Its About the Journey, Right?

I took yesterday off because my right calf was talking to me after Thursdays stair repeats. I wasn't expecting that. I was kinda mad at myself because I didn't realise I was stressing that muscle. Anyway I hobbled around and took Motrin on Friday. When I woke up this morning my calf was very stiff and still a bit achy. I thought I would try a run to see how it felt. I was planning to do at least 6 miles but had to stop after just 3 ugh. I wanted to do more and probably could have pushed through the pain but I just felt like that would make matters worse. So my long run turned out to be my shortest run of the week. This is one of those running times when I am reminded that running is a journey, like life it is full of lessons to be learned. I am thankful I got 3 miles in at the same time being disappointed I only got 3 in...So I must put this behind me, grow from it and look forward. Pressing on.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

The Running Redeemed

Another cool morning run. The weather here is wonderful, It was around 56 degrees and my arms were actually a little cold the entire run. I ran 5 miles at the river. After breakfast and morning devotions the kids and I went to a track at a local school and I did 10 repeats of the stadium stairs. My legs felt like rubber afterward. I plan to do upper body weights today but I am a little tired right now so my motivation is not there.
My meditations today have been on redemption, " In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace". Ephesians 1:7 My heart has overflowed with gratitude as I pondered "the riches of His grace" His sacrifice was not a response to my worth but the overflow of His infinite worth! It’s all about the worth of Christ! It was His beauty not mine! His worth, His death, brought about the riches of God’s grace toward me the vilest of sinners. "By one sacrifice there is a full remission of all sin that ever was against a believer, or that ever will be against him...not a single sin shall ever stand against you, nor shall you ever be punished for a single sin; for every sin is forgiven, fully forgiven, so that not even part of the punishment shall be executed against you” C. H. Spurgeon.
These thoughts cause my tongue to unloose and " I sing for I cannot be silent; His love is the theme of my song. Redeemed, redeemed"...

This is the first picture I've ever taken of my food or drink=) My son asked me why I was taking it and I had to laugh. But here it is anyway a picture of what I drink after a run. It's my version of a recovery drink. I blend it in a blender and drink it with my supplements.

Variables

Yesterday, I waited until my husband was home from work so I could run the hills near our house. My plan was to run 4 miles but, the temperature was already a whopping 86 degrees when I left the house around 7 pm. Needless to say I am not used to that type of heat yet. I ran 3 and it was extremely hard.

Today's run was back in the cool morning air a mild 64 degrees in comparison. My plan was to run 5 miles, I ran 4. My meditations this morning were on Psalm 46 and Hebrews 13:8. My husband read Psalm 46 to me before I left to go to the doctor last Friday and they brought me great comfort as I considered my ever present Lord. Those meditations were still on my heart as well as Hebrew 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever". Even though I strive for consistency, my life is full of variables...one phone call from a friend in need, one unexpected doctors report, a sick child.., can throw my daily life in to a whirl of variables. But, even in the midst of these things I have a sure and present foundation! An unchanging God who is the bedrock of my hope and joy! "His love is the same; his righteousness is the same; his wisdom is the same; his power is the same. And he is not bound by the limitations of finite man so that he could ever be surprised by any of your circumstances". Piper

Double Dabble Run (thanks Kim for the cute title) After breakfast and morning devotions the kids and I hit the trails near our house and I did 2 miles of hill repeats. This makes my total today 6 miles, Yipp!

Back Home

We are back from our camping trip and it is so good to be home. Most of our weekend at Devils Den state park was rained out so it was not as fun of a trip as I had hoped. We were able to get in one hike but it was muddy and sometimes very slippery. We went camping with my husbands parents and his brothers family. There were a few times I had concern for his parents on the slippery rocks. I am thankful we all made it home without any major injuries. The park was beautiful and we plan to go back again when its not so wet.
My chest x-ray came back clear! I am praising God that this pain under my rib is looking less and less likely to be a serious issue. The doctor wants me to have a CT Scan of the chest just to rule out anything that the chest x-ray did not show. If the CT Scan of the chest comes back clear then the Doctor suggested that it might be muscular. I am leaning more toward that view as well and this would be an easy issue in comparison. So I praise Him for how He has grown my faith through this process and will continue to lean on Him for one more test. Thank you dear friends for your prayers words of encouragement and for being true sisters in Christ.
Wow, am I looking forward to being back on a normal schedule with my family and running this week and catching up with you sweet ladies in your endeavors to glorify Him in your lives and health.

The Great Outdoors

We are planning to go camping this weekend so I have been busy, busy, packing and planning. I am a planner so it has been a lot of fun to organize and put all our gear together. Since we will be out of town this weekend I will not be posting. I don't know if I will be able to get in a run where we will be staying but I look forward to doing some hiking as a family. I have my chest x-ray tomorrow and I am praying it will come back clear. I have been trying really hard this week to not be overcome with fear. I have been praying and meditating on God's precious Word to keep my mind from going crazy with worry. I know He is in control and what ever the result I know HE IS GOOD.

