Slow and Steady completed the race!!!!!!!!!

I was jolted from a deep slumber at 4:45 a.m by my alarm clock. I had a difficult time getting to sleep the night before with all of the excitement of the race stimulating my thoughts. I guess this is why the "experts" recommend that you get a good night's sleep two nights before race day!!
The first thing that I heard at that early morning hour was birds chirping and welcoming the start of another beautiful day. I peeked out of the window and it still resembled night, but I knew in my heart it was going to be a perfect morning for a run.
I showered to wake myself up and carefully dressed in the running clothes that I had meticulously set out the night before. I lathered myself up with Body Glide (to keep from chafing) and deodorant and pulled on my black running skirt and my green St. Patrick's shirt to display my Shamrockin' spirit!! My number 9737 was perfectly pinned in the center of my shirt and I wrapped my running pack around my waist. I couldn't forget to carry the necessities.....Strawberry GU, chapstick, Sport Beans, license, and my camera to capture our memories of the day. I think that I was ready to go!!
As we reached the Oceanfront that morning, my heart leaped with happiness at having the opportunity to run another 1/2 marathon. I have not participated in one in over a year and a half. As I blogged previously, the training has been cold and difficult. God was rewarding our hard work by painting the horizon with a beautiful sunrise and temperatures in the 50's that seemed balmy.
The excitement was contagious at the start line. There was a sea of green everywhere that you looked to honor the St. Patrick's day holiday and the Shamrock weekend. We started in Corral 4 which meant we had a few minutes after the race officially started before we crossed the start line. We snapped pictures, talked with other running friends and waited patiently for the gun to fire signaling the beginning of the 13.1 mile journey.
At approximately 7:10 we ran over the start and our chip time officially began. My dear friend Sue and I started out slow and steady in order for our muscles to get used to the exercise that we were going to put them through for the next two and a half hours.
Crowds of people lined the streets, even at this early morning hour. Our names had been carefully typed on our racing numbers, so people that we did not even know shouted our names and encouraged us on our trek. Cow bells ringing, people cheering and holding up signs of motivation allowed for us to focus on our goal and have a great time doing it!!
The first few miles came and went and we felt strong. We stopped at each water stop to hydrate ourselves with cold water and Gatorade. We sang along with the DJ's that were strategically placed along Shore Dr. (which is a very long part of the race), we read the riddles and answers that were posted in the pine straw and tried to guess the punchlines. Sue and I talked with each other about our lives, our thoughts and our dreams. As we conversed, mile after mile was behind us and we were quickly reaching the finish line.
We made sure that we sucked down our portable food for runners.....GU, and I ate some Sport beans which are really a glorified name for Jellybeans!! Our energy was contagious and we were still at it and looking towards our goal.
Reaching mile 10, we re hydrated with some more water and affirmed the fact that we only had 3 more miles to go. We can do it!! As we ran back down the Oceanfront, dear friends continued to cheer for us, knowing that our goal was only a few miles away and so happy to share in the joy of completing the race. Sue and I were both beginning to hurt. My toe was numb and Sue's side was aching. We needed to push on through....we were almost there!! :)
After mile 12, we ran onto the beautiful boardwalk of Virginia Beach with the majestic ocean on our left. In the distance, we could see a glimpse of the large finish line beckoning our feet and hear the announcer blaring the names of the successful racers.
"Come on, Sue....we are almost there," I encouraged.
Each step brought us closer and closer. Our hearts were pounding and we were panting with anticipation and fatigue after running for almost 13 miles. We grabbed each others hands and as the finish line became a reality, we pushed them in the air in celebration of months and months of work and crossed to completion. Huge smiles adorned our faces and the adrenaline pumped through our veins. What an awesome accomplishment and a perfect running day!!
The months of training and perseverance allowed for both of us to experience God's creation and His strength through a race that has carved memories in our minds forever. I am so thankful for this opportunity and know that I am blessed to be a Shamrock 1/2 marathon finisher!!!

Not the weekend I expected............

The weather was perfect this weekend. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Dalton and I had thoroughly enjoyed the crowds and the excitement of the Final mile and were heading back to the car. He had baseball practice and I was going to go to the Middle School wrestling championships at Salem Middle School.

