Country Music Half Marathon

The gang








Andy and I post race








My feet, post race...glad the toenails are painted!







Jen's busted toe, she finished the race with it bleeding!




Slowly but surely, Andy and I are recovering from the half marathon. Andy completed the event with his knee and hip hurting, and I completed it with seemingly everything hurting and my lungs on fire. I still feel like I am not getting enough oxygen. Oh well. Although I am glad we finished all 13.1 miles, I still didn't do as well as i wanted to. In fact, I did worse than last year! Ick. I am not sure if it's due to shin splints or getting a bad cold the week before, but "just finishing" wasn't what I had in mind when we started training for this event.

It was a good feeling to be with Kristen as she crossed the finish line. In an event like this, it's always nice to use the buddy system, which is one reason I felt so bad for Andy. I thought about walking the event with him, and now I wish I would have. At the end of the race, I was waiting for him where all the racers come out, rather than at the finish line. What was I thinking?!?! I feel so horrible about that; it never crossed my mind to camp out at the finish line and cheer him across it. Arghhh! All the events he's been there for me, whether I saw him or not, and I didn't have the sense to return the favor. I was there to greet him as soon as he came out of the corrals, but still, I wish I would have seen him cross the finish line.

There is a small part of me that wants to team up with some well established group to train for this event just one more time. However, I am not sure my body is up for any more half marathons. It's hard work, and taxing on the body. Having a plate and screws in my ankle makes it even harder (though there are folks with greater disabilities than that who do these events all the time). I think I will stick to doing 5K events instead, they are shorter, easier to prepare for, and don't leave me in pain for days afterwards. But still, there is that part of me....

Better is one Day - Kutless (Live From Portland)

This is my favorite praise song so I wanted to share it with you. May it be the song of your heart and may my life be evidence of this. Plus, Kutless uses AdvoCare products!

Finished...

Close to 30,000 - the number of people participating in the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon

13.1 - number of miles Andy and I completed today

3 - number of hours it took me to finish, the number of bathroom breaks required, and the number of times I have done a half marathon

1 - number of legs I had shin splints in the majority of the time

2 - number of times I have done the Country Music Half Marathon

"You shouldn't try to jog the half, your body is already taxed due to trying to recover from your cold" - the advice I should have taken from Dr Bob Ray

22222 - my bib number, which is just cool

2:13:52 - the time it took for the guy from Kenya to win the FULL marathon

1:09:21 - the man's time who won the half marathon

0 - number of half marathons and/or marathons I plan on doing in the future

*pics to come later

You need proof?

Just in case you all don't believe I am doing this crazy thing:

TRACKING THE RUNNERS

Officials also announced Monday that all participants in the marathon and half-marathon can be tracked online during the race at www.cmmarathon.com. By entering a runner's race number or name, anyone can check a runner's progress at the 5K, 10K, 10 mile, 13.1 mile, and 20 mile marks, as well as the finish lines.

My honey's race # - 275111
My race # - 22222

Don't worry, we won't be real fast, so you don't have to check often. HA! At least it will prove our finish :)

And you, I will be sending all good thoughts and energy your way Sunday as you do your first 5K. You will do wonderfully!!!!

Where art thou my lungs?

Just got in from a one mile run. My time was fine (9 min, which is not uncommon when I know that's all I'm doing), but my left shin is killing me! My breathing is fine, better than yesterday (praise the Lord!), but still not as strong as I would like. If I am able to jog Saturday, I will definitely be doing the jog/walk combination. To help the shin splints I may slather on the "Mineral Ice" prior to the start, at least then I won't feel it as much.

