Day 3 Recap: Race Day!

I know you have been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for more vacation recaps!

Just kidding. You have probably been stuffing your face with turkey and shopping deals all weekend!

Well either way, here we go with more vacation recaps!

Our first day at Disney was the day of the race! We headed over to Hollywood Studios for a quick run on our favorite rides!

Dropping in anyone?

Jared got his birthday button!

We mastered Toy Story Mania!

Star Tours is always a favorite!

We're rockin' it on the Rock n' Roller Coaster!

After all the fun at Hollywood Studios we headed over to EPCOT for lunch and a little birthday surprise for mom! Then we headed back to the hotel for a nap before the big race!

Buzz Lightyear and Rex are ready to go!

Woody and Bo Peep have their moving buddies!

The toys are coming!

As you have probably heard, there was a race delay due to lightning and a major storm. Run Disney thankfully didn't cancel the race but they did have to shorten it by taking out the Animal Kingdom part of the course. I was disappointed for those that were doing their first half marathon, but also thankful I didn't have to run the full 13.1 in the Florida humidity! Plus, shorter course means getting to the after party faster!

At the race start!

Toys at the Midway Mania ride!

Selfies with Jesus at midnight on Sunday morning while checking out the Osborne Lights!

What was awesome about this race is that because it was short, we were able to all stay together for the majority of the race! Mom would do her intervals and find us on her walk breaks. We all got to cross the finish line together which made my day!

After grabbing our medals and changing, we made our way to the Food and Wine Festival! We tried some amazing food! My favorite was Brazil and Africa!

Food for all!

We ended up shutting down the event at 4:00 AM. Surprisingly we were all pretty alert and not cranky at each other! It was a great time and we enjoyed ourselves!

Leaving for the night!

Of course, pictures are nice...but videos are better! Check out our day and the race below!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is a pretty special day...it's my mom's birthday!!!

My mom is a pretty special lady. ;) Not only is she absolutely beautiful, but she is an amazing woman! I am completely blessed to have her as a role model!

Here's what I love about Mom:

1. She introduced me to Disney and chocolate. What else does a girl need???

2. She's a hard worker. She has tirelessly worked her whole life to be the best at what she does and she never gives up. I hope I can be the best at what I do just like her.

3. She is the most loyal person I know. If I'm into something or my brother is into something, she jumps in 100% and learns about that thing with you. From my days working at the winery to our new runDisney obsession, she loves sharing what you love. And to boot? She sticks with you no matter what.

4. She loves to travel! I have had the opportunity to travel to so many places because of her love for travel! I am so blessed to have had all the experiences I have had and I know my love for travel comes from her and Dad. Thank you for schlepping me all over the world so that I could experience so many things!

5. She is the best teacher. Yes, yes she teaches at Rice. But she's also a great teacher for life. If she doesn't know how to do it, she finds someone who does (hello Spanish and music!). But she's taught me so many things. Like how to make a cheesecake (and cook in general). She taught me about history, how to read and write, how to do a resume, how to make friends. She builds fences, can do-it-yourself on many things around the house, and knows how to shop sales!!!! I have the best person to learn alongside with.

6. She is super compassionate. But what's awesome about her compassion is that she doesn't just look at your plight and go "poor baby" and bring you some milk. But she tells you the things you need to hear to give you that extra push to move past it. I think this is super rare. I'm able to talk to her whenever I'm having a meltdown and be able to move on with her encouragement.

7. She's my best friend. We get together and we can just talk! From Disney to running to clothes she and I just can go on for hours! It's a problem when we are on a trip and we need to get up early in the morning, but it's one of the most cherished things about her that I love!

To thank you Mom for being so awesome. Today we celebrate you!

Love always,
Madelyn

Gluten Free Running Fuel

So we just finished a great run out at Disney! Next up, my marathon!

It's been interesting over the past few years finding a gluten free running fuel. I can't do gels and the gummies out there are filled with gluten-ous artificial flavors. I started with orange Gatorade and shot blocks. But they started getting to me as I don't think they are 100% gluten free.

This training round I have been using Nuun and Met RX shot blocks.

https://nuun.com/shop/nuun-active/tri-berry/

The Nuun is awesome. It comes in "alkaselzler-like" tablets that effervesce when put in water. The drink is light and doesn't bog me down with a bunch of sugar. Yet I'm able to get good electrolytes and hydration in on my runs. Best part? I can bring the little tube of Nuun with me to use while on the race course. It eliminates me having to carry four water bottles in order to make it through the whole course. I can just refill and keep going at a water stop!

http://www.metrx.com/products/electrolyte-energy-gummies/

The Mex-RX gummies are delicious! I eat the dark cherry ones. I eat about one for each mile I run and I have been able to get through the miles without too much of an energy drop. No cramping yet after my 18 mile training run! Problem is, these Met RX gummies have been hard to find! I used to be able to buy them at my neighborhood Walmart, but when I went this week, they were gone!

I'm going to have to explore where to find these elusive awesome gummies are. I know you can order them online but what a pain! I know there are other gluten free options out there like sport beans but I don't want to change after I have been training with these for the past five months.