I jumped in the car with excitement knowing that Landon had already wrestled one match and I was looking forward to arriving in time for the second one. I glanced down at my phone which I had left in the car during the race. I had 2 text messages. One was from HR Lax reminding me of a game which Landon wasn't able to attend. The other one was from Dan and only few words.......He lost to the Salem kid.

WHAT?????? Dan had to have typed in the text incorrectly.....(he isn't the best texter in the world)............I had to look down again and that is when my heart broke and the tears fell.

You see, Landon finished his Middle School wrestling season 8 and 0....undefeated. He only allowed 3 points against him the entire season. He was ranked the #1 seed in the North part of the city in his weight class. This was not supposed to happen. He was supposed to wrestle the opposition and make it to the finals with no issues....no problems. How could this happen? Why did this happen???

Well, let's say that my pride(not Landon's) got in the way. I believed that Landon was good and that he would go to the finals without a problem. I bragged a bit about him to people that asked. I don't usually do that, but I was SO confident that he was going to be successful that I allowed myself that option. Pride is dangerous. The definition of pride is a high opinion of ones own merit or importance. I believed that the importance of my son winning and my high opinion of his success so far, outweighed anything else. I couldn't even entertain the thought of him not getting to the championship round. So, when this did not happen, I was crushed. If I hadn't allowed these thoughts to get in the way.........maybe this would not have been so very painful.

Romans 12:3 says a lot.........For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment , in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

My downfall was taking pride in my son's accomplishments and not even considering how God was going to fit in the picture. I had prayed for Landon to be successful, of course God was going to allow that. Little did I know that God's success for Landon this weekend and my success for Landon were two totally different things.
After I dropped off Dalton and headed to see Landon....God really spoke to my heart. He very clearly said, "I bring good out of EVERYTHING and my ways are not always understandable to you, but trust me" I kept trying to push these thoughts away..."It wasn't fair, I thought. This is his last year in middle school....why, why???" As these truths really sunk in, I began to look at things through God's eyes and not my own. How was this situation good? What lesson am I learning? What lesson is Landon learning? How is he demonstrating God's goodness?
In the big scheme of life, I want my children to love God first and foremost. I then want them to be honest, loving, compassionate, hard working, humble, patient, good, gentle, kind, etc........I want the fruits of the spirit to make themselves loud and clear in their lives. This was God's definition of success for Landon this weekend. Landon accepted the loss with the integrity of a mature adult. He was composed and humble. He demonstrated the maturity of a fine young man. He cheered for his direct competitors and wished them the best. You see, if Landon would have won his first match, there may have not been the opportunity for me or for others to witness his maturity. There would not have been the many comments and e-mails and texts commending Landon's character and integrity. There would not have been the chance to let others know that God knows what He is doing.

My heart still aches, but I am no longer asking, "Why?" I know why and I know beyond measure that even though this will sting for a while, that the good that God brought out of this weekend far outweighs the aspect of Landon winning that match. There will be many other opportunites for Landon to shine, but this weekend our family needed to be humbled and be reminded about what is really important in our lives..............

On this Monday, looking back on the weekend, I am completely amazed by my son's maturity and composure in the face of "losing" a match where everyone expected him to be victorious. I know now that Landon is a true winner in how he carries himself and what he deems important in his life. Thank you God for this lesson, even though it hurts. You are good all of the time!!

The Gift of Athleticism

As I sit today and enjoy the beautiful sunshine and spring temperatures, I am so thankful for the gift of athleticism. In reflection regarding the busy weekend that is so quickly approaching, I have realized that God has given our family such a wonderful gift. We all are involved this weekend in something athletic. This means that God has allowed each of us to be physically active and strong.

Dalton is participating in the Final Mile on Saturday. This means that he has logged 25 miles (or 30 in his case) through running in PE class at school. The final mile is a culmination of months of work to finish up a marathon distance. This type of exercise requires stamina and determination. I am so proud of Dalton's efforts and am excited to see him cross the finish line on Saturday knowing that he was able to reach a goal that he has been working towards since September.

