Hope in the Certainty of Things Unseen

I just could not bring myself to run another day on the treadmill and since hubby had the day off I had no reason. It was in the mid 40's when I left for the hilly trails near our home. I purposely didn't take my watch or the ipod it was just me, God vast creation and the power of prayer. The skies were gray and the clouds thick yet during my run I noticed the suns powerful rays taking over the dim mood the clouds had cast on the trail. The suns power was winning over the gray "lending hope and gladness" to my soul. I began to feel a renewed sense of hope taking over. Hope for the coming of Spring, hope for brighter days ahead, hope that I was finally moving forward in some areas I have struggled with this past year. Hope that the God of this creation will have the final victory and I praised and thanked my God. I know I am emoting but by the end of my run my spirits were renewed and I was reminded afresh why I love to run.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...Hebrews 11:1

Steady as She Goes

I have been so tardy with my posting but even if I did post my recent running activity it would sound so redundant it would bore you all silly. I have been running faithfully on the treadmill and doing my weight workout since my last post. We have had a few days break in the weather but it has consistently remained in the 30's or lower during the time of morning I can get out to run. I am still getting up early to run but I just don't have the motivation this winter to hit the trails in the dark cold. This year I just feel cold all the time so the treadmill is a warm option. Plus I can sleep in a little later since I don't have to drive to the river. I am looking forward to spring!

After last summers running cycle of hit and miss due to some hip pain I put on a few extra pounds. I have the family genetics to be very heavy so I have to really watch what I eat and exercise all the time. When I don't put in consistent effort I put on weight really, really fast. I am literally the smallest person in my family for many generations. Because I struggled to maintain a consistent running schedule last year along with some stressful events I could stand to loose about 20+pounds. Since my last post I have lost about 5 lbs! I am so thankful for this as my body already feels more comfortable, more like it's normal self. I am hoping to loose the rest before our vacation in May.

On a funny note I was reading Jane's post yesterday on incorporating exercise while waiting for other things. So yesterday as I was homeschooling the kids I thought I would give it a try. While I was standing at the table during the history lesson I began to do squats and side leg lifts. My kids looked at me like I had lost my mind. They started laughing asking me what I was doing, I got to laughing so I hard I could only mumble out the word "squats" it was a classic. I think I'll try it again today. Thanks Jane for a good laugh.

"A merry heart does good like a medicine..." Proverbs 17:22