People! I am so sorry I haven't blogged in a long time. It has been crazy around here and to tell you the truth I haven't had any eventful runs. I ran 7 miles last Saturday and felt great. Just an easy down and back on Alki. I thought about how I kind of missed those Saturday runs, how gross is that? I started to question if I should get a running visor for those hot days? But if you live in Seattle you know that those hot days don't start until about 3:30pm and I do almost all of my runs in the morning. I thought about Mush, my best friend since third grade. We are going to run a a half in September and how proud I was of her for stepping up to the plate to do her first. I thought about Rat, Meg and the Yenster and how much I missed running with them. Good news though! I am running the Spokane 1/2 with my little Ratty in October! Please start praying now that it is still nice weather in Eastern Washington. :) I finished my seven miles and thanked God for a good run and for great friends.

Okay I am going to jump on the crazy bus for a second. Come along with me...its fun! You have heard me say that a marathon was as far as my athletic ability would take me in my life. I made the choice for that to be the case. I would never go beyond running 26.2 miles. I would continue to run and possibly still do sprint triathlons, but after that I was choosing to not do anymore. But after my marathon I realized that a lot more was possible for my life, God willing. So I no longer think that 26.2 miles is my cap. I am not committing to anything more then keeping my hands open to what the Lord wants for my life, athletically but more importantly in what the Lord is going to hand me in life, ministry, work, service, ect. ect. ect. So yes it might sound crazy, but Ironman Triathlons are no longer a "never do" thought along with all of the other things in my life I have said no to. I refuse to make God smaller then He is. He can do anything, which is not crazy...its exciting!

After my long Saturday runs I would hobble into the shower, but not before setting up my computer in the bathroom and listening to a special on Ironman Kona, the world championships of Ironman triathlons. NBC did a special on the 2007 race that included the followings of professionals as well as regular people who were just trying to finish. It is by far one of the hardest races any athlete will ever compete in. The video is an hour and is quite inspirational for anyone training to do anything. Click here if you would like to watch. Get a tissue because there will probably be tears flowing by the end. And although I loved this video and it gave me such drive while I was training there is a part in the very beginning of the video that caught me a little off guard while first watching it, and continues to ring in my head every time I watch the video. It's within the first two minutes where they are describing the race, who the people are they will be following and how hard this race is. The narrator then says, "if you have ever wanted to see how far you can go, come here...." I get it. Trust me I understand. If you want to see how far your body can physically go, you probably should go to Kona to compete in this. However, my first thought always goes to, "if you have ever wanted to see how far you can go, come to the foot of the cross." Never have I felt more alive, felt like I could go farther in life and knew I was on the right path then when I have been at the foot of the cross. Before I trusted my life to Christ I would have never known what life could have offered. And now that I have trusted my life to Christ, the world is in color, possibilities are endless, and fear is something of the past. There are days and even months that are hard, but I know that when I am at the foot of the cross God has an amazing journey for me. God has delivered me and continues to from heartache into His light. At the foot of the cross life is no longer hopeless and dark. At the foot of the cross there are still hard times and mountains to climb, however there is an never ending supply of hope, light and a path that has been clearly marked by our creator and savior.

I want to know how far I can go with Jesus Christ as my driver. I will be at the foot of the cross.

Back Home

I have been gone for about a week. AA and I traveled to Michigan this last week for a Slenk Family reunion. I have so much to say about this trip, this family and how God was so prevalent in them but I am still trying to catch my breath and keep my head above water at work. I did a couple of runs in, despite the heat and humidity. It was an amazing trip. I will have a full recap a little later!

Things learned from Marathon #1

I have waited to post this for a week now. I felt as though when I crossed the finish line last Saturday, that this experience wasn't done and that there were still things that running, and more importantly Christ was teaching me on an everyday, if not hour by hour basis. It has taken me a week to really let this all soak in and come up with some type of conclusion. And the conclusion that I came up is......drum roll please....there is no conclusion.

I have loved learning and experiencing Jesus in different ways over the last five months and the sweet and precious times I have been able to spend with Him over hours of running, and I simply feel like the Lord is calling me to continue running, not because it keeps me in shape or even because I really like it all that much, because we all know I have a love hate relationship with running, but more because it is "our" time we get to spend together. So this is no conclusion post, nope, it is simply things I learned last Saturday, some about running, but more about the Savior that I get the pleasure to serve:

1. God is so good. It is because of Him that I have the privilege to run and to live. He has designed this sweet path called life that I get to experience, with Him at the wheel. There are simply not enough praises and thank yous to Him for this experience and the people I met.

2. Shirts with inspirational quotes during a marathon are awesome! But shirts with Bible verses on them, especially ones that you can recall off of memory are even cooler! Thanks guy in the blue Phil. 3:14 shirt! I loved running behind you between miles 21-23.

3. Yes, you can drink too much water during a marathon. Lesson learned....never again! I am sticking to my plan.

4. The Lord is the one who provides your strength and power. It was amazing to have my prayers answered as I called out to Jesus for His power and His strength.

5. Prayers are always answered, even if it is no or not yet. A hard lesson that I was reminded of at mile 20.

6. Friends, family and a support crew are essential. They were such beacons of hope on the course and to see them FOUR times throughout the course brought a smile to my step and a giddy up to me step.

7. It is okay to walk during a marathon...for crying out loud it is 26.2 miles!

8. To meet "new" friends on the course is also phenomenal...to have something to look forward to right around the bend or over that hill.

9. Around mile 14 I started to think of what I wanted to do after this marathon and I remembered something one of my best friends, Meg, a sweet mommy-to-be, who is an amazing servant of Christ said she wanted to start doing again, journaling. I am going to copy her, and I want to start journaling again, to be able to look back and see the answered prayers and where God has transformed my heart. Not sure if this is something I learned, but thank you for encouraging me, my little Meggggggggie! :)

10. My husband is the most self sacrificing, humble servant-minded people I know. Thank you, my Jamaican sprinter.

11. And finally, like I said above a lesson I learned is that this will not be my last marathon, God willing. I have loved this experience and the things the Lord has taught me and I am ready to learn some more! And so...my next big run....Super Jock and Jill 1/2 Marathon on September 6.

Who is with me??

Isaiah 40:31 But for those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on the wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Thank you Jesus!