Landon is participating in the Middle School Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach on Saturday. Most likely, he will be the number 1 seed in his weight class for the northern part of the city. He is 8 and 0 for this wrestling season. This has not come easily, but is also the result of months of workouts, practices, running, lifting and discipline. Whatever the outcome of this event for Landon, we are so proud of him and everything that he has accomplished during his 8th grade year of wrestling. Dan will be coaching Landon and his wrestling teammates with knowledge and expertise that will serve all of the wrestlers so well. This coaching is a love of my husbands and stems from the fact that he has been blessed with athleticism in his life as well.

I am running the Shamrock 1/2 marathon on Sunday. This race is the celebration of months of training in the cold, along with strong runs and runs that didn't always feel so great. My body has been through a lot, but I am looking forward to a beautiful day and also completing a goal that has been part of my life for weeks.

All of this to say, being physically active and strong is not something that everyone can say that they posess. I am forever thankful and grateful for this gift that God has given to each person in our family. It is a gift that binds us together and sets us apart. It binds us as a family to cheer for each other in our individual events and share in the excitement of winning and the bittersweetness of defeat. It sets us apart because our Creator differentiated enough to give each of us a specific athletic ability to excel in.

Win or lose this weekend, setting records or not.....to God be the glory for the strength, agility and athleticism to complete the goal that He has set in front of each of us.

Hebrews 10:35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.

Changing the Way I Eat

I read the most incredible book this past weekend..... Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman. A friend at work has been following the plan and recommended it highly. I was aware that the American diet is lacking in nutrients, but I didn't realize to what extent. I get very caught up in ease of preparation and time constraints with cooking. I never seriously gave a lot of thought to the FACT that what passes through our lips is either prolonging my life or cutting it extremely short!

A few things that I learned that surprised me and have been making me contemplate my eating habits:

1. Refined or extracted oils, including Olive oil are high in calories and low in nutrients. Fats, such as olive oil can be stored on your body WITHIN MINUTES!!! (Yuck!!) If my waist was biopsied and examined under an electron microscope, it can be determined where the fat came from......pig fat, dairy fat, olive oil........etc...... WOW!!! My waist is one big ring of mixed fats....ugh!!!

2. Olive Oil packs more calories per pound than butter!!! This was amazing to me as I use Olive Oil in just about everything.....thinking that this is my "healthy option!"

3. Raw vegetables and fresh fruits are the two most powerful anti-cancer categories of food. Believe it or not, I do not eat either of these things more than 2 or 3 times a week.

4. Our health is predicted by our nutrient intake divided by intake of calories. A key to permanent weight loss is a high proportion of nutrients to calories. How nutritionally sound are the Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones that I consume daily??? I think that the answer is: NOT VERY!!

5. Fiber is vital to our heath. When we consume fruits, vegetables and beans our bodies are provided with large amounts of fiber. This fiber needs to be in our diets not as supplements or power bars or Metamucil, but as fresh fruits, beans, whole grains and raw nuts and seeds.

6. Steak has only 5.4 grams of protein per 100 calories and broccoli has 11.2 grams. This is almost twice as much!! I could hardly believe this....I had to re-read this over and over!!!
7. Most calories in meat come from fat and green vegetables are mostly protein. I never knew that vegetables had protein. I really thought that this had to come from meat products or beans.

8. 100 calories of broccoli is about 10 oz of food and 100 calories of ground sirloin is less than 1 oz of food!!!!

9. Since the foods that Americans eat are so calorie-rich, we have all been trying to diet by eating ridiculously small portions of low nutrient foods. We tend to suffer from hunger but also have intense cravings because we are also nutrient deficient. I remember eating Jenny Craig foods and thinking the entire portion was about 3-4 bites for me. How could I ever sustain eating such minute portions?

10. Third world countries have a cancer and heart attack rate of close to zero. These two diseases are rampant in our country and this is because of how we choose to eat.

