Look What I've Been Up To...Running

There are lots of reasons why I haven't been blogging lately, so in a concerted attempt to redeem myself and explain my absence, as well as to delight your eyes and imaginations with the magical and wonderful things that have been keeping me busy, I would like to present a new series called "Look What I've Been Up To..."

1. I trained this summer for my first marathon with veteran marathoner, and my mentor, Sheri Epps.  Our friend Amy Seed is the most encouraging runner I could ever have the privelege of knowing.  She sang, danced, and recited encouraging scripture the whole time we ran this Long Beach Marathon.  Our medals were huge by the way, proportionately so to the mercury that day.  We cried at the end.  I sat a lot at work the next day.

3. & 5. On Thanksgiving morning we move our feet before we eat.  I ran two races: a 5-miler and a 5K (3.1 miles)  I started the first race again with Amy, but she ran so fast she puked at the end.  So this is my friend, Kristen Sullivan, who I was so glad to have by my side.  And I made good time myself, but I had injured my knee a bit the week before and running these two races really screwed me up good.  I'm upset at my injury and hope it doesn't set me back for a half marathon in January.

The 5K was my one year anniversary of running as it was my first race last year.  I can hardly believe I ran two halfs and one full marathon in just my first year.  I'm so hooked.  In fact, not being able to run on my bum knee is really killing me!  Hurry up and heal, silly knee!

2. & 4. Say hello to Oceanside-Carlsbad.  This is where I get the privilege of running each weekend.  I love that I get to start my weekends like this.  I used to hate waking up early to run, but this is just so worth it.  I can't wait to be healthy and get out there again.  This makes me fall in love with God as Creator and fellow artist all over again.

Oh, By The Way...

I forgot to tell you.
Guess what I did!
This summer I got to run two half marathons and I want to tell you about them.

The first one was, at first glance, a bust.  After only 1.5 miles I conked out.  I got too excited and messed up my pre-run routine, and started out too fast.  Going up a little hill, my friends took off.  My mentor/coach/Mr. Miagi stayed with me and never left, but I was so upset about doing poorly and not keeping up.  Finally she told me to get over it, and I wouldn't have wanted them to stay with me and wait anyway.  I knew she was right, but I still couldn't enjoy my run.

My Mr. Miagi, Sheri

I started to get all philosophical and began to think about how I've also felt left behind by friends who have all gone on and started families, even though I started the race before many of them.  It was an emotionally exhausting run, as well as a physical one, but I don't think it was as much of a failure and here's why:

My mentor helped me realize that I wouldn't want anyone to wait to start families as I wouldn't want these girls to slow down, and neither did the race end at the finish line.  I didn't stop running, and I've only gotten better.  I've gotten healthier and even ran another half marathon since then.  And this is life too; we are all called upon to exercise our endurance at many different times, and we are all forced to run.  But how we react and become stronger from these events is where the true success lies.

So my excitement at their finish on race day is just as genuine as my excitement when dear friends and family announce pregnancies and have baby showers.  There is nothing that will ever keep me from sharing in their celebration, and knowing that their victory is also my victory.  The God that is writing their story is my God too, and I love that he works in the people I love.

This first race was the Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half, and the second was the Freedom Half in Salt Lake City on Independence Day, which I ran during my recent vacation there.

Night and Day.

It was me, running it myself.  No comparison, only enjoying the ride.  Much of it was downhill, and I had no goals but to enjoy it.  I finished 8 minutes faster than the other one, and I had a blast.  My family was so supportive, and my dad even came out and met me at mile 10 on his bike and rode with me for a while.

I've been reading Ryan Hall's Running With Joy, and I finally got it this time.  This is my run, I am not running it in competition with anyone, this is my story and I'm running it at my own pace, my best pace I can.  I love that I have companions to pull me along and encourage me to do better, but ultimately, this race is my own and no one else's.

I have learned so much about life from running, and I have so much more to learn, in both areas.  But one thing is for sure: I am hooked.  And now, I am training for a full marathon in Long Beach this fall.  I can't wait.

Running Story

I have bad feet.
And I like to run.

The two things don't always go together, but I've been learning a lot about endurance in both life and on the road. 

On Saturday a friend and I ran at our favorite spot along the San Diego Coastline and it went something like this:

A wet sea air chilled our hands for the first 10 minutes but was soon forgotten as the sun climbed up and tickled the surf with thousands of tiny dancing diamonds.  Cutting through the campground we ate breakfast with our noses; campfires teased us with roasting coffee and bacon.  It was Halloween so each camp sight shared their toothless, grinning pumpkins as we, with short breaths, chatted about everything and anything.

Turning around at mile 4.25 and sipping on electrolytes we did the reverse trip, only going uphill wasn't so easy this time.  Smile at the old surfers with their coffees, assessing the days ride.  One more mile of hard breath and we were in the ocean up to our waists.  Forget about wet shorts, this is San Diego.  Cold salt water is nature's ice pack and after 8.5 miles I could sure attest that God is also a physician.  Better and faster was the healing than any pill or massage I've ever had on my aching feet.

I'm ready for 10 miles this Saturday.