And now, I will leave you with some thoughts from Beth Moore's Breaking Free study (page 167 of the workbook). I read this earlier today and found it incredible:

No matter how long any of us have struggled, God is not giving up on us. Even if we've drained all the human resources around us dry, He is our inexhaustible well of living water. He may allow the life of a captive to grow harder and harder, so she will be more desperate to do what freedom in Christ requires - but He will never divorce her. He woos and he waits. The measures God takes to woo us to liberty may be excruciating at times, but they are often more powerful evidences of His unfailing love than all the obvious blessings we could expound. When all is said and done, perhaps few truly know the unfailing love of God like the captive set free. "Let them give thanks to the Lord of his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offererings and tell of his works with songs of joy" (Psalm 107:21-22).

Trusting God

quote for the day:
by J. Bridges, book "Trusting God"

"God never wastes pain. He always uses it to accomplish
His purpose. And His purpose is for His glory and our good.
Therefore, we can trust Him when our hearts are aching or our
bodies are racked with pain. Trusting God in the midst of our
pain and heartache means that we accept it from Him... An
attitude of acceptance says that we trust God, that He loves
us, and knows what is best for us."*

*Thank you to Katy, my dear sweet friend who emailed the above quote to me the other day. It is too good to not share!

4 Days...and it ain't lookin' so good

There are a mere 4 days until the Music City Half Marathon. 4 days until the whole reason for the insane training we've been doing becomes fruitful. 4 days for the crud in my chest to clear up so I can fully enjoy the event! My cold is not totally cleared up yet, in fact, my chest still feels like someone is sitting on me (and I wish he or she would MOVE). What's even more comical is my voice. I called my father earlier today and he seems to agree with my sweet husband that I sound like a young boy going through puberty. Thanks Pop. According to the old man, it's unlikely I'll be able to jog the half marathon even if I wanted to due to the congestion. He's probably right. Then again, I didn't jog the whole time last year, so who cares?!?! I may end up walking with Andy after all, but you know what that will mean? Next year, I will have to do this crazy event again to prove I can jog more than I walk the course, just to say I did it. Maybe someone will interceed and keep me from such insanity, we'll see.

For the past three days, anytime I have opened my mouth to speak, my own voice has shocked me. It makes me laugh, makes others look at me funny, and has gotten Andy to request various songs which he think will be really funny with this crazy voice of mine. I can't sing anyway, and with my squeaks and squawks, it's even worse. Oh well, it's not so bad as long as laughter is the result. I'm always up for a good laugh, even at my own expense.

All for now. I am hoping the rest of our training buddies are having an amazing week and are getting excited about our big event this weekend!

Shawn Mcdonald - All I Need (Live)

Shawn McDonald, I love this guy's music. Another prayer of my heart.

Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns

This song is my prayer for all of God's children.

4 Ways To Embrace Change

The following is not from my own head, rest assured, it is my notes from this past weekend's conference entitled, "Embracing Change." Granted, you are missing out on our speaker's personal stories and stronger explanations. However, I'm hoping some of the meaning is not totally lost:

4 Steps to Embrace Change - S. Williamson
Awareness – Ammunition – Action Plan - Accountability

1. Awareness
•Change isn’t always easy, but God is always good
•God wants us to slow down (Matthew 11:28-30): weary- to be beaten out; burdened – loaded down; invitation, “Come to me”
•We should allow him to search our hearts
•God will restore us!
•Find refreshment in what we do
•When we slow down, we can become aware of what God wants, we become aware of sin and their consequences. God wants to restore us! (Psalm 139)
•Ask God, “Would you search my heart? Where do I need to slow down? What am I ‘stuffing’?”

2. Ammunition
•Ephesians 2:1-9
•John 20:16 (an adjustment is needed)
•Change begins with God, not us
•We are born with sin nature, but once we become Christians, have God’s divine nature dwelling in us as well. These two are constantly at battle. We have the power to choose which we listen to every day
•Galatians 5:16-17; Romans 7:15-21
•Need to learn to breathe spiritually: exhale first (confess sin) then inhale (take in God, “whatever you want Lord!”)
•Romans 12:1-2, transformed = a continuous state
•Ask God to show you, “What do I need to yield to?”