Wish me luck! I feel like a treasure hunter!

Oils for Running

I recently posted on my social media that I had a very involved recovery to do list after my 14 mile run which included some essential oils. I got a couple of questions asking what I used and what to use for recovery in running. So I thought I would share in more detail!

My first thing to go when running long distances is my immune system. It tanks after long runs and it's when I'm most vulnerable to get sick. I have been boosting my immune system after long runs by putting a drop or two of the Citrus Fresh blend in my water and so far, so good!

The other thing that I have been dealing with is the humidity...which causes chafing! Besides my copious amounts of body glide that I use, I get really bad chafing under my arms. I've also been getting blisters from my shoes that I just had to retire. Best thing for both of these? Lavender and Tea Tree! Both of these oils have anti septic and an anti-inflammatory properties as well as helps the skin heal faster. I apply them twice daily until my skin has healed. Between chafing and blisters, I heal way faster than without them! Which means next run, I'm not wincing in pain.

My favorite, PanAway! It's a blend that helps with pain. It works a little like aspirin in helping reduce pain and it also works as an anti-inflammatory. Like Lavender and Tea Tree, it promotes healing so that your injury gets better faster. This is perfect for my leg muscles after a long run. I am not nearly as sore after each run like I was last time I trained for a marathon.

Last but not least, I've been dealing with an ankle issue. I won't call it an injury yet, because I can still run on it. But I have had to cut back my mileage a bit. I'm getting tendonitis on the inside of my right ankle. As much as I'm rolling out my muscles after runs, I'm just super tight and it's causing a stress point on this part of my ankle. I'm using a blend of Valor II and RC in conjunction with PanAway in order to help heal it. RC has Marjoram, Lavender and Peppermint which all help with the healing. Valor helps with the pain along with PanAway. After two weeks of putting a few drops on my tendon  twice a day, I was able to do a 12 mile run without any real significant pain the following day. I'm a believer!

So if you are a runner or any other athlete, I hope some of these uses can help you! Happy running!

Update on Love Life Design Co

So I am going to take a little time to brag on my amazingly brilliant husband. People have asked me if I knew he could do what he does before we got married and my honest answer was, "no." He built a bed with his dad for college once. He's pretty good at engineering things for sure. But in no way did I know he had the talent to channel his creativity into power tools and create new life out of old wood.

In case you don't know, he has started his own little business called Love Life Design Co. I give the man a garage and some power tools and a new creature was born! He has been making the most stunning Texas' over the past few months and I am amazed every single time with what he can make!

One of his first designs, which has inspired so many others.

He stained the wood on this one to look like the state flag colors

Love the little heart on this one.

 And of course, everything is bigger in Texas. Jared was commissioned to make a 5 ft tall Texas. It was as big as me!

It was huge!!!

But it didn't take long for us to start branching out to other states as family members saw what he was doing!

Our first "other" state, Tennessee! 

Of course, in our family, we tend to challenge one another. Thankfully, Jared helped me make some of my designs come to life!

A super cute medal hanger with some bling!

Custom quote sign

And I couldn't resist the Disney flair!

Made this for our guest room!

Never thought I would start a small business. But I am super excited about it and love what we have been able to create so far! If you are interested in our shop, you can check it out at https://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveLifeDesignCo

Benchmarks

It has been HOT this summer.

I'm sure you are thinking, "Thanks Captain Obvious. This is Texas."

Well, it's a statement I feel I need to make sure is on the page so that we all have the same starting place!

Because it has been so hot, running has been such a beat down. I feel like all I do is  run slow and drown in my sweat. Especially when I have track days with the training group. The track gets so hot some of the tar literally melts and attaches itself to the bottom of my shoes. Instead of feeling fast, I feel like I'm dragging a bunch of 20 pound dumbbells behind me.

Each of us in our training has splits we are supposed to try to hit while doing our track run. I've been hitting mine even though the heat has been oppressive. So one day when I wasn't going to be able to join my training group and had to do my track session on the treadmill at home, I had to do some math to figure out what settings I was supposed to use on the treadmill to achieve the same speed I do on the track.

I had to redo my math three times because I thought I kept getting it wrong.

I used to run my speed workout according to my McMillin calculator splits it gave me back in February. That translated to my treadmill by running my interval pace at a 6.0 MPH on the treadmill. Now, my math was telling me I can now do my treadmill pace at a 6.5 MPH.

So while I did my math three times using three different methods to get there, I finally concluded that it would be the correct speed. And sure enough, I was able to do it. The last interval was painful, but that's the same as every track workout!

A similar thing happened in my personal life. I've always felt I wasn't good at remembering Bible verses to help other people when they needed them. I've really dedicated myself this year to reading out of my physical Bible and not my electronic one so that I can highlight and comment to myself in the margins. I was hoping that by doing this, I would remember where in the Bible certain stories and verses that meant a ton to me were located. Sure enough, a situation at work called for me to share some encouraging verses to a woman who needed them. Without hesitation, I was able to recall several verses that ended up helping her calm down. I did a little, "hmmm" to myself afterwards. It was the first time I had been able to do that instantaneously.

