Justified Freely

I recently had to report for jury duty. It was the first time I had actually ever gone. Before I was always able to get out of it for various reasons: stay at home Mom FT while husband was out of town for 5 weeks at a time, pregnant, nursing, financial hardship etc.... So, I was actually kind of looking forward to seeing what all this was about. I was curious. Would I hate it like everyone else does? I actually didn't mind the idea of sitting around for a day reading a book, or playing around on the Internet etc. I could handle that. It's the unknown of whether you will be called onto a trial that is stressful. But I just embraced the wait and made the best of the situation. I also wasn't sure I would even hate serving on a trial!

While I was waiting at one courthouse they started calling people to go to another courthouse. They asked people from certain cities to go over. After a couple rounds of people they said they needed more, and then they called my city. I thought, "This isn't good. If they are short handed I may end up on a trial." But they said it was mandatory to go over, so I had no choice. After I arrived at the new courthouse it wasn't long until they called my name. 55 potential jurors were called in to be questioned to see who would be on the panel.

When we got into the room we were told by the judge that this was a DUI case. Immediately my heart started thumping, I was getting upset...  I prayed for the Lord to calm me. I didn't know yet, after all, if I would have to serve on the trial. I still had a chance to get out of it. So, I waited my turn to be questioned. You see, this was not the day for a DUI trial. This was Monday 1/12/15 and one year prior, on a Monday 1/13/14 a woman (a fellow runner and mother of 3) was struck by a drunk driver and killed. I run for this woman and her grieving family. I spoke about this on my previous post: My Meg's Miles Shoes It was late in the day, and we had to come back the next morning. They barely had gotten through the first group of 18 people for questioning. This made it even worse. The following day was the one year anniversary date of Meg's passing.

The next day they were about two people away from getting their jury together for the trial when the judge told us there was a medical emergency she had to attend to. She was canceling the trial for now. We were free to go home. I hadn't even been questioned yet. I actually was half hoping that I would be in the hot seat for questioning! I wanted a chance to tell Meg's story. Every story that someone shared of why they didn't want to sit on a DUI trial, the defendant heard it. I was praying he was listening. I didn't know his circumstances, and thankfully he hadn't hurt anyone while driving, but if he was a drinker and he was driving drunk... he needed to hear these stories. But it was not in God's plans for me. But there is something I learned from this trial that I would like to share.

The Judge asked every potential juror if we could uphold the law, even if we didn't always agree with it. Could we follow the law as written, not add our own interpretations or feelings to it... just obey the law and serve a sentence to the individual on trial that is in accordance with that law?

An interesting hypothetical that was thrown out there by the prosecutor. If there was a Grandma sitting in the defendant's chair, and she was on trial for feeding the ducks with her grandkids on a Wednesday at a park, when the sign at the park said "No feeding ducks on a Wednesday," and Grandma got convinced to do it by her grandkids, because that was the last day the ducks would be there before they flew South for the Winter... could you say, "Grandma is guilty!" Without knowing the consequence the judge would give her?

Apply this to the Bible. It is God's law. Sometimes we may not agree with the law that He established. Sometimes we just flat out don't understand why or what purpose it serves. But do we have enough faith in God to follow it and obey it? Can we trust God to serve judgement in the most fair and just way to even "Grandma?" If someone chooses to disobey God's law, are we able to be like a jury and to tell others, "You are guilty of breaking the law"? Because, as Christians that is what we are to do. Thankfully the difference is, when we say that we also can say, "There is someone who will take the sentence for you. You don't have to face the penalty of your law breaking. He will take it for you. You are free to go." How amazing would that be for those sitting in a court of law?! To sit there, waiting for your sentence for breaking the law, hearing your sentence, and then to have someone say... "Your honor, I would like to take this individual's place and serve their sentence for them."

That is what Jesus did for us. He died on the cross, he took the death sentence upon himself, and he has told God, "I got this. They are with me. You can let them go."

Romans 3:23 "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ." (emphasis added)

You are guilty... and so am I. But the good news is John 3:16... Jesus died for YOU and me!

