Day 2

Here are my thoughts from today:

1. Down 3 pounds in 1 day??? I ate yesterday so how can that be?! I'm not complaining, but...

My friend, trainer, and nutritionist, Brandice Lardner of www.fitnessinfusiononline.com said that when our bodies store carbohydrates, they hold onto a water molecule, so if you stop eating carbs you will see a quick weight loss.

Okay. Makes sense.

2. Usually when I'm hungry and get a growl, it's way over on my left side. I mean WAAAAY on the left side. Like my side. Not my stomach/abdomen. This morning I'm getting a growl right in the middle of my abdomen.

3. Insights from A Hunger for God by John Piper: "The weakness of our hunger for God is not because he is unsavory, but because we keep ourselves stuffed with other things. Perhaps, then, the denial of our stomach's appetite for food might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God."

"The issue is not food per se. The issue is anything and everything that is, or can be, a substitute for God."

"The danger of eating is that we fall in love with the gift; the danger of fasting is that we belittle the gift and glory in our willpower."

"The true mortification of our carnal nature is not a simple matter of denial and discipline. It is an internal, spiritual matter of finding more contentment in Christ than in food."

"Faith is a spiritual feasting on Christ with a view to being so satisfied in Him that the power of all other allurements is broken."

4. Hot tea without honey and cream is just not worth drinking. Blech! I'd rather do without.

5. Why am I doing this 20-day fast? Wouldn't one day be fine like I usually do once a week? I had gotten lax and not been diligent about controlling my appetite. I was slowly creeping back to eating whatever I wanted when I wanted it. Not overeating, but definitely letting flesh have its way. That has to stop. This fast is to rein in my flesh and remind it that God is in control.  And no, one day would not be enough right now. 

6.  I took a 1-hour nap this afternoon and then went on a ¾-mile walk instead of my usual 3-mile run.  The weather was beautiful, wasn’t it?!  The distance seemed just right to me.  Not too much and not too little.  I thought I would just automatically run when I got to my starting point, but I didn’t.  I was surprised.  I guess I need this rest.  I had a little bit of pain in my foot so it’s good that I didn’t run. 

7.  Going to start taking a multivitamin. 

8.  I saw some earrings today that I forgot I had.  I saw them more than 20 years ago at Wet 'N Wild in Orlando and thought they were cute.  I haven't worn them probably since before Brianne was born.  Now I don't think they're cute.  God little by little shows me things that I need to get rid of.  These earrings are the latest thing.  I thought maybe one of you might want them, but the paint is chipping off them and the post is bent on one.  Here's the picture: 

8.  Tired of salad.  Well, no more until Feb. 2.  Just water, juice, smoothies, and veggie broth for the next 16 days.  And Jesus.  :-D

9.  "The Motions" by Matthew West just came on the radio.  I don't remember if that was one of the songs that helped me the first time I did this fast or if it came later, when I was training for my first 5K.  Either way, it still inspires me.  The first line is, "This might hurt, it's not safe, but I know I've got to make a change."  Pretty appropriate, huh?

Still Day 1

Okay, I had Brianne take a picture this afternoon to document the start of this journey. 

I actually like this picture.  That's an added benefit of the weight loss these last few years.  I don't automatically dislike pictures of myself. 

I had a salad of spinach, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers for lunch with salsa dressing.  The salsa is from Carmelita's and I've said for years that I could eat it with a spoon and forget the chips because it's so good!  It still is, but it seems very salty this time.  Fish tacos I had at Tijuana Flats the other day were very salty too.  I don't like much salt anyway, but these were extra salty.  Now the salsa.  Am I getting more sensitive to salt? 

I also had the salad for supper then went to the store for veggies for the broth starting Tuesday.  I wanted to go to a produce stand and get more unusual veggies, but I was at Wal-Mart with my parents, so that's where I shopped.  I got beets, carrots, green peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and yellow squash.  I'll add the leftover salsa, onion, and whatever appropriate spices I have on hand.  This is a good start.  The next time I need veggies I can try for more unusual ones.  At least this time I got a variety of colors!

Confession:  I made a cup of tea this afternoon and put half & half in it.  There's supposed to be no dairy on this fast.  My thought was to use it up since I have a half-pint.  I could freeze it, but it's a pain to thaw milk.  I have poured food down the drain as a sacrifice or just to remove the temptation, so I have that option.  I did that just tonight with the little bit of eggnog-flavor creamer I use for tea.  Anyway, I won't have dairy again until February 2 or 3, when I'm transitioning out of the fast. 