What's the point to all this? Oftentimes in our Christian walk, we feel like we aren't making any progress. We keep dealing with the same emotions, the same habits, the same struggles and don't feel like we are getting anywhere. However, it's important for us to have "benchmarks" in our lives to see how we have progressed. We need to have an "old self" to compare to in order to see how God is working in our lives.

So as you go throughout your week or month, take stock of things that you do. Whether you are running faster, lifting stronger, being more intentional with relationships or your walk with God, see what you are doing better or what needs improvement. While we have faith that God will change us, it's nice to be able to see measurable progress. It allows us to be able to go back and say, "Wow God!" and ultimately, give him the glory he deserves!

Group vs. Solo Running

Group photo from Social Running's Facebook Page!

Hi everyone!

So I have been upping my mileage the last couple weeks and this last week was my first week of running five days out of the week! I was thinking running the same course in my local park might be monotonous. And now that I'm officially a member of my local running club, I figured I would take advantage of the social runs that they host and recommend!

So Tuesday, I joined three fellow runners downtown for some hill repeats. The hill we ran up and down had a serious incline...much higher than my treadmill! I had a really great workout with them. Hill repeats are much easier when you have someone to chase! We all got along well for sure and met a fellow Disney fan. It was fun listening to everyone talk about their past race experience, upcoming races planned, what they did for a living...all that good stuff! I loved the break from my normal running routine and appreciated the company for sure!

Wednesday, Jared got to come with me to our first large social run. Also downtown, there were about 100 people that met up at the local food truck park and took off on a four mile out and back course down the riverside and back. While my introvert seriously came out and I didn't get to meet many new people, it was really fun to see the diversity of runners. There were moms with strollers, people with dogs (us included!), fast runners, slow runners, runners that sit on rocks (haha). There was a camaraderie that made the finish feel like the finish line at a race with people cheering you on as you came to the food truck park! We all gathered for a group photo at the end. Many people stayed for a beer and food. We opted out for our pocketbook's sake. I see this Wednesday routine being a really great way for me to meet new friends locally!

So the question is, which is better...group running or solo running? While I think there is something to be said for solo running and the need to be able to find it within yourself to keep going when things get hard, group running definitely helps breaks the monotony of training. While you still get your miles in, you can get your mind off the training on easy runs and meet new people. So I say both...I'm an "and" kind of person! If you get a chance to try group training in your local area, I highly suggest it!

A New Challenge

Last year Mom and I fell in love with the Nike Woman's running series. When we discovered they were holding a new race course in Toronto, we we're ecstatic! The lottery results have come in, and we are running Toronto!!

Looking forward to finishing this race with an ambitious goal of running an average of 10:00 minutes per mile. This is pretty fast for a long distance race for me. We will see if I can do it!

Running Your Mind While Your Body Is Running

When I was training for my marathon, I learned very quickly that this meant LONG hours out on the trails and roads. For me, I love music. It makes my heart jump for joy with the right song and chills me out when I start getting stressed. But any playlist, when it goes for hours on end, can get a bit monotonous. When I couldn't find enough songs that made the long hours of running bearable, that's when I found podcasts!

What made me fall in love with podcasts is the part of my personality that constantly loves to learn. Thing is, I don't have time to sit down and read up on all the latest news as I am usually constantly on the move. Then I found out that many of my favorite pastors put their sermons online in the form of a podcast. As I started listening to these, I actually began to crave the long runs so that I could listen to them. By the time I was done with my runs, it wasn't my body that was just feeling refreshed, but my mind and spirit.

Since then, I have started listening to podcasts all the time. I listen to them while I drive, clean, craft, cook, garden, and of course, run! My repertoire of what I listen to while I work has expanded dramatically too. So here's my favorite podcasts and the links so that you can listen to them too!

The Mark Davis Show - a local news talk show. It helps me keep up with the news and issues being discussed in my community!

The Glenn Beck Program - Highly entertaining as it is informational, I enjoy listening to them talk about national issues. I consider it my American duty to keep up with what is going on and be an informed voter!

The Survival Podcast - not only does it talk about good things to be prepared for like ice storms and blackouts,  but it also talks a ton about gardening and permaculture. I learn something every time I listen!

Stuff You Should Know - Purely educational, they bring a different topic to each show and discuss what it is, history behind it and if applicable, the science behind it! They talk about everything from pirates to muppets. You will definitely learn!

Harvest Eating Podcast - Chef Snow talks about how to cook locally and seasonally on this podcast. He doesn't just give recipes, but teaching cooking techniques too!

Brant and Sherri Podcast - by far my favorite of them all. Brant used to be a DJ on a radio station we listen to and his quirky and fun insights into Christianity and the love God has for us always makes the runs I have more awesome!

The Pocket Lenses Podcast - This podcast is awesome as it teaches how to take great photos without the ginormous DSLR cameras people have. From point and shoot to cell phones, my photography has already improved!

PodCacher Podcast - When it comes to geocaching, this is the place to get your news, tips and tricks and fun interviews with other podcachers! Always love their weekly shows!