My Meg's Miles Shoes

I bought these shoes in January 2014 to run my first full marathon in. I only ran 17.75 miles in them before I ran 13.6 miles on January 18th, my first Meg's miles. 

What is "Meg's Miles," you may be asking. January 13, 2014 a Mother of 3 young kids was running with her husband during training for the Boston marathon. It was a Monday morning, and she was hit by a drunk driver. Soon a woman that knew Meg was reaching out to the Mom's Run This Town community and asking us to dedicate our miles on Saturday to Meg. We were to post our runs on Facebook with the hash tag #MegsMiles. I was on a break from running due to a small stress fracture starting below my knee. But that weekend I was planning on trying out my leg on a long run.  I gladly ran that day for Meg. I was a Mom training for a marathon, just like Meg. And I felt that could have easily been me on an early morning run. 

March 9, 2014 I ran the L.A. Marathon. I finished in 5:59:18. I was hoping for somewhere between 5 hours and 6hrs max. With that stress fracture still looming I had to take it easy, and I just barely made it under 6. But I finished. June 21st I ran my fastest 10k, 8:31 min/mi pace! Never ran that pace for any distance over 1 mile before or since! I also placed 3rd in my age group! I had NEVER placed in a race before! Not even any 5ks I had done! 

Interesting thing... The same day I started running for Meg I started running for God. Coincidence, perhaps. Perhaps not. From that first 13.6miles, through the marathon, to that 10k... my miles were spent praying for Meg, for my friends and family. The hours of training and racing I spent giving my worries, my stress, my grief to God. Grief? You say. Yes... I lost my Mom when my daughter was almost 2 yrs old, July 2009. While I was pregnant with my son, my oldest brother was diagnosed with stage 4 metastasized melanoma cancer. Paul passed away when my son was 11 months old, July 2011. I started running after Paul passed away. Did my first 5k in October 2011. May 2012 I ran my first half. A year and a half after Paul died his wife also passed away, diagnosed with melanoma in her brain. She didn't know she had melanoma while Paul was alive. Ruth died in just two short months after diagnosis, December 2012. It was after her death (and after finishing my 3rd half marathon) that I went from running half marathons to deciding to run a full. Something that terrified me. And something I thought was impossible. But there was a time I thought running 3 miles was crazy! I decided to raise money for Melanoma Research and make this one count for something! My runs became a time I spent not only praying, but listening to uplifting music and worshiping God.  

As I realized God wanted me to use my runs as a way to connect with Him I couldn't justify to myself also running for Meg. I didn't see how the two fit together. Then I learned Meg was a Christian too! And I felt a nudge from the Lord saying, "It's okay. You can run for me and for Meg." The group on Facebook that grew daily to over 17,400+ members had become a place I looked forward to visiting. Every post was inspiring and so encouraging. And then I realized that I had a place like that for Paul... and I understood how it must feel for Scott, Meg's husband, and her Mom and her Mother-in-law to visit that page every day. 

The website I go to is a like a living memorial to Paul. It lives and breathes, and his spirit is kept alive by his climbing buddies and the climbing community. Not everyone knew Paul personally, but they were all touched by his story, his battle, and his passing. They post pictures from their trips where they have taken his ashes with him on their climbs. We literally sold chalk balls with a pinch of Paul's ashes in them to people that were willing to take him with them on their climbs. It was Paul's idea actually, and in his sense of humor he dubbed the chalk balls, "Paul's Balls." Here is a link to the site on Super Topo: Paul's Balls There are no more ashes left. When Ruth passed away, the end of "Paul's Balls" came with it. And my Dad dispersed the rest of Paul's ashes among his many favorite climbing locations. But people still have those bags of chalk. And they still climb with him! One of the gals on the site said, 

 ...PAUL'S BALLS was the man's idea so it's also difficult to find anything but big fun in the idea and that Paul will be on many-a-crimp, deep in hand cracks, smeared on the sides of chimneys on crags, alpine, gyms........sheesh. Paul Is Everywhere!!! It's as hilarious as it is godly.....

