A Month to be Thankful: Day 12

Day 12: Thankful for my B.O.B.

you are probably like, "what?" yes, my B.O.B. my fabulous, incredible, jogging stroller. as most of you know, one of my favorite things to do is run. so when i got pregnant i knew we had to get a jogging stroller and what better than a B.O.B.  i am so thankful i am able to get out with colton during the day and go on a nice and easy (well, kind of) run.

so today, as i go out for a run, i am super thankful that we are privileged enough to have such a nice stroller to help me continue to do the one of the things i absolutely love, running.

If Shoes Could Talk

If you don't know me, I love to run. I would consider it as one of my hobbies. Strange, yes, but a good hobby/interest to say the least.

As most of you know, I am currently training for my third Chicago Marathon and any training is a lot of wear and tear on your body . . . and your shoes.

I recently just bought a new pair of Newton's (which I LOVE). But, I am going to miss my old pair. They were there for me on my worst days, my best, those ridiculously early mornings, helped me finish my least favorite hot/humid runs, treked through snow, mud, rain, sunshine . . . and many, many miles. I definitely had them way too long, but they were good to me.

I wonder what they would say if they could talk. The stories they would share about our runs together, the days my body had an easier time finishing a 13 mile run or the days my feet refused to put them on because I was too tired/lazy to get out of my warm bed on those below freezing, snowy mornings. I wonder if they would share how awful I am - or how they wish I was faster so I didn't kill the crap out of them because I am slow . . . not sure. Or what they would say they saw along the way - the places they have been: Lakefront, Cary, PA, Florida... But no matter what, good or bad, they are my best friends on my runs.

It is hard for me to get rid of running shoes. I have a few of my past pairs. This sounds strange but I am a bit sentimental when it comes to running. By no means am I a natural runner, I am slower than a frickin' tortoise, but no matter how fast/slow I run, how good/bad my run was, my shoes were there and those memories and the journey we had together are quite special. I am weird.

While I think about my running shoes and the places I go, I also think about my walk with the Lord and the places I go with Him. The good and bad days. The rainy and sunny days. I often question if my "talk" goes hand-in-hand with my "walk." I tell people I run and train, and oh boy, do I. But, I feel sometimes my "spiritual running shoes" with the Lord are often left in the closet. I wonder what stories they would share, neglect? Loss of Joy? The good days? My tears? Hurt and Pain?

This summer has been a challenging one and a dry one to be honest with you . . . Time for a new start . . .

My old newtons are on the left (clearly) and my loud, ridiculously colored new shoes on the right:



I am excited to start my new journey with my new shoes. They had their first run in Lake Placid, NY. Pretty cool place to start breaking them in if you ask me.

And I am excited to start a new refreshed journey with the Lord as well. I am taking off neglect/hurt/pain and putting on joy and trust.

Excited to see where these shoes take me over the next few months . . . and most importantly, where the Lord takes me.

10.10.10: First Month: Check.

Well - the first month of marathon training is officially done. Yikes. I am almost half way there in my mileage. The "twenties" still seem so daunting and far . . .

I just did 12 miles with my mom downtown on the lakefront on Saturday. Running on the lakefront is a piece of cake compared to running my long runs near my house on hilly roads. Yes, there are "hills" in the outer suburbs of Chicago. I am not crazy, come out to Cary.

Training is going well - and the sunrise at 5:00 A.M. helps me get my butt out of bed to go run. Convincing myself to get up is getting harder and harder but the little voice in my head tells me that I will feel so much better when I am done. And, I do - but I just love the comfort of my bed.

Challenges Ahead: More miles. Hotter days. Lack of time/desire. I am slow. Need new running shoes but lack of funds.

Welp - I am feeling pretty good about my training so far - 12 miles doesn't seem like a lot to me but then again, it is only July.

I'll let you know how July goes in a bit. And any other new information along the way.

my running partner is a rockstar

26.2... "no biggie" - for a mother of five, a grandma, a wife, employee x 2, and the other million things my incredible mother has on her plate....

Yesterday, I was able to witness the 2009 Chicago Marathon as a spectator - I decided to take the year off and cheer on my mom. While, I won't type her age, when you become a grandma and can run a marathon, well, that is something else. She is one incredible, strong, determined and dedicated woman and most importantly, I am glad to have her as someone I look up to. This is my mom's third consecutive and fifth marathon total. Not many women her age can do that. So, three cheers for you, mom.

Watching from the start line was bittersweet for me. I really did enjoy taking the year off (wedding, new husband, new job, new house... ;) ). However, being a part of something like that and understanding what those 45,000 runners were going through made me tear up. I played "Amazing Race" by myself for the majority of the morning and I finally got to LaSalle near Moody, only to miss my mom by like 2 minutes. She was runnin' like a cheetah...

I risked my life, actually the lives of the marathon runners, and crossed the street to get to Wells (the other side of Moody) to meet my mom there. Once I was there, our plan was for me to finish the last 14.5 miles with my mom. While waiting for her to come, Candace, Madeline, Kerry and Ethan met up with me. It was FREEZING and not much fun for an 11 month old... poor guy.

Finally, the running star appeared and I joined the fun....I told my mom while we were running, "So, this is what the last half of the marathon is suppose to look like..." [Note: 2007 and 2008 were two of the hottest marathons in the history of the 32 Chicago Marathons on record & I don't do so well in heat....]

It was a great, easy and chilly run with my mom. Perfect weather for a marathon. I enjoyed finishing the marathon and getting a medal at the end so I didn't look too suspicious....

So, congratulations mom. You are incredible. Another Chicago Marathon checked off. Now that she is taking 2010 off, anyone interested in training for next year's marathon with me? 10.10.10? Neat, huh?