The Gun Show Podcast - I love this podcast as they don't worry about being "polished" and "radio professional" and just tell it like it is. From training to new guns to news, this is the place I love to listen and learn from!

Breakaway Ministries - Jared and I were shaped by this on-campus bible study while attending Texas A&M University and it is awesome that technology allows us to still listen today. I always learn and grow spiritually while listening to Ben Stewart or any of the guest speakers!

The Mickey Miles Podcast - How can I be a Disney runner and not listen to a Disney running podcast?? This podcast is awesome as they answer listener questions and discuss events and news in the world of RunDisney.

The WDW Radio Podcast - This is the podcast that makes me the happiest on my runs. While I'm digging deep in mile 9 of my run, Lou Mongello is describing and talking about anything and everything Disney. Makes the times I'm not at my second home much more bearable!

Whew! What a list! I hope there is something for everyone on this list that you can add to your podcast repertoire. Now excuse me while I go listen to one as I vacuum the house!

The Start Line

I've recently got to begin a really fun connect group at my church centered around running! What's also been fun is I've gotten to see how people are interesting in running who haven't run before. This, while fun leads to the inevitable question:

"I want to run. But where do I start?"

It's become a joke between me and my husband that we start by putting one foot in front of the other when we are about to go out. But when you think about it, that's where we encourage our friends that are also starting out to begin. If you are just getting up from the couch, start walking. If you are active and walking, start with a run/walk program. Basically, asses your current state of fitness, and raise it up a level!

With the internet, there is a plethora of resources to choose from when trying to find a training plan, or just advice on where to start. When I was running in college, I would go to websites such as Pop Sugar, Fitness magazine, or other "trendy" sites that have plans like "drop 10 pounds in two weeks." But what I found about most of these plans was that they were simply not sustainable. I would keep up with them for 3 or 4 workouts. But then the workout seemed too hard and I would find excuses to not do them. They left me feeling defeated, not stronger. Even Nike's training plans ramped up too fast for me.

Then I found Athleta's free training plan! You can check it out here. It was a great plan that started with run/walk intervals that allowed me to work up to running for long periods straight. I finished workouts that seemed really hard for me, yet didn't completely beat me down. I started looking forward to the next workout because it seemed like an attainable challenge! Jeff Galloway also promotes this run/walk method for all Disney training plans. His website says that the run/walk method can actually speed you up an average of 7 minutes faster in a half marathon race and more than 13 minutes faster in the marathon. It's awesome to watch all the people around me at Disney races doing marathons using this method. It might be something you want to try, especially starting out!

The next step to starting out is form. It's imperative that you run with good form to keep from injuring yourself. I can tell if I have gone too fast or overextended my stride because it hurts my heels of my feet and my knees. I then saw this video by New Balance on good running form and it saved my feet and calves! You can check it out below!


As you go through your new training plans, you will be learning a ton about yourself both mentally and physically. Where are the points where you mentally want to quit? What hurts after a workout? Everyone is different when it comes to the "sweet spot" of running in both frequency and mileage. Try for three times a week and slowly ramp up how many miles you have run. Keep a log and see what frequency and mileage keeps you energized and in shape without beating you down. Once you decide something for now doesn't mean you can't change it later. But we are talking sustainability for a ongoing, enjoyable workout. If you are running too much and get injured, it doesn't do you any good!

Last and not least, you need to get good shoes! I started running in some old Nikes and had major shin and calf issues. I went to Luke's Locker to buy new shoes and the difference was amazing. I ran 5 miles doing run/walk intervals the next workout and it was an amazing difference! The right shoes help protect you from injury and make the workout a more enjoyable experience. They may seem pricey, but they are the only real expense for running besides race entries. It's much better than the doctor bill you may have if you run in old shoes!

I hope this helps you find out where to start. Some people may think the starting line is at the beginning of the race. But it's actually right now when you decide to step up off the couch and outside on a run! Go for it and have fun!

Preparing for Princess: Part 2!

Last time I talked about my costumes that I have been preparing for my Princess Half Marathon Glass Slipper Challenge! I am running the half marathon part of this race with my mom, and so we decided to go as Queen Elinor and Merida!

Both costumes, flat

Details of my belt!

Mom's belt, secured with velcro!

Details of mom's crown!

These costumes make me really happy! Again, found some $5 clearance shirts at Walmart. They were actually bright lime green. So I had to buy some dye to make them the darker green I wanted. Then I sewed on the gold trim and made the sparkle skirts (who can run a princess race without a sparkle skirt???). 

I really wanted to ad a few touches to make these costumes obvious to who we were supposed to be without a ton of weight and extra friction! So I saw Queen Elinor had a belt and crown. So I made a Velcro belt out of the streachy sparkle fabric and a felt crown that can pin to my mom's visor as she runs. I ran with a Captain America Sheild for the Disneyland half last summer, so bigger props are not as big a deal for me. So in addition to my belt and family crest (which I made out of felt) my husband is making me a fake bow to carry out of lightweight PVC! That's true love! 

Really excited about this race. I'm really happy to have something to train for over the next few weeks and a fun trip to look forward to. I hit post marathon blues really hard last year. Add in cold and dark weather, and it was an uphill battle for me emotionally until March. So here's to running endorphins and family to share the experience with! 

