted,
There's a better way when you know you're forgiven,
Open up you heart, lay down your guard,
You don't have to be afraid

Life is still hard, but those suitcases--the pain, the hurt, everything, have wheels put on them as we stop being afraid of life, failure, and heartbreak.

There's nothing holding you back now
      just run

My prayer for my readers is that nothing holds them back and they can run with the knowledge that there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).  I also pray that whatever is holding them back, they have the faith they can get through it, whether it's running, working out, getting fit, dealing with an illness, or some other curve ball life throws at us.

Go Hard or Go Home

"Take me out the game coach I don't wanna play no mo
If I can't give it all I got and leave it out there on the court"
                                                         --LeCrae, "Go Hard"

That's exactly how I am feeling right now about the Princess Half.  I am going out there and even if I run so hard I puke, I'm leaving it all out there.  

That sounds sick.  Why on earth would anyone with to put themselves through that?  Why would anyone wish to run and run until they feel ill?  Why would anyone want to do something like that? 

I see my running as a ministry.  Not necessarily to the world, or my community, but to myself.  I think sometimes when we look at all of the hurt and pain in the world, we forget to minister to ourselves.  To grow ourselves.  To allow ourselves to revel in what God has given us.  James 1:2 says "Consider it pure joy, brothers, when you face trials of many kinds."  

People face trials all the time.  I have friends who have recently gone through heartbreak.  I've had young friends deal with cancer.  I've watched friends lose children, students, parents suddenly and unexplainably.  I'm not going to venture as to why people go through trials.  But I know this:  in the end I'll have a choice as to whether or not I've praised God through every single trial.  I have to give it all I have and leave everything on the court.

The point is, regardless of the trial, it's not acceptable to give up.  Running has become an action of me not giving up on myself, not letting simple things like slight knee pain, blisters on my toes, and a little bit of thirst stop me from going for the end.  It's a trial I've given myself to that I can push myself in the trials that really matter--whether or not I'm going to show love to my neighbor, and whether or not I'm going to be a forgiving person.

In all of these things, I'm going to "Go hard, or go home." 

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.