Perhaps My Biggest Leap Yet!

I gambled....and won!

About a year ago, after finishing a 1/2 ironman triathlon, a friend of mine called and mentioned the "M" word...my first response was silence, then "are you kidding me? there is no way", then I started looking up different marathons that we could do (If I am going to do a marathon it needs to be at a fun location or have some sort of incentive...like a Tiffany necklace!)  We talked about it for a couple weeks after, and then it kind of faded away! Within the last couple months, after doing the AZ Rock n Roll 1/2, I have had it on my mind to do a full marathon. Should I put in the for NY marathon?? Do 26.2 miles in the lights of Las Vegas while checking out all the men in wranglers? Do Arizona again because it is rumored to be a flat, fast course??  Well, one day at the gym I was talking with a mom of some kids I used to swim with and she mentioned the Nike Women's Marathon.  As soon as she mentioned firemen and Tiffany necklace I was sold!

I normally plan to do these races with other people, but I went out on a limb and entered into the lottery application process for the race.  To be honest, the hardest part is taking the initiative to sign-up! There were a couple slight miscommunications regarding this race...I was under the impression you only received the necklace if you completed the full marathon, well come to find out everyone gets one :) And secondly, I was talking to a friend who also signed up and we are planning on doing it together, and part way through the conversation I realized she only signed up for the half!!! Well...this Wednesday I received the email telling me I was accepted into the race, and despite the miscommunications, I am doing the full marathon! My initial reaction was a mix of terror, excitement, nervousness, and "OMG, I am going to run 26.2 miles." I had a small taste of the joy and feeling of accomplishment that  I will feel when I accomplish what was once considered impossible! 

"The more you frame the marathon as a stressful experience, the more negative messages you'll receive. But it's just as easy to frame it as a positively challenging journey"

"I've learned that finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement, it's a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible"

"Man imposes his own limitations...don't set any"

Someday I will find my prince charming...

...but my dad will always be my king.

I am beyond blessed to have a loving, caring, fun, giving, understanding, do anything for me, expect nothing but the best for me dad. Although I don't always appreciate it in the moment, he constantly challenges me to do and be my best, and I always end up appreciating it in the long run. 

Over the past 5 years, I have taken up running...mainly because it is something "my dad" enjoys doing, and I wanted to be able to do it with him.  I am no where near his pace (and trust me, he likes to remind me of that every change he gets), but some of my favorite times and greatest memories with "my dad" are when we are training or doing a race together.  

I'm struggling to put it into words, but there is something truly special about sharing a love of running with "my dad."  

 5 years ago I signed up to run the Pear Blossom (10 miles; and at this point I was not even close to being a "runner") with "my dad", only to have him bail the week of due to "chin splints" aka...it was raining!!!  We are a little different in the sense that I don' let weather get in the way of something I've committed to do....but it seriously gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes to not only finish (and I was DRENCHED!!), but to see "my dad" smiling ear to ear as I crossed the finish line!

I look forward to the Pear Blossom every year, and I always run on the inside and look for "my dad" as he is heading down the hill and back towards the finish line.

I thought I might have a chance at beating "my dad", if I could get him to do a triathlon!! It took a lot of convincing, but he finally signed up...and BEAT ME!!! :) Despite losing, it was still the best birthday present!

All set up and heading to the start of the swim!

WE DID IT!! This looks like a sweet picture, but I'm pretty sure he is bragging about how he beat me after I bought him a bike jersey for winning the bet of who would win!

No matter what (with the exception of when it's raining), I can always count on "my dad" to join me for a training run.

"My dad" doesn't do nearly as many events as I do, but he is always the first person I call before and after the race! The next "leap of faith" "my dad" and I will be taking together is training for the 2012 Arizona Rock N Roll Marathon.

"A daughter is a girl who grows up to be a friend"

"To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter"

Weekends are for...

...FAMILY TIME!

Due to weather and hectic schedules my weekend plans had changed several times, and my parents and I decided to stay home.  I was actually relieved to have a weekend to catch-up on stuff (including rest) and have nothing on the schedule (which is rare for me!). With the PEAR only two weeks away, I knew I had to get in a long run, rain and all! Saturday morning I started off on my run, solo, and decided to take the bike path (which I never do!). As I got to the bike path I decided to head towards Hawthorne Park for a while then turn around and go the other way for a while (which when I do run on the bike path, I run the opposite direction of Hawthorne Park).  About a mile into the run, I spot my dad running towards me; I thought he had already ran that morning from his house! I was SO excited to see him coming, I started waving my arms, making sure he saw me; we both were happy to run into each other.  I turned around and joined him, and we got in 9 miles together; which neither one of us would of done without the other.  My dad said at least 5 times, "This is my favorite kind of run, running with my daughter." It was a great, unexpected treat to have my dad's company and encouragement for 9 miles in the rain. 

My favorite running partner 

My mom and I have been talking about going snowshoeing for quite a while, but have never found the time when we can both go! Well this weekend we took advantage of having no plans, and the two of us headed to Crater Lake for the guided snowshoe tour.

Do I look a little nervous to be driving the luge??

And we're off...

It was a PERFECT mother-daughter day

And a fun way to enjoy the beautiful scenery & get in a little workout

Ranger John (8 years old, from Colorado) taking a little break in the snow

The picture doesn't do it justice...

Weeee.....

We will definitely be back!

I was thankful for a weekend at home with no plans, allowing me to spend quality time with the two people I love most....my mom and dad!

My newest obsession...CHALKBOARDS! And more!

I am not sure where it came from, but recently I have become a little obsessed with chalkboards, so I decided to make my own. I had sent my mom on a Goodwill mission (she always loves a GW challenge) to find me the perfect frame for my chalkboard...and this is what she found

It's perfect, isn't it!? So with the frame purchased, I headed to Home Depot to get all my supplies...