One more thing:  I saw this as I walked into Wal-Mart tonight:

A new cereal from Kellog's - Krave.  It's little pillows of grain with chocolate inside.  Or I could get the kind where even the pillows of grain are chocolate.  Or I could've chosen caramel Cheerios (dulce de leche).  Ai yai yai!  I don't expect any better from the world, but still...siiiiiiigh.  Really?  I didn't read the box, but my impression is that this is being marketed as a fairly healthful option.  Seems to me it should be marketed as junk.  Maybe I'm overreacting.  The fact that it's called Krave and one of the books that helped me so much on this issue is called Made to Crave did not escape my notice. 

Stepping off my soapbox now. 

Working and then sleeping.  Good night.  :-)

Day 1

Good Sunday morning, friends!

I haven't posted here since the Jingle Bell Run almost six weeks ago.  I've still been running, but there hasn't been much happening to report on.  Until now. 

More than two years ago, when I was doing The Lord's Table Bible study at www.settingcaptivesfree.com I did a 20-day fast that is part of their Phase II.  I loved it!  It was a time of getting rid of much of self physically, emotionally, and spiritually and of getting more of Jesus.  For a few months now I've wanted to do it again but the timing wasn't right.  Now it is.  Today is day 1.  I'm finishing up my fruit salad for breakfast:  apple, orange, banana, peach, and pear tossed with a little orange juice. I'll have it for breakfast tomorrow too with some strawberries.  I forgot to take them out of the freezer and I don't want to put them in the microwave and have them be warm.  For lunch and supper today and tomorrow I'll have a veggie salad with salsa for dressing.  No meat, cheese, creamy dressing, or oily dressing.  Tuesday will start the liquid portion of the fast:  water, juice, smoothies, and veggie broth.  No potatoes or meat in the broth and no dairy, protein, or peanut butter in the smoothies.  That will last for 16 days and the last two will be transition days out eating fruit salad for breakfast and veggie salads for lunch and supper but I can add back in meat, cheese, and dressing. 

I plan to blog every day about how things are going and what God's teaching me.  I expect the usual lessons about denying my flesh, etc.  I want more now, though.  To be honest, I want weight loss.  The last time I did this I lost 17 pounds and gained back 4 (which is to be expected) for a net loss of 13 pounds.  I'd like to do at least that this time.  That's not my primary motivation, but it is a motivation.  My primary motivation is to remind myself that I can live with a lot less food than I've been eating and that it's God who sustains me, not physical food.  I slowly got away from following the eating plan The Lord's Table recommends.  I wasn't overeating like before, just not being diligent.  I was still fasting one day a week most weeks but would occasionally skip fasting just because I wanted to eat.  Flesh was starting to rear its ugly head again.  I know I gained fitness last year by starting to run seriously, completing two 5Ks (!), doing two 8-week sessions of fitness class and now ongoing weekly boot camp with www.fitnessinfusiononline.com.  I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that all that fitness caused muscle gain and consequently less actual weight loss.  I'm glad I'm more fit, but I want weight loss too.  I'm human and a woman, and I want weight loss!  Just being honest.  Hopefully God will change my perspective through this fast so that reason fades into the background and more spiritual reasons arise.  Yes, I see the inconsistency here and I'm admitting it to you. 

I got on the scale this morning and it said __________.  You didn't really think I was going to tell you the actual number, did you?!  :-)  I also measured, but I'm not going to tell you those numbers either.  I will report weight lost every day and a final weight and measurements.  I'll report what God shows me and how I'm feeling physically.  I'll have Brianne take a before picture this afternoon and post it. 

I still have to work this whole time, but I'm going to stop running and stop going to boot camp.  I'll walk some in place of the running, but not 3-3.4 miles like I have been doing. 

I've started printing out the emails I sent out with my last 20-day fast so I could read them and remember what it was like.  I'll do this one by blog instead.  My regular Bible reading is in Luke so I'll share insights from that.  Also, I'm reading A Hunger For God by John Piper again.  If I finish it before the end of this fast, I'll re-read Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst and share insights. 

I would appreciate your prayers for the next three weeks and your encouragement.  You can leave comments on this blog.  I'll be sharing announcements of new posts on Facebook so you can access this blog easily, but I don't want to blow a trumpet announcing the fact that I'm fasting. 

