Day Four: The End is in Sight...at Least the End of This Week!

It's Day Four of Food Week in the Seven Experiment. (Read this post for the back story!).

No one's died or been rushed to the hospital for an IV drip from lack of energy. Although I did momentarily consider acupuncture yesterday for this headache...momentarily.

For the most part, I think we've all turned the corner and are embracing what we're learning about ourselves - good or bad. But, dear friends, don't let that fool you to think there might not be seven lovely ladies standing in their kitchens staring into refrigerators and pantries at 12:01 a.m. Sunday...ok, maybe that's just me. 

Results thus far (in addition to the previous notes):

1. My friends are funny. I wish you could be privy to the dialogue between this amazing group of ladies - so encouraging of one another and so real about their struggles. Suffering together has definitely been a great relationship builder for us.

2. Granola bars without chocolate taste like cardboard. No further explanation needed.  

3. I've lost 5 lbs in 4 days. So, this might sound like I'm bragging or a good thing, but it's really more of a slap in the face about the excessiveness in my diet. My diet would send a nutritionist into the fetal position and make him/her regret their career choice. I'm pretty sure I've eliminated between 2,500 and 3,000 (EMPTY) calories A DAY with just seven things...pretty sure that's more than I'm supposed to eat TOTAL each day. 

4. I eat to cope. Yesterday was a rough day for a number of reasons and it was all I could do not to pop on in to Sonic and grab some mozzarella sticks and a LARGE Dr. Pepper (at 8:30, mind you!). I put my pajamas on as soon as I got home to prevent an outing. Whatever works, people. I know my limits. 

5. I miss cheese more than Dr. Pepper. Yes, I just wrote that. 

6. I need change in my life...and food is only the beginning. I'm not sure where this is going, but if you're curious, just hit that "Join this site" button to the right and follow along to see what God does with this experience. For now, I know He's moving me to purge the excess and teaching me that I deal with stress and failure and difficulty in ways that are in direct opposition to His word.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. 

Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 

Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

Next week is clothes. Originally, I thought this was going to be my tough week, but I'm pretty sure it will feel like a piece of cake after this week. We'll be wearing only seven items (in a myriad of fashionable combos, I'm sure!) for seven days. I'm actually looking forward to the simplicity - pretty sure it will come down to a daily this or that decision (In case you're wondering, under garments and pjs are freebies). Working on that list...

My life is full of excess. I didn't need this experiment to admit that, but I think God is using this to reveal excess in areas I wanted to hide or others that I wasn't even aware of. I hope over the next seven weeks, He can help me restore balance and reestablish priorities that are HIS - not my worldly wants. 

Are there areas of excess in your life? What would balance look like for you?

It's all about the Timing

Last Thursday was rough. I finished cleaning out my office in McComas Hall (Read this post if you're not sure why!). While I am obviously excited about these next steps with HMM, I am a creature of habit and comfort (Read: I don't like change!).

As I was getting out of my truck to unload everything at my other office on campus, a friend was returning from lunch and offered to help. He graciously carried in an enormous box that I had way overpacked. I'm incredibly grateful that he arrived at just the right time to carry that stinkin' box (because it would likely still be in the back of my truck had he not), but it was what he said in those few minutes between my truck and the office that was even more perfect. 

He asked how things were going with my new situation and when I launched into my "Oh great, but I still have moments of panic when I think 'What have I done?'" spiel, he simply said,

"For whoever wants to to save his life will lose it, 

but whoever loses his life for me, will find it."

Matthew 16:25

Wow. Talk about a smack upside the head to stop the pity party I was headed toward simply because change makes me "uncomfortable." Waah.

It's amazing how God puts people, devotions, signs, social media posts, quotes and a million other signs in front of us to bring us comfort at just the perfect time! I pray daily that I don't get too busy to miss any of those signs - I am afraid I have missed so many throughout the years. Another prayer is that I won't be too busy to BE that sign to someone else.

I pray in all the busyness of DOING, I never miss the opportunity just to BE.

Have you ever been given a "sign" that you knew was meant just for YOU at the perfect time? Would love to hear about it (feel free to share below!)!

Training is "Officially" Underway

Last week was "unofficially" week 2 of marathon training. I logged just over 20 miles and gained 3 pounds. Uh. I'm confused. I'm eating like a horse, yes, but I'm burning crazy numbers of calories (in comparison to pre-training burn, of course). Not going to worry about the number on the scale, just the number of miles. Right?

So, today marks the "official" start of the training - it is Week 1 Day 1 of the training plan I'm using. I still have (MANY) moments when I think, "What ARE you thinking?" Those usually start around mile 3 when my body starts protesting the 100% humidity sucking the life right out of me! 