Talk to y'all soon!

Maddie

Preparing for Princesses!

I have been breaking out the scrapbooks and home videos lately as the anniversary of my first marathon is coming up here in another week. I remember all the hard training runs, the research and the questions I asked of my sanity while I spent a year and a half training for this race. However, I still have very fond memories of my race through Disney. If you would like to see it, check out my video below!

I'm wishing everyone who is running this year lots of love and hopes for a very special and fun day!

Meanwhile, I am preparing for my own very special race in mid-Febuary...the Glass Slipper Challenge at Princess Half Marathon Weekend! I'm very excited as I am actually going to run the 10K with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. It's their first 10K! I got to run the Houston Turkey Trot with my sister-in-law this past Thanksgiving, and it was so much fun!

So for the 10K we all four of us are picking our favorite princesses and I chose Rapunzel! I found a $5 clearance running shirt at Walmart. Then I broke out the sewing machine and added some cute little touches that helped turn this shirt into my favorite running costume piece I've made so far! The lace and gold trim was a bit difficult to sew on all together, but I think it turned out really well! 

Add in some hair clips I made with flowers, a braid and pascal...and I'm set! I'm still debating on taking a frying pan with me. I'm wondering if TSA will give me a hard time about it on my carry on!

I'll go over my costume for the half marathon on the next blog! 

Talk to y'all soon!

Maddie

So I've recently been out of the loop on blogging. For good reason! It's been a bit of an introspective season of my life. I'm learning to be discreet with my words, including blogging, and not just spewing out dirty laundry whenever I feel like it.

I have been learning something very important though. I have talked about having dreams and longings that God has put deep in my heart. I greatly wish for people to get to know Jesus, especially kids. I long for women who have been broken by he sin of this world to have their hope restored by Him. I long to push myself and do things that I never thought I could in order to push my faith and keep myself constantly depending on God to show me the way.

All these dreams are good and in my eyes, worthy of pursing. I have taken the time to mull them over in my mind. Set up reminders of what my dreams are in my room. I've internalized them and set up my life around them.

But no one told me what happens when you take your dreams from that lofty space in your head and then try to birth them into the world.

The world has humans in it and therefore, is messy.

People either try to tell you your dream isn't good or worth pursuing. "It's a waste of time and talent!" Situations can place obstacles in your way that you have to overcome. There might be people who oppose your dream and directly try to stop it.

But what I've learned is that the important thing about bringing dreams into the world is focus. It's so easy to get caught up in the things that are impeding your dream that you focus on those rather than why you started the process of bringing your dreams into reality. Recently, I had a Sunday at church where everything seemed to be going wrong. While we had a "great" weekend as far as programing and tons of kids, I considered the weekend a miss because I focused on all the things that went wrong instead of pushing on and focusing on connecting to the parent's and kids that God brought to church that morning. I can get so focused on all the things that don't go right, that I forget to do the thing that I came to do in the first place!

This is the mentality that makes or breaks dreams. When I first started running, I thought that I had to follow a training schedule perfectly. And if I missed a workout, then the whole dream was ruined because I didn't do it perfectly. But that's the mentality the devil wants us to have when it comes to furthering the Kingdom of God. God doesn't demand perfection. He just asks for you to bring everything that you have. He then takes your natural and makes it supernatural.

So as you pursue your dreams, whether it be training for a big race or changing the world, don't forget to keep the vision of your dream the focus of your work. Don't get distracted by what isn't going the way you want it to. Simply bring you best, and let God do the rest!

Nike Woman's Half Marathon

I knew it had been a while since I posted. But I didn't know it had been THIS long!

Also late, is my post about our recent trip and race in Washington D.C.! Mom and I had a blast touring and racing. I PRed by 8.5 minutes on a gorgeous course. The race was really well run. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself!

Running. Where do I start?

So Saturdays are usually the days that I go for my long runs! I get a ton of questions on how I started running and how others can start. So I thought every Saturday, I would give little tips for people!

Where better to begin, than the beginning?

First thing you need to decide before you even set out is to have a goal. Some of you, your goal might just to be start running. Great! Get going! Some of you, you might want to lose weight, get healthier or run a race of any distance. Once you have it, write it down! And put it in a place you will see it all the time. This could be on your fridge, or even setting a reminder for the same time every day on your phone! When you write it down, you are much likelier to do it. I have a whole bulletin board with my goals on it right opposite my bed. I see it every night and remind myself on my running goals.

Limits are nothing. Do not doubt yourself and reach for the goal, no matter how unlikely it seems right now! So what do you want to do?

Pushing Through Fear

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing great! And I don't just say that. I really want you to be doing great!

So each week I have been using this new cool technology to communicate to my volunteers and hopefully encourage them as we go through ministry together. So I figured if I'm going to go through making these videos, then I could probably use them on here too and hopefully encourage more people! So here's my encouragement for the week. Remember, it is geared toward my volunteers but I hope you can find encouragement too!



Volunteer 10-1-12 from Madelyn on Vimeo.