3. Action Plan
•General Steps: abide (John 15:1-5); witness for Him; invest in eternity
•Specific Steps – our “to do” list (Ephesians 2:10): each person’s will be different. What is God calling you to do?
•We have been changed to effect change

4. Accountability
•Born out of friendship
•Look for safe people
S – sensitive and sympathetic
A – aware and accepting
F – forgiving and forthright
E – earnest and eager
•Must have grace and truth
Truth without grace is mean
Grace without truth is license
•We should desire to be:
Trusting (Psalms 139: 23-24)
Transparent (a willingness to be known)
Truthful (Proverbs 12:22, James 5:16, Proverbs 51:6)
Time (Ecclesiastes a time for everything)

As Christians, we are marred by sin, but marked by the blood of Christ!

Embracing Change....Check

This past weekend, I was blessed beyond measure to not only attend, but also to be a part of our church's women's conference. The theme was, "Embracing Change." We focused on changes in the following 5 areas: physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual (what other areas are there, really?). It was an amazing weekend.

Going into it, I was not feeling well, at all. In fact, I even wrote a poem about it in my last entry. Friday night I explained it like this, "it feels like there's a fat man sitting on my chest kicking me in the head." However, the prayers being spoken on my behalf worked Saturday. I have heard of this happening for other folks, but have never had it happen to me quite like this. You see, God gave me exactly what I needed to get through the breakout session I helped lead and the fitness class I led, with more energy than I had felt the previous 48 hours. As soon as the fitness class was over, *poof,* energy was gone, congestion was back, and I slowly started losing my voice. I woke up this morning sounding like a prepubescent boy, and it's comical! Basically, God sustained me through the times I was needed, then forced me to hush and take in the rest of the conference. I love how God works.

There were so many good lessons to be learned, too many to share in one entry. In fact, one of the things I have come to realize is that I spend too much time on the computer. There are times I could be spending conversing with my heavenly Father but instead I am wasting time on here. So, I plan on blogging less (and that includes reading other blogs) in order to do what I feel I am being told to right now. When I do write, I'm hoping the entries will be different too, but we'll see where that road leads. I will have to write more about this past weekend because I believe the few of you who do read this blog will enjoy what was taught, and I'm all about sharing wisdom with people. For now, I will leave you with this:

truth without grace is mean
grace without truth is license
We are in need of both, they should go hand in hand. When we lose our way, we need friends who will gently take our hands and lead us back to the cross.

Poo....

Poo : Michelle 4/20/07 @ 12pm

I feel like poo
What to do what to do?
I am taking meds
It's all going to my head.
Got too much to do
Don't have time to feel like poo.
Women's conference this week,
One in which I have been asked to speak.
Half marathon in eight days,
And I can't run feeling this way.
What to do what to do,
I feel like poo.

My friends, it's true, I feel like poo. I felt it coming on a day or two ago and started taking some medicine. This couldn't be coming at a more imperfect time. Looks like I won't be doing my training run this weekend, which is not good, and I am supposed to lead a fitness class tomorrow at our conference. However, I am all about over-medicating to help get this out sooner, which I am sincerely praying works. Say some prayers for me: I need some QUICK healing!!!!

By Maya Angelou

Christians- By Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'n not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I still feel pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who recieved God's good grace, somehow!

Weekend....here I come

Tomorrow begins our Women's Conference entitled, "Embracing Change." I am truly looking forward to the weekend, and all that it will entail. Honestly, I am even looking forward to not having any access to a computer until Sunday evening. Talk about simplifying! Woo hoo, bring it on!!!

As I have mentioned before, I will be co-leading a breakout session with my friend Monica. The girl has come through BIG TIME with some information to help the ladies who attend our session. I am much more excited about the whole thing now to be be quite honest. As of right now, I have yet to come up with the workout for Saturday's fitness class, but that's not a huge worry.

As for now, my client has arrived so I must get to work and train the person! You know...my job.

Need a laugh?

