I just registered for my very first race, the Sunrise Run! I'm excited! I'll be running the 5K on October 8 at 7:15 a.m. and you are ALL invited! If you want more information, go here:
http://www.firsttothecross.com/
I'm excited that this will be my first run because the whole purpose of this run is to glorify God! And that's my whole purpose for living and running!
I can't wait to hug you all when I cross the finish line all sweaty and teary! And I won't mind if you take my picture looking like that because I will have earned every drop of sweat and every tear! I'm tearing up right now just typing this. I want to go out and run NOW. Um, but it's 9:15 p.m. and I hear thunder so I won't. Only 9 more hours until I can go out and run!
This is quite a different post from this morning's, isn't it?!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Man, it's hot out there!
Just as my daughter and I were leaving for exercise class this morning she got a call that it was canceled due to lightning. Oh. Okay. Now I can finish my work from yesterday and it won't be as late as it would've been if I'd let it wait until we got back from class. When work was done and turned in, about 9:30, I decided to do my run since we didn't have class. It's BRUTALLY HOT out there. It's bad enough to jog at 6:30 in the morning but 9:30 is just ridiculous! Yogi Berra used to say that 90% of the game is 50% mental. Yeah. Think about it. What he meant was that football or jogging or anything physical isn't just physical. It's also mental. Boy, I found that out today. This week I'm jogging 2 sections plus 100 steps. One week I do an ABA pattern (mile 1, then mile 2 is turned 90 degrees, then mile 1 again). The next week I do a BAB pattern just to keep my mind fresh. I like routine but not ruts. A little change is a good thing. This morning, though, I was really battling my mind that thought I was crazy for jogging in the heat and humidity. I wanted to stop like I haven't wanted to in months! After one section I thought I was supposed to turn but I was really supposed to go straight. It took only about 15 seconds to figure it out in my head, but...man, it was BRUTALLY HOT out there! I had to make myself do at least this section. If I wanted to quit after that, fine, but I had to try. And the next section. And 100 more steps.
After about half a mile of that, I did stop. I went 2 miles total. And that's okay. Tomorrow is another day. At least I did 2. That's more than if I'd not gone at all.
After about half a mile of that, I did stop. I went 2 miles total. And that's okay. Tomorrow is another day. At least I did 2. That's more than if I'd not gone at all.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Letter from my body to me
Dear Michele,
Thank you for all you've done to get me healthier these past two years. Even though I protest some when you deny me so much food and when you exercise, I really do appreciate it. Really. Keep it up!
I do have a concern, however. When you deny me food for 24 hours it's going to take longer for me to recover than the time you gave me today. I know you gave me some food twice today, but then you went and swam a crazy long distance. Twice! Honey, I'm a 41-year-old body and you didn't push me this hard when I was 21! Take it easy, woman!
Now get off the computer and let me rest so I can work for you in exercise class tomorrow morning, okay?
Thank you,
Your body
Thank you for all you've done to get me healthier these past two years. Even though I protest some when you deny me so much food and when you exercise, I really do appreciate it. Really. Keep it up!
I do have a concern, however. When you deny me food for 24 hours it's going to take longer for me to recover than the time you gave me today. I know you gave me some food twice today, but then you went and swam a crazy long distance. Twice! Honey, I'm a 41-year-old body and you didn't push me this hard when I was 21! Take it easy, woman!
Now get off the computer and let me rest so I can work for you in exercise class tomorrow morning, okay?
Thank you,
Your body
Saturday, July 9, 2011
On the parts of my route where I jog the whole section, I don't count my steps. This is the time when I can pray or think. On the parts where I do count my steps, though, I also have a focal point in the distance. It helps me stay focused (hence the name :-)). I make my focal point something God-made, like a tree, rather than something man-made, and I make it the highest thing I can see. On one section there's a massive oak tree directly in front of me, so that's my focal point. I actually use the trunk of the tree for the first half of my count and then move up to the leafy part for the second half. That breaks up the counting and (here's where the spiritual/life lesson gets good) reminds me to keep going and reach higher. I've been doing this for a long time but just recently realized that above and beyond that massive oak tree, which God put there so it's a good thing, there's another tree, higher than the massive one but not as visible. That's what I focus on now. There's nothing wrong with the massive tree, but it's not as high as I could go.
There's an old song by Steven Curtis Chapman that I partly identify with - See the Glory. Here are the pertinent lyrics:
I never did like the word mediocre
I never wanted it to be said of me, oh, no
Just point me to the top and I'd go over, over
Looking for the very best I could be
Philippians 3:14b-16 - “I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.”
(Thanks to my daughter, Brianne, for editing this picture. :-X)
There's an old song by Steven Curtis Chapman that I partly identify with - See the Glory. Here are the pertinent lyrics:
I never did like the word mediocre
I never wanted it to be said of me, oh, no
Just point me to the top and I'd go over, over
Looking for the very best I could be
Philippians 3:14b-16 - “I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.”
(Thanks to my daughter, Brianne, for editing this picture. :-X)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Glorious?
5:30 a.m. Uuuuunnnnhhhh. I do NOT want to get out of bed.