Running Across America finally came back online! Here's last Saturday and Sunday's runs!

Today was our 30 minute run. No intervals. Only walking if we had to! I only walked once for about a minute! I am so proud of myself! This is the run I've been training for! Now all I gotta do is get my 5K under 30 minutes in 3 weeks. I think I can do it!

Here's today's run!

Post Marathon Life

So a few days ago, I talked about my marathon experience briefly. I loved the vacation and the time with my family. I was certainly not ready to come back! But while I think there are a ton of people who like to add their two cents about the marathon weekend, like if it was run smoothly or as spectacular as last year or if they had any corral issues, there are not a ton of people that talk about the days after the marathon. People don't talk about the "Post Marathon Blues." Which, I have experienced, full force.

I had heard it was common to have some post marathon blues. Any time you have a big anticipated event, there's some sadness when it's over. But for me, it was a marked difference pre-marathon and post marathon. Coming back to work was difficult. No one seemed to notice that something big had just happened in my life (that acknowledgment wouldn't come for a few days). My sleep schedule was all crazy (and still is. I haven't gotten back to my sleep schedule and it's been a month!). I didn't have any big things to look to anymore. Combine that with the cold, cold winter and dreary weather it was a recipe for disaster.

The best way I can describe what I've been feeling was this undercurrent of sadness in my chest that seemed to be always present. It is like a river, always flowing. I tried to keep busy by working on some projects or hanging out with friends. This would help keep my mind off of it and the river "small." But any time I didn't have something to distract me, this undercurrent of sadness blossomed into a gigantic river, overflowing the banks and overcoming my feelings. Worse, I couldn't run to cope since I was letting my marathon injuries rest.

I don't think I've beat it yet. But I'm getting better. My best friend and I got a chance to talk as she deals with the same thing. And what I've come up with is that what I learned to get me through the marathon is what I can use to get past the marathon blues! When you get to that point in the race where your body just gives out and you are running on fumes, you have to fight to keep going. Things that used to keep you going in training may or may not work. You have to dig deep inside to keep up the will to keep going.

I've gotten to the point where things I used to enjoy weren't fun anymore. Things that kept me motivated didn't exist anymore and clinically, that's depression. What I've had to do is realize that things that are important haven't changed. Spending time with family. My work. My friends. And most importantly, my relationship with Christ. Sometimes, the good and pleasant feelings come naturally when we think about the things we love. And sometimes, we have to fight for those feelings to come, especially when negativity seems to be coursing through your soul.

I've had to fight for my feelings post marathon. I've had to be dedicated to my Bible studies. I had to choose to believe the best in people and situations when I felt the worst. And more importantly, I had to give myself permission to be ok with not being ok. It's a bit like paddling upstream with only your hands. Many times I wonder why God is allowing this to happen. And yet slowly and inexplicably God is starting to bless my efforts and my prayers and turn the river in my favor, where I'm now gaining speed and going towards where I want to be faster and faster.

As I've been consistently choosing to do all these things (and setting up my new race schedule) I'm starting to get back to what I call "normal me." The negativity is ebbing away and I'm starting to laugh more often, smile more and feel so much happier. To anyone who might deal with the same thing, I'd say a couple of things.

1) Keep doing what you know is right. Choose to be kind. Choose to love others no matter what you feel. Choose to love God even if he seems far away. Choose to be ok with the season you are in no matter how un-content you feel. Dig deep. Yes, if feels futile against the current you are in. But then:

2) Pray for God to change the current. Pray that he bless your efforts to enjoy what you have been given and allow you to see the fruit of what you have been faithful with.

I'll let you know how things are going on my side soon!

I'm back!

Hello everyone! I'm back!!

It's just a little over a month since my family and I conquered our first marathon! I'm still processing everything that happened. It still hasn't sunk in that I did it. But I can now say I'm officially a marathoner!

Reflecting back, there are a few things that stand out. First off, I love my family. I love how we navigate traveling challenges, hotel room situations (my brother ended up sleeping in the kitchenette on a blow up mattress!) app glitches and logistics issues. I wouldn't say this was our smoothest trip to Disney, but I certainly had so much fun!

I would say that my family is just out of practice in going to Disney (It had been eight years since our last trip!). Then, add in the new magic bands and our whole method of touring the parks just simply didn't work. We used to rule the fastpass kiosks, had an order to which rides to go on in order to reduce wait times and we used to nap in the afternoons when things were the most crowded. With having to fit in the expo, the new fastpass + system constantly glitching, and running, we were basically doing the opposite of we were used to. I think this caught me off guard a ton. I was constantly trying to figure out what the best thing to do as far as touring the parks was while learning a new system on the fly.

I'd also say, the marathon had us worried for a good portion of the vacation. We had to tour the parks before the marathon if my brother wanted to do any of Disney (boo college!). This had us logging several miles walking when we should have been resting before the marathon. I don't suggest this! We were constantly battling enjoying the theme parks with trying to conserve energy. While I'm used to being on my feet all day, it was still taking a toll. Our feet hurt just standing waiting for the race to start.