Last night, before American Idol came on (of course), Andy and i watched, "Bill Cosby: Himself." We laughed so hard we cried, and our cheeks hurt from smiling. Today, I recommend it to any of you who are in need of a good, really good, laugh. Especially those of you who are parents, I think you will appreciate it even more. Enjoy, and happy laughing.

Training training training

Just got in from doing my miles today. Here's what I have concluded:
1. I should wait longer than 1.5 hours after lunch to eat
2. I don't like running in the afternoon, the mornings are much better
3. Children careening down slopes in the road head first on skateboards are good practice for getting through the crowds safely next week at the Music City Half Marathon
4. A day of running with no shin splints is a good day
5. I need mucinex to ward off the congestion in my chest
6. AdvoCare products are the BOMB - specifically O2 Gold, Muscle Fuel, Rehydrate, and Nighttime recovery
7. I am not doing any running events longer than a 5K again...period.

For the past week and a half, I have had shin splints. Pain shooting from my ankle up to my hip type shin splints. They have made training less than fun. Today, I decided to warm up a few steps longer before starting to jog, and that helped. Praise the Lord because I was starting to worry seeing as how the half marathon is 10 days away!

Cold World - B.Reith

This guy is great, and someone whom I think highly of. He and Andy in one room...scary. Great guy, great artist.

Ode to Jen P

Every Tuesday and Thursday, I head to the gym to meet up with my friend Jen. It's a great time of working out often filled with glares, directed at me, and such praises of adoration like, "I hate you so much." She's a joy to be around...really. At the end of the hour she thanks me for torturing her, and pushing her through yet another workout. Then, we head to lunch. I mean really, two friends on the verge of passing out post workout, what else are we to do?!?!

Our conversations are never the same, our subjects jump from one topic to another quite quickly, and I enjoy every moment of it. Today, I went on a tirade. I was expressing my disgust with things in my own nature and in our world. I'm talking full fledge soapbox, get out of my way lest you be run over, I gotta get this out type of tirade. And then, deep breath in, deep breath out, I was better. That's what I'm talking about folks, getting into the "messiness" of relationships with one another. Being able to hear the junk and love one another anyway, but never allowing one another to stay where we are; that's what I want more of.

As I drove off, I said a quick prayer of thanks for my sweet friend, for being able to be honest and open and vulnerable, and for knowing she'll hold me accountable to every word that came from my mouth.

What I Will and Will Not Apologize For

On any given day, I will apologize for:
* Speaking when I should listen
* Wanting to jump right in to help others rather than allowing them to process their own stuff
* Thinking my opinion should be heard
* For sometimes thinking my way is best when it's not (yea, Andy, go ahead and celebrate that one - hee hee)
* For hindering rather than helping others
* For being unsympathetic to what others feel
* For lacking compassion when that's all that's really needed
* For my stubborn stubborn self

I will not apolgize for:
* Believing that there is one true God (Exodus 20:1-3)
* That we are to know God and make him known (Luke 4:18-19)
* That there is nothing so far outside of God's reach that cannot be forgiven (Psalm 38:9-11, 13, 15, 18, 21-22; Matthew 7: 9-11)
* That I am to be an example of Christ (Ephesians 1:12; 2:10)
* That regardless of what has happened, I am to forgive others (Luke 17:3-4)
* Believing suffering makes us more like Christ (Romans 5:3-4, 8:28-29; James 1:2-4)
* That daily I am being renewed and cannot conform to this world (Romans 12:2)
* Daily, I am to follow him, cross in tow(Luke 9:23)
* That there is right and wrong, the gray stuff is world created
* For wanting more, to have all of what God has, not just bits and pieces, even if the world doesn't understand it.

The sun is out

Finally, the sun is back out and the temperatures are warming. And fittingly, I am seeing prayers being answered today. YIPPEE! My heart rejoices in the way God works. I will never understand why we have to face the kind of pains we do in this life, but I am thankful that we face nothing outside of what God allows. Even at my worst, God is at His best, and I'm thankful. I wish, right now, I could gather up my friends, from all over: you, you, you, you, you, you and you, for a big group hug. Completely cheesy I know, but at least we'd all be safe and protected, if only for a moment.