BTW I got the results back from the various biopsies they took from my procedure last week and they all came back negative for any cancer or other issues. The nurse said, that my insides looked rather redundant. That made me laugh. Redundancy in this case is a good thing! I am extremely thankful for the strength God has given me throughout these test and for friends like you who are wiling to lift me up in prayer.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Ultra Spiritual Man

Like some of you I've been reading the book Ultra Marathon Man. While reading I've thought a lot about a friend of ours who lives here in Oklahoma. Randy Ellis is a long distance runner who became intrigued with the life of Andy Payne. In 1998 Randy fulfilled a lifelong dream and ran across the United States. Randy ran from North Carolina to California covering 30-40 miles a day. I remember this journey in his life so poignantly and how his run was such an inspiration in my own running life both physically and spiritually. He wrote a book about his experience called;

Running with Payne: A Step-By-Step Journey Down Route 66 & Beyond

With Randy there is a spiritual element to his running that I don't read about in Ultra Marathon Man. He's a humble unassuming guy and if you didn't know him personally you would never know he ran such an amazing journey of faith. It was so neat to be a part of watching and praying for Randy as he fulfill this dream. Knowing he did it with a desire to glorify God. Now that's a reason to run!

What a Love, What a Cost!

I ran 4 miles down at the river this morning. I am thankful to be back on schedule. Looking forward to getting in some runs this week.
The whole time I was running I was singing this song in my head that we sang yesterday at church called "The Power of the Cross" I know its a bit of a slow song for running but it was perfect for where I was this morning with the Lord. I am so thankful for His grace in my life and in the lives of others and for His selfless love. What a love, what a cost!

Thankful Running

Well, today was my first run in a week and boy did it feel good! It was a beautiful day with mild temperatures in the 60's. I ran a little over 3 miles at an easy pace. I felt so thankful to be back running. I have had some mild discomfort on my right side since the procedure but it didn't seem to be an issue while running. I saw the most beautiful blue bird and had this large crane fly right over my head, it was wonderful to be back running, I know I already said that...just so thankful.

Thank You

Thank you friends for your prayers and sweet words. Each one of them meant something special and worked to point me to Him. For that I am eternally grateful. I am thankful that the prep for the procedure was not as difficult as I thought it would be. For what ever reason the prep did cause the pain under my rib to worsen and even spread around to my side. Although I didn't sleep very well Wednesday night I woke up Thursday morning with just a small amount of anxiety. My husband had to take off work so he was home to offer his loving counsel through a few tears I shed as we prepared to leave for the procedure. He told me about a sermon he had listen to recently by John MacArthur from Matt. 5 on the Beatitudes. He reminded me that I can't do this in my own strength and that I am to have the attitude of being poor in spirit. So that's how I spent the next few hours I had before the procedure, begging God to give me what I need to handle this all the way through to the finish. Once we were at the office I thought I would be a bundle of nerves but I wasn't. I could really sense the prayers of the saint working on my behalf. PRAISE GOD! Once in the back of the office it was all business and again I could see God working in the smallest of details. They wheeled me into the room finished hooking me up and that's the last thing I remember. I slept through the whole thing. PRAISE GOD! The doctor said she didn't find anything that looked like cancer but did take several biopsy's of the area. She told my husband that when ever she had the scope on the right side of my body I would stop snoring (blush, snort) and show sighs that I was in discomfort. They apparently had to increase the sedation at one point bc I was becoming so uncomfortable. She said the area was very tender and wants me to have a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvic area, although I had one a year ago. Today I still feel a bit groggy from the sedation and my husband asked me not to run but take it easy. My husband and children apparently had a lot of fun with me yesterday after the procedure while I was still foggy from the sedation. My husband kept saying, "I feel like I'm in an episode of Ground Hog Day" I didn't understand what he meant but apparently in between the naps I took yesterday I would wake up and ask him the same questions over and over =) I don't remember anything after the procedure, yet I was awake. I don't know how I got dressed, or being wheeled out to the car in a wheel chair, or stopping by Sonic for something to eat...I told my husband I apparently wasn't in my right mind or else I would've ordered myself a Butterfinger Blast ;) even the kids got in on the fun of my temporary amnesia. Thankfully this wore off after a few hours. But in all seriousness I do praise God for your prayers, for His grace and for the normal results of this test. I can't find the words to express enough how your prayers and thoughts touched me deeply and in some wonderful way brought glory to Him. You have shown His love to me a stranger and I am deeply moved. Thank you. At this point I have another chest x-ray scheduled for the 22nd and I am hoping that this will come back normal. And if it doesn't then I know God will give me the grace to handle the next step of this race. I am praying for wisdom to know how far to take this and how many repeat procedures to do. I can't wait to get out for a run this weekend and sweat out some of the drugs that I can still feel in my system. Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers.

Have a great weekend of running!