Yup... he got it. Every time I go on that site I am moved to tears. Paul is everywhere! And he is where he loved to be. On the mountains, on the sides of cliffs, in the cracks of rocks. Meg's Miles is like that site. It's a place that we all carry the memory of Meg on. Her spirit is kept alive among us. She is where she loved to be. On that early morning run with the sunrise, with her running buddies chatting and having a good time, training for the hardest race of her life, and running some fun ones... And the spirit of Christ that was in Meg is in many of us. So now, I post my miles for Meg and for God. I post for her family. To encourage them and to inspire other runners. I can't climb like Paul climbed, so I run. And I continue to raise awareness for melanoma and raise money for research to cure melanoma cancer. But as I run it's nice to know I can also encourage a family that has lost their loved one. 1 Corinthians 1:3-4 says,

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

So, it all makes sense in the end. I run for God and I run for Meg, because she ran for Him! I also run for Paul and Ruth, for melanoma cancer research and awareness... but who says that doesn't fit into all of this either? I think I like my little running group: me, God, Mom, Paul, Ruth, and Meg.

And soon those shoes, those very special shoes... will be here. On Meg's memorial.

I hope to reach 800 miles for Meg by 1/18/15. One year, 800 miles for Meg. And if I can place those shoes there with my own two hands, even better. We shall see. Only God knows. But I hope so. She has brought so much meaning to my running, so much deeper meaning than I ever thought possible. Thank you Meg! And God bless your children, your husband, your Mom, your Mother-in-law and all the other relatives and friends that miss your smile every day. May the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen
(Phil 4:7) 

#MegsMiles #RunforHim #RunforGod

1/18/15 NOTE: I was able to complete 753 running miles for Meg. I also completed 112.65 biked miles last year in training and for my sprint-triathlon. I dedicate fully these 865.65 miles to Meg and to God, whom she loved and served all her days on earth, and continues to serve in Heaven. Amen.

Conquering the Mountain!

I ran my 6th half marathon November 15, 2014. My time was 2:24:04. It was a downhill half, and I was hoping to PR and break the 2:11 barrier, but alas... that didn't happen. But compared to my average time on previous half marathons, of 2:28, I was happy. Not every race can be a "Personal Record."

A few factors contributed to my inability to blow any previous times out of the water, despite the downhill edge. The week before the race my allergies were really bad, I eventually found allergy medicine that cured my symptoms, but it gave me that "medicine head" feeling. I felt like I was walking around with a hang over. But hey, at least my nose stopped dripping and my throat wasn't sore anymore! I missed my last Saturday taper run of 6 miles due to feeling horrible from the allergies and the medicine, so when Tuesday evening ran around I sucked it up and decided to keep the running date I had made with my two training buddies for the half marathon. I almost didn't go... I texted them my complaints of feeling miserable and they asked, "Does that mean you aren't going?" And I said, "No, just whining." I was hoping they would be like, "Yeah, I am too tired, I am going to pass too." But no. They were both ready to get 'er done! So I left work and headed to the trail by a local park.

During that run, after 3 miles, my running buddy asked if my Runkeeper app on my phone was tracking the run (not that it mattered, they both had theirs going and I had my Garmin on me). I like the app though, it gives a cool map and has immediate gratification of being able to upload your screenshot to social media. So, I checked it out, it was working, so I jammed it back into my belt and then........ BAM!! I tripped! It was ironic, because out of the three of us I was the only one wearing a headlamp. LOL I got up and assessed the damage. The brunt of the fall was taken by my left leg below my knee (on the side of my calf). And my left hand was throbbing and had a little road rash on it as well. I felt like the side of my thigh had been hit as well, and there was a smaller scrape below my knee. "Oh lovely.... and I have a race in 4 days," I thought. I continued on our run, we were almost to our turn around point. I assured my friends I was okay. My hand throbbed as I ran, but the leg pain hadn't hit me yet. 2 miles later we made it back to our cars and I was DONE. Forget 6 miles, I was good with 5. When I got into the car to drive home my left leg started burning with horrible pain. I was glad I only lived around the corner from the park, but I couldn't get home soon enough!