If anyone has a juicer I can borrow for this time, please let me know.  I'd like to give that a try in place of making smoothies in the blender all the time.   

So, picture this afternoon and insights if I have any.  See you then!

Jingle Bell Run 2011

God and I did it! I finished my second 5K race two weeks ago! I ran my first race in 39:10, a personal record at the time. In training since then I got my time down to 37:59. In the Jingle Bell Run I did it in 35:56! Praise God! I shaved 3:14 off my time in just two months!

Thank you, Melisa, for running this race and my first one with me! You keep me focused and running fast. When I'm by myself I tend to settle into a slower pace and only pull myself out of it reluctantly.

Thank you, Tori, for your interest in running and your encouragement to me.

Here are some (lots) of pictures from that night.

Me before the race in the T-shirt Kendall gave me back in July. I wrote scriptures that inspire me on it.

 

Me, my cousin Vikki (not my cousin Vinny!), and Tori after we got our goodie bags and glow necklaces.

Start and Finish Line

Some of the Calvary Chapel Running Team just before the start.

Terry, Melisa, Me, and Tori

This is a very popular, fun race so it was quite crowded.  We were barely moving at first but after about half a mile it thinned out.  We were wearing glow bracelets, too, but you can't see them under our long sleeves.  It was so cold that night!  Temperature was probably in the 50s, it was very windy, and we were on the Pier so the wind was whipping off the water and making us even colder.  It didn't keep us from sweating, though! 

Tori left Melisa and me after about the 3/4-mile mark.  Go Tori!  She's younger and can run faster than I can, and I  had already told her to go and run her best race even if she had to leave us behind.  She ran it in 30 minutes even!  Woohoo!  Congratulations!

Melisa and I kept running and having fun.  We talked about Jesus like we do on all our runs! 

As we neared the end, I started getting tired like I usually do.  Melisa kept encouraging me not to give up.  She even pushed me to run faster!  I love the race atmosphere!  Especially the end.  My body is so tired but seeing people cheering for me, especially people I know, gives me energy to finish well. 

Melisa and me at the finish line.  Tori's clapping for us. 



Here's a video of us crossing the finish line.  If it won't play, you can go to my Facebook profile and look under my videos for it.  https://www.facebook.com/michele.ervin

And recovering after the race!  The red faces are from wind and our own effort.  We earned them and we wear them proudly!

I'm now training for the Gasparilla 5K on March 3.  After that, I'll take some time to re-evaluate and see if I want to continue doing 5Ks or if I want to go for longer distances.  I don't always enjoy the process of running, but I do enjoy what God's teaching me through it.  

My Second Race!

My second 5K race is in less than 3 days!  I'm excited!  My plan was to run this morning, rest tomorrow, rest Wednesday morning, and run Wednesday night.  I had pain in my right ankle, though, which is the ankle I've sprained, broken, and have swelling in, so I thought it best to finish the loop I was on by walking and not do any more running and only necessary walking until the race.  It's not worth injuring my ankle again just to have one more day of training.  I know I can do this distance; I do it five times a week and have done so for many months! 

I'd love to see you at the Jingle Bell Run http://www.boleycenters.org/special-events/jingle-bell-run

You don't have to register.  You can just show up and walk or run, but you won't get a Tshirt or a goodie bag.  I hear this is a very crowded run, and that it's more of a social occasion than a serious race.  That's okay.  I'm treating it as a serious run, but I know there will be walkers, strollers, and dogs to contend with. 

I'd love to see you on the sidelines too, if running or walking isn't your thing.

The War Is Already Won

When my dad and I were in the ER waiting room last night I was very hungry.  We got the call that they were taking my mom there just before we sat down to supper and it was now an hour after that, so about 7:00.  After a while of sitting there thinking about how hungry I was, I remembered that there were vending machines behind me.  The thought of getting something from them, though, was gross.  It actually turned my stomach.  A couple years ago I would've known that it wasn't a good choice but I would've tried to make the best of it somehow.  Whole-grain Sunchips maybe?  A granola bar? 

Well last night I didn't get anything.  Neither the food nor the drink machine tempted me.  It wasn't that I fought a battle and won; the battle, no the war, has already been won!  Woo!  I didn't even have to fight.  I just stood (or sat) in the victory that was already mine.  How peaceful!