I have already tackled today's run. It was a steady 4.25 miles (9:42 pace) with some pretty good hills. Left the house around 6 a.m. and several times thought, "I could still be asleep. You're an idiot." But now that the day is rolling, I'm glad it's done, and I'm looking forward to pushing the distance a little further tomorrow (Of course, that means rolling out of bed earlier. Ugh!).

All that to say, I'm on track (I know, it's Day 1, but cut me some slack!), but still having sanity-doubting moments! 123 days to race day...

Fast Like Mommy

One of my "purposes" for running (see blog title!) is to set a positive example for my boys. I don't ever want them to dread exercise or struggle with their weight like I have most of my adult life. 

Tonight, during bath time, I got some feedback on how this is going with the oldest Walton boy...

Me (overly dramatic, but very concerned): Riley!! What happened to your elbow? You have a scratch!

Riley (concerned, but no drama): I fell down and hurt it.

Me: Today? Did it happen at school?

Riley: Yes, ma'am (and he's learning manners - BONUS!).

Me: What happened?

Riley: I was running fast - LIKE YOU - and I fell down (emphasis added).

Seriously? My heart melted! I love that kid! I have no aspirations (or hope) of being a "fast" runner but as long as my boys think I'm fast, that's good enough.

I've lost it...26.2?

The whole taking-a-break-from-training thing has not lasted as long as I had hoped. Somewhere in my crazy head (I think it was actually around mile 4 of my 6-mile run today!), I decided I want to (try to) run a full marathon...this year (What? Are my eyes reading correctly what my fingers just typed? Who hijacked my blog?).

When I started running last year, the full 26.2 was a bucket list kind of thing. You know - when the boys got a little older...after the Promotion & Tenure process was complete...when I had more time to train, really. But now, I think I want to go for it...and in 2011.

I had planned to run St. Jude's 1/2 again in December, but I'm thinking I may just go ahead and register for the full marathon. It's a great race, amazing atmosphere, great course, far from home so no one will read the police report or see the news where I had to be transported to the hospital...you know, all the great race pre-requisites for your first marathon. And if I think I can't make it the full distance, I can always turn off at the 13.1 mark and no harm done. Well, other than feeling like a complete failure, I'm sure.

Anyway. I'm putting it out there for all the world to read and comment on. I have no aspirations of qualifying for Boston with my time; I just want to finish...upright.

Marathoners - is this really possible? Have I totally lost it thinking I have time to train for this? 

Oh, dear...

Disaster Averted

When I re-read my last post, I realized it was pretty whiney...so thanks for not calling me out on that! Apparently, the whining worked though!

Since then, the scale has moved! I weighed 159.0 this morning!! Woot, Woot! I haven't seen 150-something in a LONG time, my friends (Just for the record, I actually saw 158.4 three of the 17 times I weighed - I couldn't believe my eyes and just wanted to stare at the number!!). While I can't attribute it completely to healthy eating and working out because I participated in the 30-Hour Famine with our youth group Friday and Saturday, I'll take it! This brings my total weight loss in just over a year to around 74 pounds!

And second, and probably most importantly, I've had a major break-thru with my running this weekend. 

When running causes more stress than it's relieving,

something's out of balance and needs to be changed. 

To understand this, I need to go back in my journey a little. Last March, I started running. My overall goal for running was to lose weight and get my health back. Knowing how my brain operates, I set a long-term goal to run the St. Jude's 1/2 Marathon in December. This was my motivation to keep running (and justify all the money I was spending on gear, but I digress...). I did St. Jude's in December and in the delirium of my runner's high, I signed up for the Frostbite 1/2 marathon in January (five weeks later!)...and I did that, too. I was really ready for some time off - as in no-pressure-running-just-to-run time off. 

Instead of listening to my body (and my mind!), I began training for the Country Music 1/2 Marathon (April 30) and invited my sister-in-law to join me (it would be her first 1/2!). As the semester picked up speed (no pun intended, runners!), I fell behind in my training and even struggled to get my shorter runs in during the week; then, I began to struggle making time for long runs. All the struggling was stressing me out and stealing the joy of my running. It felt like one of the other million things I HAD to do in the day/week. It was causing more stress than it was relieving!

My sister-in-law (who I swear wears an "S" for Super Woman under her clothes) also had trouble getting in her training runs. In our womanly wisdom, we decided this weekend to nix the 1/2 and just plan a fun visit! We'll have a wonderful weekend with them and will go for a long run, just the two of us, for a distance of our own choosing without battling 30,000+ other runners Since we made this decision, I can't even begin to explain how relieved I've felt!

So relieved, in fact, that I went for a run tonight (on my rest day!) - JUST BECAUSE I WANTED TO! It felt amazing to run without worrying about distance or pace or anything - I just ran to run! I didn't HAVE to - I really WANTED to!

Some of you will read this and think I'm copping out and that's ok. I know hard-core runners will criticize, but what I think I did was avoid the fast-track to burnout. One of the purposes for my continued running is to relieve (some) stress in my life. It's relaxing and provides me some alone time to decompress. Because the other obligations in my life creating obstacles for my training plan, running was actually causing me stress. Defeats the purpose a little...

