Karen Wants to Kill Me

Apparently, my friend, Karen, decided that doing a 100 Pushup Challenge wasn't enough. So I've now joined her on the 200 Pushup Challenge. For the record, both challenges are kickin' my tail.

After 2 weeks I can barely do 10 pushups and 35 situps. Oh where, oh where have my muscles gone!?!

I'm repeating Week 2 of the pushups, and continuing with week 3 of the situps.

Wonder how many weeks it'll take before I can actually do it...

As a side note: I swam a mile this morning. Also kicking my butt!

I'm thinking I should just go back to running!

A Race Bucket List

I made a list of just a few races that I'd really like to do some day.

All you runners out there: Any others I should add?

VA is for Lovers 14K

Cherry Blossom 10-Miler

Shamrock 1/2 Marathon

Peachtree 10K

Bay to Breakers 12K

The Great Urban Race

The Muddy Buddy

Expedition Everest Challenge

Ragnar Relay

Turtle Crawl Triathlon

Krispy Kreme Challenge

The Next Challenge: Who's In?

It's hard to believe that 11 years ago I could do more push-ups than my sister! I was a dancer and cheerleader and actually had some muscles. My gymnastics coach would make us do handstand push-ups and wide arm pull-ups on the uneven bars. When I did Junior Miss we did them on stage while smiling at the audience.

And then...I went to college. I broke my elbow. I stopped dancing. I stopped cheering. And I stopped any kind of activity that required upper body strength. (And my sister joined the Army, went to boot camp, and can now kick my butt!)

I always whine about my puny stick arms. So when I made my 30 Before 30 list I decided to add the 100 Push-up Challenge. And I'm starting today. It might take a few months. I might even have to do some girl push-ups first. But I am going to do this. How hard can it be? (Don't answer that!)

Who else is in?

(PS-I do promise to post about the marathon with pictures sometime soon.)

The Journey...

to a Marathon!

(How I ran a marathon...And how you can too!)

(People always assume that I've always been a runner...so I thought I'd tell my story.

But I must warn you...it's a bit long!)

Jes kept asking me this weekend if I was surprised that I had actually run a marathon and if I had ever thought 10 years ago that I would be a "marathoner". And well...I guess the answer is "No."

I mean I've always been athletic, but I've never really been particularly great at any sports. I remember running a 7:34 mile in the 5th grade and being so proud of myself. I was always one of the faster girls in gym class, but when I joined the track team in 9th grade, I was one of the slowest! Okay...I was THE slowest. I honestly don't remember my mile times, and it was the only event I really ever competed it. All I know is that I came in last at every race! (Well, not really every race...there was this one time that I passed a girl who puked and kept running to finish behind me.) After one season, I never joined the team again. (And as I got older, I continued to get slower!)

In 2004, I was in my first year of teaching and I knew that I needed to start working out to get back in shape after college. I met a few friends at the Y on a snow day. I went to join the Y, but somehow my friends convinced me to do a sprint triathlon that the Y was sponsoring. At the time it was the craziest thing I had ever set out to do. But I was committed and learned to swim and bike enough to complete the race. I didn't do an amazing job, but I loved the feeling I got by setting and achieving a goal! When the race was over, I vowed to do it again the next year. But after reality set in I realized that I didn't like to bike or swim. So I stuck to jogging for exercise. That summer I had a student at Governor's School who was training to run a half marathon. She told me all about the Rock n Roll Half Marathon at VA Beach and I was immediately in awe of the idea. (But not exactly on board yet!)

In 2005, Jes convinced me to run a 4 miler in Lynchburg. At the time that was the farthest I'd ever run (and Jes kicked my butt!) That fall I also volunteered at the Army 10-miler in DC. I had a blast and thought that I might one day run the race.

A few months later in the spring of 2006, my roommate convinced me to run a 10K (6.2 miles). I ran/walked 13 minute miles to finish the Monument Ave 10K...and I was officially hooked! I loved it! It was such a friendly race! I decided that if I trained I could complete that half marathon and the 10 miler....so I signed up for both and started training. That fall I ran/walked both races. I did the half in just under 3 hrs (almost 14 min miles) and the 10 miler in just under 2 hours (almost 12 min miles)

But then I went to grad school for 2 years! During that time, I had no time for exercise! But I did "run" 6 5Ks. I didn't really train for them and my pace progressively got worse over the 2 years. ( I started out with a 32:45 and ended with a 38:24) So when I graduated one of the first goals I set was to train for and RUN a half marathon.

And in January of 2009, I did it. I ran the Disney Half Marathon. I kept a slow pace, but I didn't walk. I finished in 2:33 exactly. And this time I was really hooked and immediately signed up for my next half. And somehow...I became a runner.

Yes, I was athletic. Yes, I'd completed a few races. But I didn't really start running until I moved to Florida after grad school. Since then I've competed in 12 races: three 5Ks, one 4.7 miler, one 5 miler, three 10Ks, one 15K, & three half marathons.

I'm not fast. (Though I'm slowly improving.) But I still love to run.

I like to raise money for charities.

I like to have a reason to make me exercise.

I like to set goals.

I like to get free T-Shirts and bags.

I like to see people cheer me on.

I like to achieve goals.

Which brings me to my most recent achievement...a marathon.

In the Spring of 2009, I saw a table for the 26.2 with Donna while picking up my packet for the 15K. I picked up the brochure thinking I might do the half. The girl working the table overheard me say to my friend that I could never do a full and started to tell me how she had just run her first using the Jeff Galloway method (running/walking). I was interested, but cautious.

That May I went to a workshop with Jeff Galloway and learned all about the method and considered joining a group to run a marathon before I turned 30. But when the time came to join the training group, I chickened out!

