Thankful part 2

 Here are some more things that are rattling through my head that I am extremely thankful for!!!

• Situations that bring us closer to God.  
• Situations that remind us that we need to be in a state of prayer at all times.
• Situations that remind us that this world is NOT our home.  We weren't made for any of this world- nothing that is has to offer, none of its drama, none of the things we accumulate, etc.
• Normalcy- however crazy normal might be!
• Friday evening long runs that start off with friends, have quiet contemplation time in the middle, and end reconnecting with my friends!
• Saturday mornings spent in pajamas with coffee and my family.  
• Saturdays where I don't have to continuously watch the clock because we have to be somewhere at a certain time.
• Friends that check in on you to make sure you are ok.
• Family that checks in on you to make sure you are ok.
• Planning Christmas lists.
• Making plans for the Thanksgiving holiday!!!!

Thankful

 So basically all of Facebook is on a thankful status kick- meaning beginning on Nov. 1st, they listed one thing they were thankful for each day.  I didn't jump on the bandwagon for many reasons...one being I don't want to feel like I need to be on Facebook every day.  But I am thankful for many things and would like to share them with YOU!

1. God.  He send His only son to die for me (and you).  I am not deserving of His love, grace, and mercy that He gives me every single day. 

2. My parents.  They really are the best.  I'm thankful they raised me in a Godly house.  I'm forever grateful for the values they instilled in me at an early age.  I love that I'm closer to my mom than I have ever been.  And I love that my dad is always there to talk, listen, or advise.  Love you two!

3. Kevin.  He is really the best husband a woman could ever ask for.  God sure knew what he was doing when he put us together.  Love you babe!

4. Dylan, Landen, and Alex.  Three parts of my heart that are walking around every day.  I love them more than they know.

5. Family. My brother, sister-in-laws, mother-in-law, father-in-law, aunt, cousins, etc.  I don't have a lot of family, but what I have is pretty great.  I know that anytime I need any member of my family, they are 100% there for me! 

6. Friends.  I don't think I could make it in this crazy world without my friends.  And I'm so glad that I have different friends!!!!  I have friends that I run with, teach with, go to church with, hang out with, shop with, plan with, etc.  I have friends that I have known for 20+ years, and friends that I have known for 6 months.  God has placed each person in my life for a reason and for that I am grateful.

7. Running.  I. love. to. run.  After a bad day, I just run.  It all ends up on the pavement.  After a great day, I just run.  Still, it all ends up on the pavement.  There's no judgement, no talking, no pretending to be something you're not...just running. 

8. My Health.  I know, I know, it sounds corny...but I am.  I can get up in the morning with out hurting.  I can walk around during the day, run during the week, and basically do what I want.  I don't ever want to take that for granted.

That's enough for tonight folks!  Stay tuned for part 2!

Race Recap

I am a runner.  I run for many reasons.  1-I am able to.  God blessed me with a body that is physically able to run.  2-STRESS RELIEVER!  3-Enjoyment.  5-To take care of ME, both physically and mentally.  4-To run just a little bit better/faster than I did last time. 

While I am no where near an "elite athlete", I am proud of my accomplishments, and I need somewhere to keep track of my races, times, and PR's. 

5K Races
Run for the Sight    Sept '11            29:30
Medical Center     Oct. '11             28:19
Monster Dash       Oct '11              ??:??
Turkey Run           Nov 24, 2011    28:27
Cupid's Chase      Feb 10th, 2012  26:00
Eagle Flight           Mar 3, 2012      25:54        **Second Place Age Group**
Purple Strider       July 27, 2012     25:10       **Second Place Age Group**
Color Run            July 28, 2012     ??:??
Monster Dash      Oct. 27,2012     23:59        **First Place Age group**  PR


4 Miler
Hospice               July 28, 2012    37:03        **Overall Female Winner**  PR


10K
Flying Pig            May 5, 2012       53:50
Medical Center   Oct 13, 2012      47:14        **Third Place Age Group**  PR

1/2 Marathon
Total Fitness Connection    March 30, 2011   2:09:51
Lady Speed Stick              Sept. 22, 2012    1:55:37
BG26.2 and Half               Nov. 4, 2012       1:53:25  **Second Place Age group**  PR

Life Lately in Pictures...

Update on LIFE

 Well, school is officially well underway and my life is passing by like a speeding car!!  I just can't believe how quickly the days go by!  So instead of rambling on with words...I'll show you some pics and update that way!

Our oldest has made the transition from elementary to j.r. high *sniff, sniff*.  He's in the band, and has decided to play french horn!

I did my first 4 miler race on August 11th, and was the first female to cross the finish line.  My time was 33:01, but I know I could have shaved a minute or so off if the course hadn't been so mucked up with 5 inch gravel pits :-(  Regardless, I am proud of that race!