So, what's my plan now?

Three to four runs per week of varying distances (3-5 miles) with one mid to long run (6-8 miles) on the weekend depending on time and weather. May also try three runs and a kettle bell workout some weeks.

And my advice to others (new or old runners): Listen to your body! If you need a break from race training, take it. There's always another race to train for and no one's going to take your "runner card" just because you're not "in training" for something.

Redefining "WINNING"

I ran a 5K this morning. Not a big 5K with thousands of runners, music and streets lined with supporters; but a small, local 5K to benefit an adorable little boy in our community with Sanfilippo syndrome, a genetic error of metabolism. Quinn is 5 with a life expectancy of 10 - 20 years...but no one's told him that! He was cheering on the runners and having a great time (You can visit his Caring Bridge page to see his full story)! As the mom of two healthy boys, my heart breaks for Quinn's parents. I simply cannot fathom what they are going through as they work to help find a cure to heal their sweet boy.

I've seen several people since finishing the race, and I'm still proudly wearing my "I Ran for Quinn" sticker. The first thing they asked was, "Did you win?" Which has me thinking...

How do I answer that? I ran a pretty hilly course and set a new PR for 5K (27:39). That's a WIN!! I ran alongside a super sweet 7th grader who was running his first 5K. We chatted throughout and had a great visit! Although he said several times he could barely keep going, he did...and so did I. WIN! The race was organized by the Winston County JR Miss Committee, and I have several beautiful girls who make my life better that will be competing for the title in a few weeks. Despite the overwhelming desire to sleep in because my boys are at their grandparents - I showed up and supported them in their efforts to help this sweet little boy. WIN!!

So, did I cross the finish line first? No. Will I ever cross the finish line first in a race? Probably not. But did I "win" today? Absolutely!!

So, today, I'm redefining "winning" and declaring:

I WON THE RACE!

**Quinn's color is purple and today I use it proudly in this post!

13 Thoughts from 2011 Frostbite Half Marathon

I like lists. I can't help it; I'm an organization freak that way. Here's my list of 13 things - one for each mile I ran today - about the 2011 Frostbite Half Marathon. Some are cool things that happened. Some are plans for the future. And some are just random thoughts about the race experience. Enjoy!

1) My husband and oldest son surprised me at mile 6! Jeff was snapping pictures (post those later!) and Riley was doling out high five's to the runners. It was a much-needed boost headed into the second half of the race. I have the sweetest (and most supportive) husband ever!

2) My husband, both sons and the greatest in-laws EVER were at the finish line cheering me on. Riley even "finished” the race with me; I passed them on the corner and then he chased me to the finish line. Sorry, to the race organizers...but it was pretty darn cute.

3) I met three really awesome people that I connected with via Twitter. Terry and Meredith Sullivan (@LivngRIGHTnow and (@thaREALmeredith) and Rod Simmons (@RodsRacers). If you're on Twitter (and you should be!), follow them all three! They are cooler in person than they are on Twitter…if that’s even possible.

4) It's confirmed - I love my job! I had several students with a great sign (pic to follow) cheering me on at the top of the most brutal hill on the course and received countless "good luck" and "how did it go?" messages before and after! Thanks, gang!

5) I have a new PR (personal record) for the half marathon. I finished in 2:14 (will add the seconds when they post official times). That's four minutes faster than my St. Jude's time seven weeks ago! I had to walk the last little bit of a couple of hills, but I am still very pleased.

6) Even in 40 degree temps, you can get a tan. I have tan lines on my legs where my capris ended and socks began.

7) I am going to have to find something other than the sport beans for during-the-race energy. They do not seem to do the trick and actually seem to have a reverse effect. Open to suggestions!

8) Bright orange (as in hunter legal!) is not really what I would consider a “good” color for me. But I guarantee you, I will wear my race shirt out, so get ready. You’ll see me coming in it…from far away.

9) The smell of cow/horse manure is not cool when you’re breathing deeply. Definitely a “con” for a race that begins in Pheba, Mississippi.

10) I'm convinced that the Twitter running community is second-to-none! The messages and encouragement from my tweeps leading up to and after the race were also amazing!

11) I broke my “caffeine curfew” today since the race started at noon. I’m pretty sure I earned it with over 1,600 calories burned during the race.

12) I need to do more strength and speed work before my next distance race…and will.

13) My name is Laura...and I’m addicted to running. As I was nearing the finish line, I was already thinking about my next race.

And big congrats to my friend, Jonathan Miller (blogs at http://jonathandoeslife.com/) on totally rocking the Frostbite Half with a 1:53 finish. Folks, that is 30 MINUTES FASTER than his time last year! AAHHMAZING!

 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me...

Philippians 4:13