The Computer Hospital

My computer will be in the shop this week so I will not be able to post. I will miss reading about your runs this week but hopefully the repairs will only take a few days and I can catch up with you all on Saturday. Have a blessed week!

Trails, Trials and a Trip

Well, I have been extremely tardy with my posting. I have been spending a lot of my time planning our vacation in September. I am looking so forward to being in Florida. I love the tropics and the beach. It would always be my first choice for a vacation. There is something about the ocean that is in my soul. If all goes as planned we will be staying here .While we are there we plan to visit here, here and yes I am going to ride this!
My husband is planning this part of our vacation as a kind of surprise. After the almost month of trials and afflictions the Lord is taking us through this time will be a much needed rest for us. I look forward to the memories we will make.

I have been running pain free even with increasing my mileage! I know it is that stretch that is doing it. At first it really hurt to do it but now it feels good when I stretch that area. I am so so thankful to be back in the grove. I even ran the hilly trails near our house Friday and Saturday without any flair-up. The trails near our home have a certain sacredness to them. I have poured out my heart to the Lord on these more rural trails. It's nice to be back on them. I am planning to increase my mileage but very gradually and am so thankful to be moving forward again in my running.


Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written,
“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

My New Stretch with the Naughty Name

Last night we went over to a friends house for dinner and an opportunity to meet a couple of men who are visiting from Myanmar. My husband and another man from our church are going in December to visit a native missionary and his family that our church supports from Myanmar. It was really interesting and helpful to hear about the customs as well as some of the obstacles my husband and this other man will face as they go. The man that my husband is going with his wife is a physical therapist and a runner. I told her about my hip and she rambled off this super long name and told me that that was a common muscle for runners to complain about. She showed me this terrific stretch that she said they call the "hooker" stretch. I call it the owie stretch. This stretch HITS THE SPOT! I was quite sore this morning before my run, I think from doing that stretch. While I was running I ran into a friend and we ran together until my mileage was done. It was fun to run with someone but I have definitely gotten out of shape for talking and running, I was asking a lot of questions so she could talk while I was trying to breath...After my run I did my new little stretch while hoping no one was wondering why I was standing like that =D I am thankful that this stretch already seems to be helping with the soreness that I experience after a run. I hope you are all having a blessed weekend!


update: I actually found a picture of this stretch on-line that was too funny not to post. My physical therapist friend told me to lean my elbow on the wall which doesn't help this stretch to look any less silly doing it.

Sisters in Arms

What has happened to my life...I seem to have no free time and I feel like I am running from one thing to the next... I have been making random stops at each of your blogs but have had no time to reply. So this morning I am making myself get on the computer and catch up with you all, and that sounds so weird because just a few weeks ago I had to watch out not to spend too much time on the computer Facebooking, blogging and planning for our vacation to Florida in September. Oh well such is this season and I need to rest in it.

So to catch you all up on my schedule I have been running 3.5 miles consistently. Unfortunately since having recently increased my mileage by .5 it has re-irritated my hip. So I will hold on increasing my mileage any more until it resolves itself again. I wish I knew what is causing my hip to get irritated...It's getting a bit bothersome but I am trying to not let it take up too much of my mind right now.

I recently purchased this dvd to give myself something extra to do while my mileage is so low. I was specifically looking for a strength training dvd verses cardio because as I am getting older I'm becoming more, eehem, flabby. I'll let you know how I like the dvd once it arrives.

Yesterday mornings run started out a bit different. The first thing I noticed on my run was there were no rabbits out foraging like they normally are at 5am. The next thing I saw was a huge fox. At first I thought it was a small coyote, but it was a large red fox. This explained why all the bunnies were hiding. Their adversary was lurking around. I thought about the verses in the bible that talk about being on the alert and watchful. I thought about the instruction in Ephesians 6 for the Christian to put on the full armour of God so that we can stand firm in the battle. My life lately has had some very difficult battles. I am at war with an adversary that would like nothing more than to crush my faith. I have been reading "The Christian in Complete Armour" by William Gurnall. In the chapter entitled, The Saint's Call to Arms, he writes; "The outcome of the battle rest on God's performance, not on your skill or strength!" When I consider that it is the Lord who underwrites my battle then I can march on in the hope of His power. He also writes; "To encourage our trust, the Lord often intervenes in mighty ways on behalf of His people. Sometimes He allows an opposing force to arise, so that at precisely the right moment He can raise up a more magnificent pillar of remembrance to Himself. This pillar will stand in the very ruins of that which contested His power. Thus, when He intervenes all must say, Almighty power was here" Wow! doesn't that just make you want to want to say "Praise God." So today I am thankful for that visual picture on my run the other morning, and standing, somewhat wobbly at times but non-the-less with my face fixed to His strength, power and purpose in the battle. So let me encourage you my sisters or as my friend from Alabama would say my "sistas" in arms, in whatever battle you are facing "...be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might" Pressing on with you...