Need your Prayers

Well, you might have noticed I haven't posted a run in a couple of days. There are a few reasons why and even as I type I'm not sure I'm going to publish this post. I am a pretty private person when it comes to certain issues in my life. But I feel a connection with you gals thorough our blogs and the faith we share. I already feel like I share a special part of my life with you through our bond of running so I wanted to open up to you about this as well. I went to see a specialist last Friday to discuss this pain under my right rib. After her examination of the area she decided I should go in for this pretty invasive procedure to see if we can pin point the source. I am scheduled for this procedure this coming Thur. and honestly I am extremely anxious about it. I am not so worried about the results, so much as the prep and procedure itself. I also have another chest x-ray scheduled for the 22nd. I am hoping that between these two I will have some idea what this could be. It was actually a chest x-ray they did last year that started all this in the first place. I will admit I have drug my feet on many procedures they have wanted to do because I have never had any medical problems and it has been extremely hard for me to submit to all the poking and prodding. But I have promised my husband that I will address this issue. What has been the hardest about this is that I am not comfortable talking about it and since I have not had to deal with medical problems personally I feel disjointed and uncomfortable with this being a part of my life. But the reality is this is right now where God has me and I am not doing a very good job submitting to it. The knees of my faith feel shaky and the lack of control I feel has me anxious. So I NEED your prayers! Pray that my faith would be strong. Practically pray that I will just sleep through the procedure Thursday and not be overly anxious. As far as running I didn't end up running Saturday or even Monday. I can't seem to mentally get past the circumstances I find myself in, yet I know that I would feel better if I went for a run. I plan to get a run in today because I know it will help me. I feel ashamed for my lack of faith and that is probably why I hesitate to share and expose myself in this way fearing that I will dishonor my Lord in some way. So again I covet your prayers that my faith will be strong. I know His grace is sufficient and will be in ready supply through this ordeal. More than anything the deepest longing in my heart is that I will not be an unfaithful servant and somehow in my weakness He will be glorified.

April Showers Bring May Humidity!

I ran 4 miles of hills on Friday at 6am. It was very humid and already 80 degrees! I was a puddle of sweat and soooo thirsty after that run.
My husband had a men's breakfast at church this morning so I'm hoping to get a run in later today, if its not crazy muggy by the time he gets home. I might have to wimp out and do the dreadmill...we will see.

Hope you all have a great Mothers day!

I'm Such A Dork!

Okay, I bought these cute black Capri running tights a few weeks ago. You know the ones that fit your legs tightly and cut off at the knees. They have this nice little zip pocket in the back where I can stash my key or small items. When I got to the running trail this morning I went to stash my key in the zipper pocket and could not find my pocket! I know weird. Well, I couldn't find the pocket because I had my PANTS ON INSIDE OUT! I tried to not be obvious as I looked around to see who else was noticing my plight while making a quick assessment on how many noticeable inseams were sticking out. I thought about changing in the van but that was not going to happen. I decided to go ahead and run and hope that no one would notice. Of course I just happen to be on the brightest part of the trail when several runners passed by me while all my inseams glistened from the lights of the casino. Uggh, I'm such a dork! Oh I managed to get 4 embarrassing miles in. I'm laughing at myself now but it wasn't funny then. I have never run with my pants on inside out and I will never do that again, evvvver!

Deja vu

Well I had the same weird sleep issue last night except I couldn't fall back to sleep until 4am this time. When my alarm sounded just 30 mins. later I did a lot of moaning and the excuses raged. But again I got up and down to the river. I ran another 5 miles. I hope tonight is better. On a lighter note I saw 6 bunny rabbits, heard 2 horned owls and passed 21 runners. I know you probably think its weird I count but I do this for my kids. When I come home from a run I give them an inventory of what I saw. It's fun to involve them in my running time like this. We can be in the car driving past the river trails and they will say "isn't that where you saw the bald eagle, mama?" These are the types of messages I want my children to hear when it comes to being healthy. It's not about body image its about experiencing something much deeper much more spiritual and beyond myself...

Below are some pictures of the river trails I run.

There are over 23 miles of trails that travel along the Arkansas River. Some are well paved against manicured lawns and some like the picture on the right are more natural. Below is the new River walk. This area is actually on the west side of the river. I run across a bridge that takes me over to this area.


I feel very blessed to have these trails within a short driving distance from my home!

Was It all Just a Dream...

I woke up this morning at 2 am and could not fall back to sleep for over an hour (crazy hormones). My alarm clock went off at a startling 430 am. Drowsily I stumbled over to hit the snooze button which sounded again a mere 9 minutes later. I had every excuse going in my head as to why I should put off running until later. But I know myself and that "later-land" never happens. Somehow I managed in my sleepy state to get dressed and down to the river for a run. I shuffled along for 5 miles. It was a brisk morning with NO RAIN! When I got home I took a short nap. I am thankful I pushed myself and ran despite the sleep issues. I know these are the types of things I need to do in order to become a better runner. Pressing on!

Rain on my Parade

There is nothing amazing about my running this week except that it has been a trick to get a run in, in light of the fact that it has rained everyday since Monday. My run today was 3 miles on the treadmill and nothing exciting. I am thankful that I got it in. Looking forward to sunnier days ahead! With all this rain I couldn't help but to think of this verse.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45

Hope you are all having a great weekend of running!