As if that wasn't bad enough I developed another problem that same night. It's not something I want to really elaborate on too much, but it was what we would delicately call a "female problem," and it was making me miserable. When I woke up I felt like a hot mess. Between the allergies, the fall, and this new development I was starting to think that the race coming up was not going to happen for me. I went to the Doctor right away, he checked out my injury and said I had done a good job cleaning it out. (That's at least SOME good news.) Then he prescribed a pill and some other medicines for my "female problem" and then he did me a solid and confirmed my allergies were just that, and not some horrible cold or developing flu. That's the last thing I needed! The Doctor said I should feel better by Saturday (which was the day of my race). So, that was promising. In the mean time I just had to take care of my leg and evaluate for myself if it was "race worthy." (You know... like "sea worthy" but for running. haha)

I believe it was 3am Thursday morning that I sent out a text to my two running buddies. I said I wasn't sure if I was going to run Saturday. They knew about my allergies and my road rash, but they didn't know yet about how miserable I was with the addition of my 3rd ailment. I could suck it up for allergies.... I could suck it up for some road rash on my leg, but I didn't know if I could suck it up for those two things AND the third all combined into one miserable mess. I was starting to think this was a sign from God NOT to run.

When I talked to my husband about it all he said to give it one more day before deciding to call it quits. Wise words. This support helped me to consider that this half marathon was actually still within the realm of possibility. Then I opened my email and saw this devotional from Rick Warren titled, "Don't Give up!" I thought perhaps this is a sign from God. I didn't know for sure. But that particular devotion is ALWAYS on point for what I am going through on a particular day. So I thought it was interesting. Coincidence? Maybe... but maybe not. And as I went to work that day all my symptoms seemed to be better than the day before, and even better than that restless night. I had hope that in even just one or two more days my misery would be even more improved than in this past 24 hrs. As the day went on my text messages to my running friends went from whines to cries of, "I would rather try and fail than to not even try at all!" I decided I would prefer to start the race, discover my leg just wasn't going to be able to handle it, or that my body was rejecting the idea of running completely, and hop on a golf cart to the finish line than to never even make it to the start line.

My friends were excited, and I started to get excited again myself. There were so many reasons I wanted to do this race, after all.

#1 A bunch of Mom's Run This Town chapters were all meeting each other at this race. It would be the first time we all did this. We had interacted online quite a bit, but many of us never met in person before. And one of my running buddies was going to stay over night with me in a hotel, since it was a little further from home. And what Mom doesn't want a chance to spend the night in a hotel with no kids! Am I right?

#2 I am in a group on Facebook called "Meg's Miles Supporters" and I had purchased my first shirt from them and was going to run with it on during this race. And the significance to that was major. Not only was this the first time I owned a Meg's Miles shirt, but a whole other group of Meggers were running in Richmond Virginia their own half and full marathons. I kinda felt connected to them and their excitement by doing a race on the same day, in my shirt. I was very excited about the back of the shirt as well... "I run for Meg, because Meg ran 4 him." Goes perfectly with my Run for God mentality! I want to give glory to Him for every run I do! (Meg was a Mother, a runner training for the Boston marathon, and a Christian. She was hit by a drunk driver on a morning run January 13, 2014. The profits from this shirt go to the husband and family of Meg's. So, this meant a lot to me.) Here is my shirt, and my lovely road rash.

#3 It was my first half marathon on a Saturday (I have sworn off running on Sundays... see previous post), and it was downhill, and it was an inaugural run. The whole thing was so well planned by the REVEL Canyon City folks that I knew the experience would be amazing, an experience unlike any of the previous 4 halfs I have done or the one full. And truthfully, the bling was AMAZING (see top photo)! Even our race photos were free! And there was pie at the end! PIE! Anyways... needless to say, I was very excited just to experience this race. LOL

Friday came, I took the day off work. And after dinner, with the gal that was staying at the hotel with me, we headed out. At this point I had stopped the allergy meds to hopefully kick this "hangover" feeling, but I truly felt miserable still. Then by that evening my leg was swelling up and I was getting a bit worried. I took some Advil, wrapped my leg with two bags of ice and crawled into bed... praying that my leg would be in decent enough condition to run the next morning. After about 5 hours of sleep we headed to the race, I grabbed a fresh bag of ice for the bus ride to the start line. I was pleased so see my leg wasn't swollen, and it was feeling pretty good, and even my medicine-head feeling was markedly improved. Things were looking hopeful.