I still owe y'all the rest of the race report.  I've been so swamped lately with my mom's injury and hospitalization and taking care of Brianne, my dad, and all the household stuff for them.  Since I'm on here anyway, I might as well do it now. 

We started running the race and got into a decent pace.  People were passing us, but that was okay.  I WAS RUNNING THE RACE!!!  A little bit after the 1-mile mark I saw the first person I recognized since starting.  He was holding up his phone to take a picture of me and I hollered, "I'm doing it!"  I was almost giddy!  Soon after that I saw my daughter who took a few pictures and encouraged me to keep going.  That made me happy too!  Then we didn't see anyone we knew until the very end. 

We continued on the course, which we knew very well from all our practice runs.  As we neared the end I started hearing music and seeing people I recognized.  Melisa and I had worked some on having a strong finish, but it's very difficult to push at the end when you're so tired.  Seeing people I knew, though, and hearing them cheer for me, FOR ME!!, energized me!  Two friends who had already finished came back and ran across the finish line with us.  That was fun!  I picked up my pace and practically sprinted to the finish!  I posted a few days before the race some tips for spectators.  One of them mentioned being specific in your cheering.  "Yep, it is nice to hear “ohgoodjob” but lemme tell you it is so much more fun to hear “OH HERE SHE COMES, JEN JEN JEN, OVER HERE! WAHOO!!!! KEEP RUNNING, OH MY GOSH YOU ARE DOING IT! WAHOOOOOOOO!!! JEN KEEP RUNNING!!! I LOVE YOU!” No lie. Go all out. Your 30 seconds of screaming will carry me an entire mile. I will float on your cheers, puff my chest out and let your cheers be my fuel." 

I found out how true that is!  Seeing and hearing my friends cheering FOR ME gave me energy I never knew I had!  Thank you to everyone who was part of that!

Here are some more pictures:

Before leaving for the race.  I'm so nervous I'm already sweating!

Close up of the shirt I wrote on.  Thank you, Kendall!  I wrote on the purple one too and took it along to change into afterward because I knew I'd be sweaty, but there was such a strong breeze I didn't have to.

 I'm running so fast you can't even see me!

Here we come!

There we go!

My dad and me after the race.

Gotta get to work now.  Thank you to everyone who has prayed for and encouraged me.  Keep it up!  I'm still running!  This was only the first of many(?) more races to come!

Jesus and I did it!

39:10!!!  That was my official time, and a personal best.  There are so many things I want to write that this will be either a very long post or a few shorter ones. 

1 - food prep and Mom
2 - sleep
3 - flustered
4 - race itself
5 - hospital
6 - baby shower
7 - hospital

Friday night Brianne and I went to my brother's house to help prep food for the baby shower we were having the next day for him and his girlfriend.  My mom arrived later but fell in the street and we had to call 911.  Her hip is broken.  I rode in the ambulance with her and stayed at the hospital for a few hours.  I didn't get to sleep until 12:30 and I had planned to pack that night and be in bed by 9 to get a full night's sleep before the race.  I don't understand why God allowed her to break her hip the night before my race and the baby shower, but He did and I have to deal with it. 

Woke up at 5:00 and overpacked:  a second pair of running pants, shirt, socks, and shoes JUST IN CASE!  A banana even though they probably have them at the end of the race, but JUST IN CASE!  Extra batteries for my camera JUST IN CASE!  (and I did need them)  Half a gallon of water but they had bottled water there.  Gatorade to alternate with water.  Baby wipes for my face (didn't use them).  A washcloth to carry with me during the race to wipe the sweat before it runs into my eyes (definitely used that).  A hand towel for afterward (didn't use it).  Water to pour onto myself was on my list, but I didn't take it because the weather was cooler and VERY windy so I didn't take that.  Comb, which I did use. 

I was nervous the day before and the morning of the race.  I was also flustered because I'm not a fan of crowds.  I don't avoid them at all costs, but as we lined up at the start line, people were packed fairly close together and were moving around but most of all, I COULDN'T FIND MELISA!!!  My running partner!  We had planned to run this race together and here I was at the start line and couldn't find her.  I had already seen her that morning



but couldn't find her right before the race.  AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!  I finally left the start line go get her.  Whew! 

And we're off!

This is going to have to be part 1.  I have to leave to go the hospital where my mom is having surgery.  I'll continue the race post later.  Stay tuned!