Day 26 of 30- Good health

I am thankful for:

Good health!

In February of 2010, I stopped smoking. In order to do so, I signed up to compete in a triathlon. Since then, I have completed numerous 5K's, 2 triathlons, 2 long distance bike events, and 6 Half Marathons. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with the health and ability to complete these goals.

Thankful Thursday

Often I think about how much I have to be thankful for...it's hard to narrow it down to only a short list. Here are a few that are closest to my heart and mind today:
1) Cooler weather and sunshine!

2) A husband and friends that make me laugh and "get" me and my crazy sense of humor...in short, I am thankful for laughter!

3) Conviction...I love how God's gentle reminders help to keep me in line...and out of trouble!

4) Flowers...I am definitely not gardener but I planted these flowers last summer. I had no idea that they would come back up this spring...and then again at the end of summer! They're like the flowers that just keep on giving!!!

5) I just finished my last Half Marathon of the year! I love to run but I'm tired after 6 Half Marathons this year...

...even though I am already trying to figure out when and where the next one will be...I have my eye on a very special medal!

What are you thankful for today?

Mindshift

My 2011 race schedule is coming to an end. I have enjoyed spending this year training and racing. All the hard work and excitement has been building up for THE race...the one race that I want that PR! The Middle Half!!! My goal (and hope) is to finish under 2:00...I don't care if it's 1:59:59!

HOWEVER...

I met with my coach today...

The conversation went something like this:
Him: How do you feel your running is coming along?
Me: Good
Him: How's your foot?
Me: It hurts...and now I am getting this little knee thing
Him: Hmmmm
Me: What are we going to do to get me ready for the Middle 1/2 with these things? I REALLY want that PR.
Him: Well, I want to encourage you to shift your mindset.
Me: Huh?
Him: When we run, we need to glorify Him! He is the reason that we are able to run. I want you to consider that this is not the race for that PR. I want you to consider that God has other plans for you with this particular race. When you run this race, I want you to listen to your body but also pray for his guidance. He may have something that He needs from you to glorify Him. It may be the PR that you want, or it may be something totally different. (Oh, and he said that he doesn't want me to run with anyone or with any music)
Me: Hmmmm

So, this has been on my mind and in my heart since this conversation. At first, I wanted to cry. My heart and mind were focused intently on THIS race and THAT PR. At first, I felt like I was giving up.

After spending some time thinking, replaying his words, and praying, I feel differently. I don't know what all of this means. I don't know what this looks like. What I do know is that I agree with my coach. If it were not for Him, I would have never had the ability to stop smoking. If it were not for Him, I would not have laced up my running shoes for that very first run. If it were not for Him, I would not be able to run...at all! If it were not for Him, I would not have this life that blesses me. If it were not for Him, I would not have these AMAZING people in my life to speak these tough truths to me.

If his plan is the PR, that would be gr-8! If not, then He has something better in mind. It may be something so subtle that I would have missed it if...

Not for this mindshift...

And THAT would be the true tragedy in this...

...To miss seeing HIM in action!!!

Hmmmm....

....to be continued!!!

Why I Run...

I often get asked "Why do you run?". Good question...without one easy answer. So...I have decided to give 10 good reasons why I run...

#10- Because there ARE people chasing me...they are called the COMPETITION!

#9- Because I am (almost) 42 and I can!

#8- Because there are so many cute running outfits to buy!!!

#7- Because it doesn't matter whether I come in first, last, or in the middle...I HAVE CROSSED THE FINISH LINE!!!

#6- Because running makes me push myself farther than I thought that I could go!

#5- Because it gives me a reason to travel with my friends!

#4- Because it makes me a nicer person!

#3- Because I want to teach, by example, these 2 sweet girls that GIRLS CAN DO ANYTHING THEY WANT TO DO!

#2- Because I want to be around to celebrate many more wedding anniversaries with this guy!

#1- Because my Father has blessed me with the ability to run...I want to make Him proud!

Stupid dreadmill!!!

We had 4 miles on the training schedule today...and it snowed! So, I had a choice to make: skip today's training or take on my nemesis...the dreadmill!!!

All day long I had been dreading it, anticipating it, and avoiding it! My attitude was horrible ALL DAY LONG! I was grouchy and hateful...all because of a dreadmill! Then I remembered reading something about changing your mindset about things that you dislike, and you might just end up liking that thing.

So...I decided to try it. Each time that my mind started thinking about how much I hated being inside "running in place", I would change my thoughts. I would concentrate on my pace, think about my breathing, etc. I would also increase the speed and challenge myself to go longer at that pace than I thought that I could.

Truth is...the verdict is still out! I did it...I ran the 4 miles! That is much longer than I have been able to do before...so changing my mindset did help. I am not in love but I did like the feeling of accomplishment.

Now, if I can just change my mindset on vegetables...

Living in the moment...but looking at the future

I stated on my last post that I wanted to look back at my 2010 wishes to see how I did. So, here it goes:
1) Begin each day with prayer and meditation (not as consistently as I would like but definite improvement! My relationship with God is increasing daily and I LOVE it!)
2) Choose a volunteer program and start volunteering (Mostly accomplished this through my hubby's "Handyman Ministry"- would like to improve this next year)
3) Journal (Definitely improvement! Not perfect but definitely better)
4) Exercise at least 3 days a week (Yes! Woohoo!)
5) Finish a triathlon (YES!!! So proud!)
6) Stop smoking (YES!!! This is the one that I am most proud of!)
7) Pay off all debt except house, then start paying it down (YES! Working toward saving more and paying down the house)
8) Invest more for retirement (Hmmm...not so much!)
9) Take a family ski trip (Yup...and it was a blast! Thanks sis for the use of your cabin!)
10) Take a family trip to Costa Rica (We are leaving on December 29th until January 6th- SO EXCITED!)
11) Be kinder (I definitely believe that I have improved a lot here)
12) Think more positively (Most days!)
13) Take more weekends trips alone with my hubby (We took 4 weekend getaways alone! Yay, us!)
14) Stop procrastinating (Truthfully, not much improvement here...maybe next year)
15) Maintain balance in all aspects of my life (ABSOLUTELY!!! Now, I crave more family time)
16) Take a Zumba class (Not yet...but I still have 24 days left in the year
17) Sign up for Spanish lessons (Uhhhh...no beuno)
18) Declutter my life (Hmmm...somewhat...I'll add this to next year also)
19) Stay on a budget (Better, much better)
20) Perform one random act of kindness a day (I did really poorly on this one! Maybe next year?)

So there it is! I think that I will give myself an A- because the ones that I did accomplish are HUGE! I think 20 wishes are too many. I need to narrow it down for next year. In general,though, I am pretty darn proud of myself!

Now...looking at 2011...we have created a challenge for ourselves that I am so very excited about. We have named it the "Charity Challenge of 2011". Basically, we (hubby and I) are competing in one race event for each month of 2011 AND raising money for a charity throughout the year. I am so excited!!! We already have our preliminary schedules ready. We have been praying about the charity for a couple of weeks because we REALLY wanted God to guide us on this. We have considered numerous charities. Finally, we feel that God has lead us to FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). We asked God to send us signs for discernment. We got many signs leading us to this organization. We feel that it is a way to give back to our immediate community. Also, we are doing an athletic challenge so it seems to make sense that we would support a Christian athletic charity. It just "feels" right...and that feels like discernment to me! Please continue to pray that we are listening to God's guidance.

(I thought that I would attach a copy of my preliminary schedule.)