Yet, all the bad things aside, I love that my family made the most of it. We LOVE roller coasters and riding our favorites again as a family made this trip so much fun! We even had a poncho day! It was so amazing to watch my family bond and hang out together and made my heart so happy!

Then there was the marathon! I was fighting back tears before the race even began. I couldn't believe I had made it to the start line! Jared and I ran the whole race together! We took it nice and slow, enjoying the sights, running together and taking pictures. One thing that bugged me for a while was that I didn't make it to the finish line at my 5 hour goal mark. What was the point of all that training if I didn't make it? But when I sat back and thought about it, I realized that I traded that goal in order to have the fun with my family in the parks before hand and enjoy the race with my husband during. No hour on a time is worth the memories that came with the rest of the vacation!

So all in all, it was a great vacation. I loved spending time with my family. I loved it that we accomplished a ginormous feat! I loved wearing our shiny medals around the parks after and most of all, I loved the season of life.

Check out Jared and I's race here!

We Get Permission to Fail!

I had the most interesting experience yesterday. We had a run scheduled (Tempo Intervals: 2000m with a 400m recovery three times in case anyone was really wondering). I laced up my kicks and grabbed my dog and my husband and I hit the pavement. But as we made it to the park, we found it incredibly crowded! Families of all sizes were out with their shiny new bikes and scooters. Puppies were being walked. Kids were playing in the trails. Soccer games were being played. It was beautiful. I didn't mind that I had to run on the grass often. I was just glad to see everyone out enjoying a beautiful day instead of watching TV on their couches.

We even saw one of my best friends Ashely! You may have heard how awesome she is in an earlier blog post. She was out running too and I was so glad to give her a big sweaty hug! We briefly talked (we're on our runs right?) and as we left, she announced, "Professional runners! Coming through!"

We laughed and I assured her, she's a professional too. But I started looking around and realizing many people out here are starting their "New Years Fitness Plan." They are going to ride their bike, run or walk x amount of days in a week and lose x amount of pounds. My beat up kicks were looking pretty worn out compared to some of the white new sneakers some people were wearing. What started whirring in my head is the question.

"If this is what people's new year resolutions are, how long will it last?"

I have felt different come this new years. I am not starting a new fitness plan, but cumulating a year and a half of training for a marathon. I'm on my third pair of sneakers and the new ones are already not new. And I didn't start this goal at the new year of 2012. I started it in August. Which makes no sense if you know about the heat in Texas in August.

But I stuck with it. So what was it that kept me working a year and a half later to get me to this point? As I mulled it over, I felt like it might help someone out there.

1. I felt that this journey was a calling from Jesus. You may think I'm crazy for saying that. But if you have read my past blog posts, you will realize that I've held this belief from the beginning. I believe that after thinking so negatively for so long, God challenged me to try. He gave me all the equipment I need...I just needed to trust him and go do it.

For once in my life I had goals. It gave me purpose and direction. That purpose and direction in my physical life overflowed into every other aspect of my life. It's a strange, supernatural phenomena. But because I listened to God in my fitness, I was able to hear him more clearly in the rest of my life. What I found is that Jesus gave us a purpose to live, no matter what area of life we are talking about. Jesus said trust Him and and love people. As I ran and wondered what I was doing, I decided to trust God and pray for people that I passed. I found that to be key to keeping me running and key to me making progress in every other goal I've made in day to day life.

2. It's ok not to be perfect. In the past I've made new years resolutions and when I fail on doing it perfectly, I give up all together. When people create art, do you think they do it perfectly from beginning to end? Of course not. That's why we have erasers for pencils and the ability to paint over things! But if an artist gave up the moment they made a mistake on their art pieces, they would never finish some of the beautiful artwork that inspires us today. In fact, some of the mistakes become inspirations to take the art to a totally higher level than they were expecting.

When I train, I don't do all my workouts! I miss some because life happens. I have found it key to forgive myself for missing a workout and getting right back on the workout wagon whenever I can to making sure I stick with my training plan and complete my goals.

What's even better, is that the Bible tells us that we have hope that God will forgive our sins. If you truly trust in Jesus, we can have full confidence that when we fail fighting sin and bad patterns in our lives (that we try to correct with new years resolutions), it will be forgiven and we can start again! The freedom to fail gives us the hope to fight against the sinful parts of our lives!

3. Christ will help us in our fight...if we ask him. I remember some of the early runs and I'm dying at the end. My legs are spent and I can't breathe. I used to repeat over and over in my head "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me."And you know, I made it through the run. Ironically, I do the same thing whether it's a three mile run or a twenty mile run. I hold the same conviction that Jesus is the source of my hope and my faith and He supernaturally helps in one way or another.

When we come across times where we can't seem to break cycles or the running gets tough or a relationship seems eternally broken, we can ask for help. If we trust God and love people and truly believe that as sons and daughters of Christ that our sins are forgiven, the supernatural will occur in our lives and we will see Christ come through in the fight.

So as you make your resolutions (and I think you should) I hope that you think about the fact that you are launching into something that hopefully, you can sustain longer than just a year. Hopefully, you can trust God to guide you and to build upon your faithfulness.