I met the MRTT ladies, we headed down the mountain, and I did feel the road rash on my leg a bit as my foot struck the ground. But it was bearable. I knew my speed was going to be slower due to this, but I was okay with that. I was there to have fun and enjoy the view of that beautiful course! I prayed for friends, I listened to worship music and praised God for the sound of the rushing river beside me. I even got a couple, "Nice shirt!" Comments as people passed me by. It has a verse on the back, Isaiah 40:31 "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." I felt that I was running with the torch for Christ in my hand. Carrying forward Meg's legacy. It was a sobering thought.

After I crossed at 2:24 I was proud I had stuck it out and finished what I had set out to do. I hobbled to our MRTT tent and stuck a whole bag of ice on my leg and smiled. I did it! I persevered! With the Lord's help, I conquered the mountain! I think I will do it again next year... but hopefully minus any scrapes or any other issues. hahaha

No More Sunday Run Days

I ran a 10 miler race this past Sunday, I met up with a few other gals, we wore mermaid running costumes, and we had a fun time. But I felt in my heart that God wants me to stop doing races on Sundays. So, I decided after this one I wouldn't race on Sunday anymore. I found a half marathon race in November that is on a Saturday, which is rare... but they exist. 

It's not about attending church, because there are plenty of services for me to attend that aren't on Sunday mornings, I actually did attend an evening service last week. But I sing in choir, and I also sing for special music numbers and I'm in one of the Praise and worship teams that rotates in once a month, and I occasionally am needed to fill in on the keyboard or to play the piano. Sometimes I am asked to fill in for those that are sick or on vacation. And this past Sunday wasn't a choir day, nor a praise team day for me, but my music director was a bit bummed because he was going to ask me to sing in a small group ensemble on Sunday. I was kinda bummed too. I really enjoy helping with the music ministry at my church. I know I don't have the BEST voice, nor am I the most talented pianist there ever was... but what little I have, I have given to God to use. And by doing these races on Sundays I am missing out on serving in this area of ministry, to which I have been called. And I am missing out on being blessed. I always feel blessed and humbled every time God chooses to use me to serve our church in this capacity.

The theme of the past few weeks, in my Bible studies and at church, has been surrendering everything over to God. I gave my running to God while I was training for the LA Full Marathon earlier this year. He first had me turn my music on my MP3 player totally over to Him. So, I did. While I ran every word I meditated on, and it got stuck in my head. And if it was not uplifting then I was thinking on things that I really didn't want in my brain. Then I got an injury below my right knee, and He asked me to trust Him to heal me, to stop running and ride my bike to train. So, I trusted Him. And He healed my knee and I ran and finished the LA Marathon! The experience was humbling, and it brought me much closer to God. After that race I found a Bible study called "Run for God," and it was exactly what I had experienced, so I led a Bible study group to do their first 5k and 10k as we went through that. And now a devotional book is coming out in November from the Run for God people, and I have my marathon story in it! (Which is exciting!) I thought God and I were good, what else was there to hand over?

Interesting thing about God, He always figures out what you are holding back from Him, and then He asks for it to be given to Him. I joked with my brother when he was here for a visit a couple months ago, "Can't I have anything for myself? Must God take EVERY thing?" My brother is an Episcopal Priest, and he knows what I mean. God likes to insert Himself into every aspect of our lives, and then He likes to take it over. Even when something is "good," like running, He still wants it under submission to Him. He may not take away what we love (although He may do that sometimes) but He will make sure we are glorifying Him in whatever we do. Because He is Holy, and He wants everything in the Christian's life to reflect His perfect Holiness. (And that is quite a process, because I am neither "perfect" nor "holy.")

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy.” (Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT)

That verse may not seem like it applies at first glance, because my running may not fit the category of "old sinful nature" or "lust and deception" but I am in process of letting the Spirit renew my thoughts and attitudes. And part of putting on my "new nature" is to be like God, as the verse says. "Truly righteous and holy," are the words it uses to describe this new nature. So, it does apply.