Magnetic Primer

Chalkboard paint

And the wood, cut the same size as the frame (or so I thought)

After adding two layers of the magnetic primer (one layer was not enough for it to actually be magnetic) and then the chalkboard paint, I went to put it in the frame, only to realize that it didn't fit??? I am not sure if the frame is crooked, or the guy at HD cut it wrong, but I made-do and hung it without the frame! Which I actually think I might like better...

Sorry for the poor quality photo...it was taken with my phone!

So whether it has my weekly training schedule, an encouraging Bible verse, or the menu for the evening, the chalkboard completes my kitchen.  Someday I would love to be more creative and adventurous and have an entire wall, door or something, but for now I like my little chalkboard.

My obsession continued and I purchased chalkboard sheets to make labels.

Now stay with me for a minute....so my obsession with chalkboards led me to make my own laundry detergent! Are you following me?? Ok, well that is kind of stretching it, but I have been wanting to make my own detergent, and I envisioned a cute glass jar with a "laundry detergent" label on it, so I set out to make my own detergent.  There are several "recipes" for making your own detergent in the blogging world, but this is the one I decided to try.

I found cute blue measuring cups on sale at Target for $.99 to use as the scoop, and did my first load of laundry with the detergent this weekend.  

I'm already thinking of other things I can make out of  chalkboard! 

Weekends are for...

Enjoying God's beautiful creations

Love

Team Fun Reunions

Father-daughter time

Breaking (and attempting to fix) things

Riding til you can't ride anymore

Cousins

Kids being kids

Mommy lovin

Riding with Sean

Group shots

Climbing

Pulling up your "big girl panties"

Family traditions and heirlooms

Campfires

Running until you can't run anymore

Being a daredevil

Reconnecting with family

Faith To Endure

        It is has been on my "to-do" list all week to write a blog post about my 70.3 training.  A year ago I made a verbal agreement to my friend that I would join her in doing a half-Ironman triathlon sometime this year (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run); a month ago I was good to my word and signed up for the Kansas City 70.3 in June! The task is nothing short of daunting to me, but also one I KNOW I can do.  Today's church service was the last of a series on faith, titled Faith To Endure (from start to finish), which is also perfect to apply to my training, so this post is going to parallel the notes from the service.  I hope like me, it will challenge you in your faith and other areas of your life.

WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE GIVING UP:

• Remember those before you. Whenever I begin to doubt my abilities I quickly think of this video, and the story behind it, and am once again am inspired more than ever.

• Remove any distractions.  For tri training the biggest distraction is self-doubt...I KNOW this is something I can accomplish and am taking it one day/training workout at a time, keeping my focus on the finish line.  I can already feel the victory.
• Run the race. Enough said!

          "...and run with endurance the race set out for us" Hebrews 12:1

          " but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;        

             they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" Isaiah 40:31

            endurance = steady DETERMINATION to keep going.  There will be points in my training in 

            which I will "hit a wall," but it is during those time that I will push through with determination

            and dedication.

• Christ (finish line) focused.  I can't explain to you the emotions and feeling of accomplishment that comes with finishing such an event, but it truly makes the whole journey worthwhile.
• Resist discouragement.  Anything worthwhile in life takes dedication and determination.
• Claim the grace to persevere
• REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Not only am I blessed to have great friends/training partners to join me on workouts, long-distance training partners to support and encourage me, and the support of family and friends, I also have the strength of the Lord on my side.  And with Him, all things are possible.  

I am looking forward to continuing to reach my goal through endurance, persistence and determination. 

Closing The Gap

This blog post was inspired by two things: 1) Going through my mail, which consists mainly of bills, both work and personal, and finding a heart-felt card written by a dear friend and 2) A conversation that I was having with a friend about how our friendship is truly what we call a "God-thing." Our paths crossed 1 1/2 years ago at a leadership class that I was sent to by the company I work for and she was sent to by her family's company.  Little did we know that after spending 2 1/2 days challenging ourselves to reach new heights we would develop what seems to be a lifelong friendship; we have quickly made up the 20+ missed years and truly feel like we have been friends forever.  I am blessed with amazing friends in my life, but there is one downfall....a lot of them don't live here! For those of you that know me, I am pretty good about communicating (my phone is with me at all times!), but sometimes sending a text isn't enough to stay in touch, let someone know how much you appreciate them, lift them up, provide support in a time of need, or just laugh and cry together.  Every friendship I have is unique and special in its own way, and I don't want to ever take them for granted; whether our paths crossed unexpectedly or we shared a path of life together, they are all individually orchestrated by God and a huge blessing in my life.  My favorite things to do to stay in touch with friends are to send them snail mail (a lost art) and Skype (ok, this took me a while to get comfortable with, but now I love it!).  I love looking for the perfect card to say exactly what I want to say, but in just a few perfect words;  and I don't need an excuse (birthday, holiday, thank you, etc) to send a card..the "just becauses" are my favorite. I don't know what it is about sitting down and writing a card, but it forces you to write from the heart, which I love! Skyping has really become my new favorite thing...it allows me to invite friends from all over (Missouri, California, & Colorado just to name a few) to enjoy a cup of coffee or join me in the kitchen as I cook and we catch up. It's also allowed me to share in important events that I miss out on because I am not there...I met my friends son for the first time via a Skype date, I've seen my "lil snorter" go from a lil bitty baby to a movin and groovin, "SO BIG" toddler, and I've had a birthday party for my friends little boy, cake and all! These are all moments I cherish and am thankful I get to enjoy.


It is so easy to get wrapped up in the busyness of everyday life and forget that which is important...the people in our lives! Who do you need to call? Send a card to? Organize a Skype date with? 

A few of my favorite cards I have received and an UNO Skype date