Then, I hear of this happening. Why in the world would someone do that? I am afraid for our world, afraid of where it's going and where it is. What happened to, "Hey, can we sit and chat and work this out?" No, instead folks now just go and shoot the one who's offended them. Praise the Lord all the many folks I have offended don't do the same to me! Whew...

But, God is still God, and that's all the reassurance I need.

Going Crazy and organizing along the way

My mind seems to be on a bit of a hiatus right now. I feel like I have totally lost it. There is so much "stuff" crammed in my head that it feels empty. Oxymoron I know, and some of you would probably say it's more likely there is nothing in my head, but so it goes.

I have been awaiting someone on my google reader list to post something, anything, a little bit of something to read. Then it hit me, I could always post something myself. (I'm a genius I tell you)

The half marathon is two weeks and one day away, and it's currently raining outside hard enough to wonder if there's a man named Noah in close proximity to our home. I am really excited about the half marathon though. Andy will be walking it, and that's probably what makes me the happiest. This year, unlike at other times, we'll get to walk around together with medals around our necks. Matching marathon *bling* - and that thought is pretty darn cool. Plus, a couple of wonderful people have been training with us, and I LOVE to see them when they have completed the event, tired and sweaty, and beaming with pride over their accomplishment. I feel like a proud momma at that moment, proud all her little darlings accomplished their goal to finish all 13.1 miles. Yippee!

Next weekend, our church is having a women's conference. The theme is, "Embracing Change," and our Momentum Events team has been doing an incredible job putting this thing together. I am honored to be a part of the whole weekend too. On Saturday, my buddy Monica and I will be leading a break-out session on making physical changes. My mind cannot begin to imagine what it's all going to be like, but I am ready! I will also be leading a fitness class Saturday afternoon, which I'm hoping all will enjoy. Speaking of which, I should probably get something prepared for that so I know what I'm doing. More than anything, I'm just looking forward to seeing what the weekend has in store for everyone attending.

And there now, after blogging, a few things that have been racing around in my head have been cleared out. Ahhhh, cheap therapy. Too bad it's probably making anyone who reads this crazy!

Obesity in America

As if it wasn't increasingly obvious already, Andy showed me this article yesterday that he came across on the msnbc website, though I guess that's good job security for me as a personal trainer and AdvoCare distributor.

Number of morbidly obese growing rapidly
Study finds 3 percent of Americans are 100 pounds or more overweight
Reuters
Updated: 10:35 a.m. CT April 10, 2007
WASHINGTON - People who are 100 pounds or more overweight are the fastest-growing group of overweight people in the United States, researchers reported on Monday.

They found the proportion of the severely obese was 50 percent higher in 2005 than it had been in 2000 — a startling rate of growth.

“The proportion of people at the high end of the weight scale continues to increase at a brisk rate despite increased public attention on the risks of obesity and the increased use of drastic weight loss strategies such as bariatric surgery,” said Roland Sturm, an economist at Rand Corporation, a nonprofit research institute.

“The explosion in the use of bariatric (weight-loss) surgery has made no noticeable dent in the trend of morbid obesity,” Sturm added in a statement.

The researchers found that based on self-reported height and weight, which tends to underestimate the weight part, 3 percent of Americans are already severely obese — defined as having a body mass index of 40 or higher.

Body mass index is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of a person’s height in meters.

The researchers, whose report will be published later this year in the journal Public Health, found that the proportion of Americans with a BMI of 30 or more increased by 24 percent between 2000 and 2005.

The proportion of people with a BMI of 40 or more increased by 50 percent and the proportion of Americans with a BMI of 50 or more increased by 75 percent.

The number of bariatric procedures, which include stomach stapling and stomach bypass surgery, rose to an estimated 200,000 in 2006 from 13,000 in 1998.