I also heard a sermon on 1 John 5:20-21, "²⁰And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. ²¹ Little children, keep yourselves from idols." And again, you may read verse 21 and think, "I don't have any idols! How does that verse apply to me?" But it does apply when you think of an idol in these terms: an idol is anything we love more than we love God, or give a higher place than God in priority in our life. Now can you think of anything that is an idol in your life? The Pastor that was giving this sermon said even our children can be our idol. And that would be very easy to do, because their needs go before my needs, and I love them so dearly. But even they need to take a back seat to God. May sound a little strange, but as Deuteronomy 6:5 says, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." And Jesus quoted that verse as the greatest commandment!

So, there is my little lesson for the day. Which is actually quite a BIG lesson, if you think about it. Because as human beings we have a sinful nature, and we are not perfect, so there will be many things in our life that God will be asking us to lay on the altar before Him. Just as Abraham was willing to lay his own son, Isaac, on the altar of sacrifice to God, we too must be willing to do the same. Abraham was lucky, an Angel of the Lord stopped his hand before he sacrificed his son. And perhaps God will do the same thing in my life, and in your life. He will ask for the sacrifice, but not take it away completely (like my running). But you must be willing to give it up.Because perhaps He will take it under submission and take away the idol completely from you, because it is a stumbling block in your life. But just know this, if He asks for the sacrifice, He has a better plan for you. He will replace the idols of your life with greater blessings and the gift of fellowship with Him. Fellowship with the creator, God?! How mind blowing is that? I am humbled by that thought, that God is jealous for my time, and desires to be in fellowship with ME. Little ol' me.

God bless you all today, and always. Amen.

...They Need to See Jesus!

Those Weirdos Are My Tribe

I saw this posted in a group on Facebook that I am in, called Meg's Miles (a very encouraging and inspiring group of people.) and I had to steal it! I love all the quotes and they fit so well with my blog title!

I am currently training for my next half marathon, which will be November 15th. It's all downhill, and I thought since I had such an amazing PR time from my 10k (which was partly downhill) I should try a half with a downhill. Maybe I will suddenly be super fast and speedy! My PR to date for a half is a 10min/ mile pace. So, we will see if I smash that record or not. (My amazing 10k pace was 8:31min/ mile. I have no idea where that came from! Except for that downhill slope... and probably all the training left over from my full marathon earlier in the year.)

The quote "I love the person I've become because I fought to become her, I am a runner" is very cool. Running has its challenges, and I have had to overcome many issues to keep going. Runner's knee, IT band issues, a stress fracture, just to name a few. But I got through those problems and have kept on going! I am a runner, and no one can take that title away from me! I remember not wanting to claim that as a title for myself, I wasn't sure I was a runner. And then one day, after looking at a wall full of medals from multiple half marathons, a couple 5ks and a full marathon, I decided... "Yup, I am a runner." My brother, Nathan, visited me in September and he said he's been following my posts on Facebook (he lives on the East Coast and I live on the West Coast) and he said, "Wow! My sister's a jock!" I thought that was pretty cool. I am an athlete, I am a runner, I am a full on jock! Never thought those words would ever be used to describe me!

The next quote is pretty awesome, "You are intense. You are obsessed. You are not normal. You say yes, when others say no. You rise when others sleep. You are better today than you were yesterday. You do what others will not. You control your destiny. You are on a quest. Never stop." I think those statements are very true about myself. And I can thank running for that. I use to never get up before the sun rose! This past week, I have woken up between 4:10am for a 7 mile run, to 4:30am for boot camp! When I wake up my daughter for school I have a pile of sweaty clothes sitting in the laundry machine and my hair is wet from taking my shower. When I tell her I have already worked out for the day, or just ran several miles she says, "No way!" (She's 6, by the way.) And I say, "I am not lying! Go check out the laundry machine, look at my wet hair. Check out my Facebook post from this morning." And she runs to the machine, and checks out my sweatie selfie portrait, or my boot camp check in, and she goes... "Wowwwww." How cool is that?! I hope that inspires my daughter to do great things in her life. I want her to conquer the world, to feel that anything is possible, and to be a strong woman, as well as a woman of God. And yes, I am not normal either... so I accept that statement as true. haha And yes, I am obsessed with running and staying fit. But I think that is a healthy obsession! A pattern in life that I hope my daughter and son follow in theirs.