You'd never know I went to bed at 9:30 and was asleep before 10, would you? Almost 8 full hours of sleep. (Thank You, God!) But I still didn't want to get out of bed this morning. And my lower back hurt. It would've been so easy to just skip jogging today. As I sat on the edge of the bed I wondered how this is supposed to give God glory. Wouldn't it be more glorious if I jumped up and could barely contain myself as I got dressed and put my shoes on? Wouldn't it be glorious if I was so excited I started running in place in the living room as I waited for it to get light enough to go outside? Maybe. It certainly would be exciting and fun to write about. But that's not what happened this morning and it's not what has been happening for quite a while now.
Is drudgery glorious? Is doing what I know I need to do and what is good for my body even when I don't feel like it glorious? I...think...so. As I jogged and walked, God encouraged me to blog about this. The good, fun, exciting times and the blah times when I feel like it makes no difference.
Stephen Curtis Chapman's new song that's all over the radio is called "Do Everything."
You’re picking up toys on the living room floor
for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost
Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips
and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you
Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do
OOoh ooooh oooooh
Maybe you’re that guy with the suit and tie
Maybe your shirt says your name
You may be hooking up mergers, cooking up burgers
But at the end of the day
Little stuff big stuff in between stuff
God sees it all the same
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you
To do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do
Well maybe you’re sitting in math class
Maybe on a mission in the Congo
Maybe you’re working at the office
Singing along with the radio
Maybe you’re dining at a five star
Or feeding orphans in Myanmar
Anywhere and everywhere you are
Whatever you do it all matters
So do what you do and don’t ever forget
to do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do
Ooh oooooh
Every little thing you do
So I'll keep getting out of bed or dragging myself out of bed if necessary and jogging, helping Brianne with math, transcribing, thrift shopping, and doing whatever I do to the glory of the One who made me. Some days it will be by sheer faith that I do it because I can't see how it can possibly be glorious. I'll just trust God that it is. :-)
You'd never know I went to bed at 9:30 and was asleep before 10, would you? Almost 8 full hours of sleep. (Thank You, God!) But I still didn't want to get out of bed this morning. And my lower back hurt. It would've been so easy to just skip jogging today. As I sat on the edge of the bed I wondered how this is supposed to give God glory. Wouldn't it be more glorious if I jumped up and could barely contain myself as I got dressed and put my shoes on? Wouldn't it be glorious if I was so excited I started running in place in the living room as I waited for it to get light enough to go outside? Maybe. It certainly would be exciting and fun to write about. But that's not what happened this morning and it's not what has been happening for quite a while now.
Is drudgery glorious? Is doing what I know I need to do and what is good for my body even when I don't feel like it glorious? I...think...so. As I jogged and walked, God encouraged me to blog about this. The good, fun, exciting times and the blah times when I feel like it makes no difference.
Stephen Curtis Chapman's new song that's all over the radio is called "Do Everything."
You’re picking up toys on the living room floor
for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost
Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips
and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you
Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do
OOoh ooooh oooooh
Maybe you’re that guy with the suit and tie
Maybe your shirt says your name
You may be hooking up mergers, cooking up burgers
But at the end of the day
Little stuff big stuff in between stuff
God sees it all the same
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you
To do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do
Well maybe you’re sitting in math class
Maybe on a mission in the Congo
Maybe you’re working at the office
Singing along with the radio
Maybe you’re dining at a five star
Or feeding orphans in Myanmar
Anywhere and everywhere you are
Whatever you do it all matters
So do what you do and don’t ever forget
to do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do
Ooh oooooh
Every little thing you do
So I'll keep getting out of bed or dragging myself out of bed if necessary and jogging, helping Brianne with math, transcribing, thrift shopping, and doing whatever I do to the glory of the One who made me. Some days it will be by sheer faith that I do it because I can't see how it can possibly be glorious. I'll just trust God that it is. :-)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Part of My Jogging Route
A few months ago I said I would try to post pictures of my jogging route. I can't take the camera with me when I'm jogging and I'm always too busy to go out and take pictures another time. Or it's too hot. Well, I finally did it the other day. This is two of 36 jogging sections on my 3-mile route. From where I'm standing to the end of where the road appears to be white is 2 sections, about 300 steps. I jog that, turn the corner, and this coming week will jog 30 more steps. Then I'll walk for the rest of that section and jog another two sections like this plus 30 more steps, etc. for 3 miles. Anyone want to join me? ;-) Really.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
God is better than Dr Pepper!
Have I learned yet? For the last several months, the Dr Pepper I used to LOVE just has done nothing for me. Occasionally I'll get it when I'm out somewhere but it still does nothing for me. I bought some for the girls' sleepover last night and this morning (after my jog) thought I'd try a can to see if maybe it was different. Soda does taste different depending on what kind of container it comes in or if it's from a fountain. I had maybe 1/4 of a can that I had poured into a glass with ice. Nope. Nothing. It tasted like Dr Pepper, sure, but there was no "Welcome home!" rejoicing of my tastebuds. I poured the rest out. Psalms 19:10 (my version) God's Words are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than Dr Pepper, even Dr Pepper in a glass with ice. :-) I can stop looking for that elusive taste I used to crave. God took it away!
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