So, what does this all mean to me?? I am seriously going to start next week (after my 1/2 marathon) trying to follow Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live diet. I am hoping to drop some weight and become healthier in the process. It will be difficult for me as I love my soda and my meat, but my body is truly a temple and I need to treat it as such. I also need to pray for a serious mindset change. This needs to be a lifelong change and not a diet just a few weeks out of the year. The habits that I am engaging in now, are not doing my body any good. Plus the fact is that I am not getting any younger and my desire is to be here a while so that I can cherish the time with my husband, my sons and my family and friends.

I am excited about this and know that with support and God's guidance, it will be a success. Meanwhile, this week I may just pig out on some pizza and chocolate!! :)

1Corinthians 6:19-20: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race.......

Well, I just returned from a 3 mile run. This is a taper week for me. Next week my friend Sue and I are scheduled to run the Shamrock 1/2 marathon.

This is not my first 1/2 marathon, but it is the first Shamrock 1/2 that I have run. I ran the Shamrock marathon in 2004 and I swore I would never run another one. I also didn't care for training in the winter and having icicles form on the sweat dripping from my hair. BUT, here I am less than 2 weeks from running and I really don't feel ready at all. The one positive aspect is the fact that I will be facing 13.1 miles instead of 26.2!

This winter has been brutal with weather and completing our runs. We have accomplished two 10 milers for our long runs, but there have been weeks where the running is scarce. Our normal running route through the state park has been flooded since October from the destructive Nor'Easter. We have had to make do with driving our cars through the routes to figure out mileage or Sue does this on the computer and calculates it through a web site. It has not been all smooth sailing!!
Some days our runs feel super and I am on top of the world from the adrenaline flowing through my veins....other days, I am sore and I ache and I truly feel like an old woman. I ask myself...Why am I putting myself through this???? I especially ask myself this when my weight doesn't change at all from this type of exercise!!

When I look at this all though from the perspective of enjoyment and with a thankful attitude, it is all a very good thing!! I have enjoyed my time with Sue and we have reconnected on so many things during our running times. We both get to enjoy the beautiful weather that is peeking through and making itself known to us. We can be thankful to God for bodies that are strong and healthy enough to run. Are we going to be record breakers in this race???? Absolutely NOT, but we can run, take water breaks, take GU breaks and enjoy each others company along with thousands of other runners. Slow and steady will complete the Shamrock. Stay tuned for more updates......

Taking things for granted.....

I take so many things for granted. I KNOW that God does not want us to do that, but it is so easy in a world that is caught up in self absorption and want. My dear friend, April writes a blog and has encouraged her readers to write on Thursdays about what they are thankful for. As I was driving home today from work, I was thinking about this, but the idea that came to my mind was how many things in my life I take for granted. It is almost like I am entitled to them and boy is that wrong thinking!! I know that I get so frustrated when my children expect things and think that they are entitled to have whatever they want. How can they be so demanding and unthankful? Well, I am the same way and need to really stop and praise Him for all that He has given to me and all that He provides day after day after day.....regardless of my attitude!!

I am thankful for (but many times take for granted):
1. My dear husband who puts up with my pre-menopausal fits a LOT!!
2. My precious children who can drive me crazy, but I could not live without!!
3. My friends who love me for who I am.
4. My father and his wife, Lori and my brother, Vinnie whose hearts are so good.
5. My mother and father in law and my sister in law.....they love unconditionally.
6. My sweet puppy, Sophie who lights up all of our smiles.
7. Living at the beach and having the opportunity to listen to the waves and praise God's glorious creation whenever I want.
8. My cozy home....which is perfect for us and full of memories to fill all of our hearts with overflowing love.
9. Health.....I truly take this for granted everyday...I am so thankful that my family is healthy and happy.
10. My job.....I love my job and am so thankful in this time of difficulty financially in our country that I have a job that I can go to everyday and come home smiling!!
11. My faith and the knowledge that I truly will live forever. That this Earthly home is only temporary and I have so much to look forward to.
My prayer is that I can truly give thanks everyday to God for the things that I take for granted. That I can be thankful in all of my words and actions. That my heart is convicted when I am acting selfish and He can set me straight to realize that every gift I have is from Him and they are all perfect!!

James 1:17: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows. (NIV)