That last quote really sums things up perfectly, regarding my running buddies. "When you find people that not only tolerate your quirks but celebrate them with glad cries of "Me too!" be sure to cherish them. Because those weirdos are your tribe." I do love and cherish my running buddies! I am in an awesome group of women runners, our group is called "Mom's Run This Town," and we get each other out of bed at 4am for 5am runs, and drag each other through hilly dirt trails, and around bike trails, and we share our lives with each other while we run side by side. They accept all my craziness, and my quirkiness, and they are my tribe! They may be weirdos, because they get up and run and spend money on races, and talk about new running shoes, and all that stuff... but so do I! They get it, they get me, and I love it! And besides that group, that gets me out for early morning runs, or late night runs (after dinner is done, and the kids are in bed) I have another group that are my regular Saturday morning group. They are called RunningFriends4Life, I can't leave them out! They are there faithfully every Saturday, rain or shine. And they are up for ANYTHING! Any distance, any direction, any pace... they never leave a man or woman behind and they just give the most amazing support! No matter how fast or slow, or how new or seasoned you are. They are just amazing! I love them! And they are so funny! They make getting up early for a run on Saturday fun, and not a chore.

So, have I sold you on running yet? Do you want to lace up your shoes and head out the door? How about this... I feel like I could have written these myself! These are from a woman named Suzanne Kvilhaug and this is from her blog on Mind Body Green

10 LIFE LESSONS I LEARNED FROM RUNNING
1. Beginning is always the hardest part. Push yourself to keep going. It gets easier.
2. Consistency creates habits, and habits create the results to want to achieve.
3. If you want to get better, pain is unavoidable. Don't shy away from it.
4. If you don't get out of your comfort zone, you'll never achieve your goals.
5. People who do things better than you are your teachers, not your competition.
6. Often, thinking you can't go on any longer is a illusion. You often can.
7. Sometimes things don't go as planned. Accept it and move on.
8. When you're going uphill and you want to quit, don’t. Move slower if you have to, but keep going. You will get there.
9. Happiness shouldn't be put on hold until you cross the finish line. Enjoy as much as you can along the way, even when the going gets tough.
10. Don’t let your desire for improvement rob you of pride in small victories!

I may be a weirdo, I may be half crazy... but can you feel it? Can you feel how awesome it is to be a runner? ;-)

I Am Only Half Crazy

I decided to start a new blog. I posted a few older running stories (below), starting with the one that changed it all... my marathon story. Since I ran a marathon I have dedicated my running to God. I have led a Bible study called, Run for God, and will be speaking soon to a group of ladies at my church about my marathon experience, how God made it all about Him, and some lessons I learned. But in this post I wanted to share with you how it all started... this crazy running business. (Or shall I say, half crazy running business?)


In June 2011 my son was 10 months old, my daughter was 3, and I decided to go to a boot camp class upon invitation of my neighbor. She was a runner, I thought she was crazy. She thought I would love this boot camp class... at 5:30am!! I actually thought, "Why not?" My husband heard us discussing a 5:30am workout and he laughed, "Ha!" I am not a morning person, so he thought there was no way I would be able to pull this off. But I told him I really wanted to go. So, I went.  Little did I know that this decision would change my life. My neighbor's simple invitation... CHANGED MY LIFE! Amazing to think how one moment in time, and one simple "yes," or "no," can change the course of one's life.

I remember it was a Thursday morning. When I got there I found out it was "Thigh Thursday." Needless to say, after an hour long workout that morning, I couldn't walk the next day. I woke up Friday morning and my legs were so sore I could barely get out of bed. Just sitting down on the toilet was painful!! My kids sat on my lap and I cried out in pain! You would think I would never go back after that... but I did. I didn't go Friday, but I showed up Monday morning. After a few days of going I knew I was hooked. The instructor called me and asked if I wanted to sign up, told me the cost, my husband said it was too much, I called the instructor, he gave me another price, I told my husband, he said it was still too much... but for some reason this boot camp instructor lowered his price one more time and said, "I can tell you want to do this. So how about this..." Husband said yes, finally. I said, "YES!" and I went back to the torture chamber... eh hum, I mean boot camp.