I'm not exactly sure why I took this pictures, or why I am including it on the blog...it's not exactly flattering!  But it does reflect my week- work clothes, in the car, in serious thought about something, probably rushing to get to my next destination. 

 Another fabulous pic...obviously I should win an award for taking iPhone pictures.  Anyhoo!  There is so much background story/information to this picture...I'll have to share later.  But let's just say God answers prayer, and we are so happy to be in each other's lives again!

For some reason, Landen and Alex LOVE to fall asleep in our big bed- even though Kevin takes them to their bed when it's our grown-up bedtime.  This is how I found Alex one night...he had made a cocoon of all the pillows.  Hilarious!

 Ok- so we all know that I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag!  Oh, well- not my talent!  Last Friday some friends and myself went on a long run downtown.  HA!  I had NO CLUE as to where I was going.  It was slightly annoying for me :-(.  So this weekend I decided to be prepared.  I studied the course map, wrote down directions on a post-it, laminated it, and pinned it to my shirt.  Worked like a charm!!!!

  

And finally- LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture from our church's website!  Our pastor has been preaching on love each Sunday.  It's been just what I need!

So there you go!  My life in a nutshell.  See ya soon!!!

rANdOm

Random is the name of the game folks.  There's a lot going on inside this little head of mine, and I get to spill it all out for Y-O-U!  Your welcome.

#1 Olympics...I've never been real interested, but since I am probably on my way to competing in some type of running event, I wanna see it ALL this year!  I'm actually trying to figure out how we can watch the opening ceremonies since we don't have cable...anyone wanna have us over?

#2 Speed work...for my entire running career (yes all 13 months) I have never participated in this magical speed work.  I've wanted to incorporate it in my training, but have lacked the motivation to implement it...until Tuesday @ 6.  I met a local running group to see what it would be like.  We ran 8 400m repeats @ a 5K pace, and it was way fun!  It took me a while to get my pace right, and I'm not entirely sure it was where it need to be (didn't have my app telling me my pace), but I could tell I was moving faster than my regular runs.  And glory, hallelujah, the next morning my butt and upper thighs were sore!!!  Best. feeling. ever.

#3 School...it's a love hate relationship.  I think that we are all ready to be back in some sort of routine, so therefore, we are ready for school to start.  However, I am not ready for all the things that go with it- early morning wake ups, packing lunches, signing papers, homework, blah, blah, blah.

#4 Races...I haven't raced since May- Flying Pig 10K in Cincinnati.  All of that will change on Saturday though.  I have 2 races back to back.  A local 5K here, and a fun 5K in Louisville- The Color Run!  Then, it's 1 race in August, 2 in September (including a half marathon), 2 in October, 2 in November (including another half), and 0 in December.  I'm slightly nervous about the 5K tomorrow.  My fastest time was a 23:42 and that was the second half of the 10K I ran in May.  For some reason that puts a lot of pressure on me to run that time or faster tomorrow.  YIKES!  Sunday we will be leaving at 4:30 AM...yes, AM- for our Color Run.  Not nervous about that at all.  I am nervous about running 2 half marathons with only 1 month between. I'm sure my body will be 100% cool with that though :)

#5 Pictures for you delight!

Adios!

Eating Clean Is Good For Me!

Yep, that's right!  I'll be honest, I didn't Google what eating clean exactly means...we are rolling with the Jennifer definition.  Here's the deal- when I eat a whole lot of veggies, fruits and greens; some potatoes (white and orange), beans, nuts, and whole wheat grains- I feel sooooo good!!!  

I can't listen to my body though...it's kinda against my whole goal :-(  It wants me to eat cereal, crackers, sugar yummies, processed foods, CARBS!!!!!!!!  Sometimes I have to give in to the cravings, and sometimes that's ok, but 90% of the time I'm on the straight and narrow.

While we were on our cross country trek, we all had to compromise and let go of a few things.  The kiddos didn't have their own rooms to go play in, Kevin didn't have the convince of taking a shower every time a drop of sweat hit his forehead, and I couldn't eat or run like I wanted.  Let's face it- we were basically living out of the back of our Armada! The result was major bloating...and swelling...and complaining!  I felt like a beached whale :-(  Not a good feeling.  It is totally amazing- what you eat really makes a difference!!!!!!  

It took about 2 weeks to get back where I was before we left.  I don't walk around feeling bloated and blah all the time, and my mileage is back to where I want it to be.  So here's my two cents- 1. People eat too much.  It really doesn't take much to fill you up...IF you make the right choices.  2. People eat too much processed food.  If it has more than 5 ingredients, you probably need to make a better choice!  3. People don't eat enough veggies.  They're good folks...I promise!!!!  4. People don't drink enough water. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!  And finally, 5. People don't exercise enough!  Get out there and move folks...it ain't gonna kill you to get your heart rate up and sweat for a while!!!