More than 30 percent of Americans are overweight, with a BMI between 25 and 29, and another 30 percent on top of that are obese, defined as having a BMI of 30 or above.

Overweight people have higher risks of heart disease, diabetes and some cancer, and obesity makes the risks much more imminent.


Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18036377/

Easter

Easter. What an amazing, exhausting day. God is good, He is alive, and He is good. This, is one of the few things I know to be true today. Pastor, as usual, preached an amazing sermon. I am hoping it will be available online soon because I am afraid I would butcher it completely by trying to restate it here. One thing has stuck out in my head, mostly because of circumstances those around me are facing: if I believe God is alive, then my life should reflect that, and my choices should reflect that. Plain and simple. Regardless of the cost, regardless of how often I have to tell myself I am not as important as I think I am. It's worth it all if it glorifies Him.

This past week, wow, I'm drained from it all. Some friends found out a friend who was "closer than a brother" was killed in a plane crash, another's marriage hangs in the balance as a result of a very bad choice, and another friend is slowly leaving this earth from cancer. The last one, now there is a human being whom I have seen more grace and beauty from in the midst of her illness than I see in most healthy humans. I adore her.

My mind and heart are wrecked from all the other stuff. The situation involving the marriage troubles me beyond measure. My heart aches, completely and totally. It's not just the circumstance, but the attack I see on marriages and families going on right now. Satan is out, full throttle. And are we prepared? No, we are spoiled, avoiding the truth, and pretending God's word is no longer true. It hurts me to see that my own depravity is not so far away, that I am not "free and clear" of the same choices. This, more than other situations, makes me more acutely aware of what I say and do and the effects both may have. I am more protective of my husband and my marriage. Why? Because the vow I made was not only to him, but to the God who created us both. Regardless of Andy's failings, I have no right to break those vows or declare them void. I am to enslave myself to my husband and help him see Christ better. It's hard for the world to understand, but I'm getting it more and more these days. Mainly, because Andy does that exact thing for me.

I rejoice that I serve a living, loving God. I rejoice that nothing is too far out of His realm of forgiveness or redeeming grace. I rejoice that He has the ability to turn any trial into a testimony. I rejoice because He Is.

30 Second Movie Preview

While driving to work the other day, I heard about a site called "Angry Alien." They use animated bunnies and their own narration to recap movies. I just watched some, and they are funny! Who couldn't use a bit of a laugh today? Head on over there, these people obviously learned how to summarize from the masters!

Sanjaya Anthem

This is totally ridiculous, much like the fact Sanjaya has not been voted off American Idol yet. But, this did make me laugh out loud it's so ridiculous!

Alanis Morissette

Thanks to Lisa for putting this up on her blog. I laughed so hard. It's completely silly and outrageous, then again, so is the song she's mocking.

Robo Ankle saves the day

Last night, upon leaving our final fitness class at church, my ankle twisted. I'm talking, roll out to the side, this is gonna hurt, twisted. However, thanks to the ankle surgery I had in college that resulted in me having a six inch plate and seven screws in my ankle, nothing serious happened when it twisted last night. It is a bit sore this morning, no more swollen then yesterday, and I am, oddly enough, thankful for the surgery I had. This also gave me an excuse to walk rather than jog this morning for training. But hey, I had an option: cross train or jog, so I'm really not breaking any rules of training for the half marathon.

Speaking of the half marathon, it is only 25 days away! WOW! I'm so excited. I told Andy that after this one, and I mean it this time, I'm not running any long distance events. I'll join him in walking them maybe, but no more jogging more than 2 or 3 miles. Walking this morning was so nice. I am a speed walker mind you, but it's so much easier on all my broken down joints.

The cooties are going away, slowly. They are only bad after working out now. I got some different cream to put on it, which is also a bit stronger. I think it's helping. Or, maybe my body has just stopped freaking out. Probably not. Either way, they seem to be getting better. If it's not one thing it's another I tell you....my mom was right, I am a mess!