And remember, 2 Timothy says that even if we are unfaithful, God remains faithful because he cannot deny himself!

Happy New Year everyone.

Say something, I'm giving up.

It's after midnight and I can't fall asleep. I didn't even have hot chocolate or anything with caffeine in it. Instead, I have a song stuck in my head. And after an hour of learning it on the guitar trying to get it all out, it's still eating at me. GT English critical reading essays have ruined me for life I think. So you all get a treat of my insomniac critical essay on the song stuck in my head.

But I think you will like it.

The song in question is called "Say Something," by A Great Big World. It's a beautiful yet slightly haunting melody that I just can't get enough of.

Say something, I'm giving up on you.
I'll be the one, if you want me to.
Anywhere, I would've followed you.
Say something, I'm giving up on you.Immediately, I see two people, not unlike Jared and myself, who are at the end of a particularly frustrating argument. If it's me singing it, it's probably because I've done all the talking and I'm just yearning for him to engage. I'll be his girl, if he wants it. I will follow him anywhere, just like I have in the past. But I need that connection. I need him to talk with me.

And I am feeling so small.
It was over my head
I know nothing at all.

And I will stumble and fall.
I'm still learning to love
Just starting to crawl.

Here we see expectations meeting reality. The enormity of the anger, frustration, sadness and loneliness in the relationship is causing me to feel so incapable of solving it. I had expectations of love, but I obviously was naive to think that it would be like what I expected.

But hey. I realize I'm going to mess up. This is my first (and hopefully only) marriage. I'm going to mess up. Just like a toddler, I have to learn to walk before I can run.

Say something, I'm giving up on you.
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you.
Anywhere, I would've followed you.
Say something, I'm giving up on you.

And I will swallow my pride.
You're the one that I love
And I'm saying goodbye.

When I feel like I'm getting no response, my corresponding reaction is that I can't communicate with you. My feelings are not getting heard, just causing more pain, more grief, more doubt that I could ever help make this work. So instead of getting hurt more, I'm just going to say goodbye.

Say something, I'm giving up on you.
And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you.
And anywhere, I would have followed you.
Oh-oh-oh-oh say something, I'm giving up on you.

Say something, I'm giving up on you.
Say something...

And yet, even after all the hurt, all the anguish, I repeat myself just one last time. I still hold out hope that I can somehow, someway, get a positive response...

While I relate to this song on a level in my marriage primarily, I've been thinking that this is much like my friendships sometimes. I'd venture to say, this pops up in almost any relationship of any sort. People we love sometimes don't realize how much we crave their interaction, their affection or their support in our lives and we just cry out in angst for someone to say something, anything, where we don't feel alone. It can be heightened by social media, where we can have so many "friends" yet feel so alone at home.

But as Christmas rolls around and it heightens our sensitivity to our social relationships, I think this song touches a much deeper level of need that people are seeking. In reality, we are looking for unconditional love. Yet, we are seeking it from humans whom are incapable of it.

Now we have all heard that God loves us. But it's a ton easier to believe that God exists rather than believe that an all powerful being cares about me and my going-ons personally. It's hard to believe that he cares about my thoughts, my hopes, my dreams, my fears. It's hard to believe that he's as interested in hearing about my day at work as he is about orphans in Africa.

But that's the truth. And yet, sometimes it's so hard to feel that love. It's so hard to feel it and believe it, especially in the hardest and most painful circumstances. It's at that point that we yell out, "Say something!" to God, hoping that we get a burning bush or a parting of the sea to show us his power. We doubt. We say I would have followed you. Yet because I cannot feel you or see any inkling of your interaction with me, I'm giving up on you.

Maybe you have had this kind of interaction with God. Now, Christmas is just a reminder of that struggle with God and the feelings of being alone. But what you have to realize is that during a storm, all you can see are the clouds and the thunder and lightning. It gets really dark and dangerous as the storm builds and starts dumping water everywhere.

When I went running the other day, it was raining at the beginning. But after an hour or so of running through the rain and the cold, the rain stopped, the clouds moved and the sun came out. That got me thinking. Just because it's storming doesn't mean the sun isn't there. It's just hidden. Get in a plane (if it's safe) and pop up through the clouds and it's there. Shining as ever, giving a warm glow. In a life storm, all you may see are the dark and rainy parts. The lighting may frighten you and the thunder may be loud, but God's still there, behind the storm. He will never leave you. The song we may sing in our anguish is, thankfully, not his song.

His song can be found in 2 Timothy chapter 2:
"If we died with him, we will also live with him.
If we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we deny him, he will also deny us.
If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself."

God will always remain faithful, even if we say goodbye to him due to our unbelief. He is love. He is grace. He came to Earth on Christmas to bring you hope that you are not alone in the storm. You are not alone in your struggle or your anguish. You do not have the bear the burdens of your destructive behavior you have now. God came to give himself as a gift to the world. It's like a present under the tree. It's been paid for and wrapped, all you have to do is accept it for your own.

If Jesus were to rewrite some of this song, I think he would say
Say something, I'm coming to you.
I love you and I give my life for you.
Anywhere, I'm always with you.
Say something, yet I'm not giving up on you.