But last summer I made my 30 Before 30 list and listed "Run a Marathon". From there it was just a matter of follow-through. I looked at races all over the country, but decided to stick with a local race...and chose The Donna. In September, I made a training plan and started training 22 weeks before the race. At that point the farthest I had ever run was 13.1 miles...but during my training I ran a few longer runs: 15, 19, and 21 miles. (I should have done more, but an injury and the holidays messed me up).

And then this past Sunday, I set out to finish a marathon. And I did! (And I wasn't last! In fact, I did it in under 5 hours! I finished 425th out of 929 women!)

I'd be lying if I said I was not considering doing another...but for now I'm content to work on my pace for some shorter races. But even if I never do another, I can always say I did it! I ran a marathon! Not many people can say that. And, "No, I didn't really ever think I would be one of those people!"

It's amazing what you can do with a little goal setting, determination, and commitment.

If I can do it, you can too. One goal at a time.

Jerry Falwell (Sr) used to say, "What's your B-HAG?'" (Big Harry Audacious Goal). Well, mine was a marathon.

What's your B-HAG? And what are you waiting for?

Unexpected Memories

(If you want to understand this post, you might want to read this first.)

Sometimes I think it’s funny how memories work.

You are going about your normal habits, routines, and daily rituals…and suddenly, when you least expect it, something reminds you of a moment in your past.

I’m not really a date person. It’s not that I can’t remember, I could tell you the date I had my first eye surgery (January 16, 1991), the date I graduated from high school (June 16, 2000), the date I started my first teaching job (January 5, 2004), or any other mildly important date in my life. But the thing is dates aren’t really that important to me. I rarely even celebrate my birthday!

The anniversary of Joe’s death came and went without much consideration on my part. Sure I mentioned to Jes that it was a bit odd being at “home” and at a high school football game on that day, but it was a passing comment and didn’t occupy my thoughts much longer than the amount of time it took for the words to come out of my mouth.

But then, I saw my former youth pastor’s Facebook status. He mentioned that a group of youth from his church were going to Scaremare tonight. And the memories washed over me like a wave.

Thirteen years ago, I was on a crowded bus full of teenagers. Our youth group was traveling two hours west of our hometown to go to Scaremare (a haunted warehouse put on by Liberty University students). Most of the students were playing games, talking, and laughing and enjoying this weekend excursion…but I was doing homework. (Yep, I’ve always been a nerd.)

But then I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around, a guy I’d never met before gestured to ask me for a piece of paper and a pencil. Of course I had extras, so I handed them on over and went back to my work without thinking much of it.

A few minutes later, I had stopped my homework to have a written conversation with this young man, who introduced himself as “Joe”.

At the time I had no idea how much that night would change my life.

I didn’t know that he would teach me to sign. I didn’t know that he would teach me about faith, passion, and joy. I didn’t know that he would become one of the most important people in my life. And I certainly didn’t know that he would leave my life as quickly and unexpectedly as when he had entered.

I didn’t know I would one day go to Liberty University. I didn’t know that I would give up the plans I had for my life to follow God’s. I didn’t know I’d be a deaf educator.

I didn’t know that Joe would change my life forever.

When I look back, I know that everything happens for a reason. And though I know we all miss him, I wouldn’t change a thing. In the short time that Joe was a part of my life, he impacted me in a way I can’t describe. He changed me for the better and I am forever grateful for the way he touched my life. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for him.

And I’m thankful for the memories that come when I least expect them.

Sometimes I Think Life Can Be Like That

Okay...so I know that I "hate doctors"...and I know that I "don't take medicine", but I just may have abandoned my former ways due to a recent series of events.

It all started this summer when I decided that I had had just about enough of this not being able to breathe problem and actually went to an allergist. [I realize this might not sound like a big deal, but I can count on one hand (and not use all of my fingers) the amount of times I've been in an ER of doctor's office in the last 10 years. And they were all out of necessity. I DON'T like doctors!] I didn't want to go, but I was tired of not being able to run or enjoy the outdoors, so I finally bit the bullet and actually used the insurance I pay for!

The doctor, who it turns out is tons of fun and a runner by the way, sent me home with Nasonex and an inhaler. (Yeh, apparently I have asthma...who knew you couldn't cure yourself of such things.) Then a month later, when things were anything but better he sent me home with a trial pack of Singulair. That was three weeks ago...

After about a week on the medicine I realized that I could breathe! Like not just that my nose isn't stuffy and I'm not coughing as much...like I can actually breathe easier. Sometimes you don't realize that your normal isn't normal-does that make any sense?

I didn't realize that I had been working so hard just to actually breathe. It's like when I finally got really good contacts in college and could see the actual thread pattern in my jeans. I had no idea that breathing was supposed to come so easy. And I had no idea that I wasn't seeing what other people were seeing--like my ENTIRE LIFE! I had no idea I was lacking anything, until I had what I'd been missing.

You know, sometimes I think life can be like that. We get caught up in trying to do things on our own and we are just treading water. But then someone comes along (a friend, a family member, a colleague, God, etc.) and lends a helping hand. Suddenly, we realize how hard we were working and how much easier it could have been had we just humbled ourselves and accepted assistance earlier. And sometimes we think the way we see our current situation, our life, or the truth is the whole picture, until someone comes in with a bit of wisdom and all of a sudden it's like someone brought the picture into focus. And we never knew we weren't seeing what was there all along. Sometimes we don't know what we are lacking, until we have what we've been missing.

Does This Mean I'm Getting Old?

Have you ever noticed that kids never appreciate Dark Chocolate? Why is that?

For years, I never understood why anyone enjoyed anything but Milk Chocolate. And then one day I woke up and realized...Dark Chocolate is amazing! Strange. Klondike Dark Chocolate=YUM!

Does this mean I'm getting old?