If you live in Orange, California... or close by, you should check this place out. Tell Mark I sent you. It's called Hit the Mark Fitness. Mark changed my life. My neighbor invited me there, I met Mark, and Mark changed my life!

My brother, Paul, was battling stage 4 metastasized melanoma cancer at this time. And July 29, 2011 he passed away. My boot camp instructor, Mark, ended up challenging me to do this 5k with his boot camp classes. It wasn't until October (I forget when he invited me, but it was after Paul passed away). I thought my running neighbor was crazy (remember) and I ran a mile during boot camp as a "timed mile" and I about died every time! My fastest mile was around 10 minutes. I thought, "I can barely survive one mile, how could I do 3?" But Mark convinced me that I was capable. So I decided to do it. I started running around my neighborhood with my son in the stroller around his nap time, so he would sleep, and while my daughter was in preschool. And eventually, I worked my way up to 3 miles. I remember my goal was to run this 3.1 miles in 30 minutes.

In October 15, 2011 I ran the local Chapman 5k with my boot camp group, and I ran it in 29:41 minutes! Just under that 30 minute goal! I was ecstatic! I did it! The next time I saw Mark at boot camp I said, "So what's next, a 10k?" I was ready for the next challenge. Mark said, "No. You're ready for a half marathon." I was like... wait a minute. You just convinced me to do 3.1 miles, now you want me to do how many miles? 13.1?!! I asked him how long he thought that would take me. He said, 2 hours and 30 minutes. Needless to say, this took some months of convincing. I just couldn't even fathom being on my feet, running, for over 2 hours!!! Really? But he was convinced that I could, solely based on my fitness level from doing boot camp 4 to 5 days a week.

Eventually, I did it. I signed up for my first half marathon. It ended up being the local OC 1/2 Marathon in May 2012. During my training I thought for sure I would never run a half again. I was feeling pains in my hips, my knees, my feet, my calves... it was traveling all around. I asked my running neighbor if that would go away. She assured me my legs would get use to running. And Mark showed me a lot of stretches that helped. One time he even tortured me on a table with something called a tiger's tail. He rolled that across my calves and I was in so much pain I was crying. I told him that was more painful than giving birth to my two children, which was done all natural without any epidural!!

I ran the race in May, and I finished in 2:27:30... 2 1/2 minutes under what Mark said I could do it in! When I got to the end I was ready to sign up for another! That little cartoon (at the top) was me! My legs felt great, I had no pain, I could even walk the next day! And I definitely was feeling that runner's high, because I couldn't stop smiling. When I found out that race was a part of a 3 half marathon challenge I signed up for the next two. And yes... I finished those as well. One was in October 2012, a year after I started running, and the next was in February 2013.

Sad news though. Right before my 3rd half marathon, my brother's wife, Ruth, also passed away. It was December, a few days before Christmas. 17 months after Paul, she died from melanoma cancer that had traveled to her brain! She was given three months to live before she passed away. She barely made it two. Once she passed away I decided to stop envying those full marathon runners I saw at the end of every race, and stop saying, "Never." and "I can't do that." I decided to do a full, and to dedicate it to Paul and Ruth and raise money for melanoma cancer research. Which is what I did. If you scroll down to the first blog entry on here, you will read about that journey to my first full marathon. It may be my last, but I have learned... "Never say never!" And in that journey my life changed once again. Now I run for God... not just for Paul and Ruth and melanoma research.

So far I have run 7 half marathons. 5 organized races, and twice as a birthday run. And once I have run a full marathon. And that's why I call my blog, "I am only half crazy." Because I usually run halves, and although I did run a full... even I felt crazy for doing it! As they say, "A half marathon is half the length and twice the fun of a full!" So true! If you think I am crazy, I can find plenty more people that are crazier than I am, in the running department! I have met some amazing "crazy" people! Hahaha

Hope you enjoy my blog!! Thanks for reading my stories!