lessons from my first 1/2 marathon

taken with iphone

01. Running is--dare I say fun? Or at least that's what I would have said at mile 6. I'm not saying running is fun for running sake, but I understand now why people get addicting to races. The sound of deep breaths and many feet striking the pavement all around me made me feel like I was apart of something big.

02. Choose a race that is beautiful, terrain that you will simply be in awe of as you weave back and forth. I watched the sun rise over the red rocks as I made my way down Snow Canyon. It was stunning and relevant to where I was and what I was doing. All you have out there is your thoughts and found it helpful to have something beautiful to look to.

03. Running in the cold is ideal. I remember one of my friends posted on facebook how her favorite temperature to run in was the high 40s low 50s. I thought she was absolutely crazy, but now I understand. Saturday morning it was cold, about 32 degrees, but it was perfect for running long distance. I wasn't 2 miles in before I stripped down to only a t-shirt and gloves. On that note, I should have run with my arm warmers instead. The only thing that got cold from time to time was my wrists. Strange.

04. Run with a friend. I really loved knowing that I wasn't alone. We actually didn't even run it together, but knowing she was there, working toward the same goal, gave me strength and comfort.

05. If I regret one thing it would be that I wasn't able to run with my camera. There were just too many times I wish I could have captured certain moments throughout the race. I wonder when the time will come that we will be able to take pictures with our eyes without them fading?

06. Embrace imperfections. Undoubtedly something is going to happen that's not ideal. Body aches and pains you've never felt before, chaffing in odd places, uphills that were unexpected, wind working against you. Accept that it's apart of your experience and move on.

07. You may be what someone else needs. At one point for about 2-3 miles I noticed this guy in a green neon shirt running next to me. Finally I had found someone I could pace with, seemed everyone else was passing me up. Toward the end before I pull away from him I wondered who was pacing with whom? I love to imagine we were helping each other.

08. If you've trained you have no need to fear. I thought the night before I would have been a wreck with worry and anticipation. You would have been proud of me, I was calm and peaceful. I was ready.

09. Running is a mind game. If you tell yourself you can, you can. Trust me. If I can run 13.1 miles anyone can.

10. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 A young man (guessing 18) ran passed me toward the beginning of the race with this scripture written in black ink across his back. I didn't really think about it again until mile 10.5 when everything started to fall apart. I think the term is, I hit my wall. For one, I couldn't breath because I got water down my trachea, never good, the wind kicked up, we started running uphill, I was hurting and becoming fully aware of my fatigue. Doubt crept in in a serious way and I started to lose focus. I wasn't sure I could continue on. It was then that my one song came on that always pumps me up and gives me energy and I immediately thought back to the shirt I had seen at the beginning of the race. I have no doubt that song coming on just then was a tender mercy from the Lord. I felt loved and understood and was given what I needed. When we do our part and do all we can, God gives us strength to continue on.

11. It feels amazing to see a goal through to the finish line. Although I have been afraid and intimidated by running a 1/2 marathon (do you realize how far that is??) I've always wanted to do it. It's been on my bucket list for years, remember how devastated I was two years ago when I injured my back and I wasn't able to run with Robyn? What an amazing feeling it was to cross the finish line, exhausted, knowing I had given everything I could. Did I say this already? I understand why racing is addicting.

12. Enjoy it. Toward the end when I really started struggling like I have already written about and the race stopped becoming "fun" I keep telling myself to enjoy it, particularly the end, because I may never do it again. This lesson seems to crept into my life more often than I care to admit. As we all know life is full of ups and down, but regardless of what we are facing this experience is meant to be enjoyed. I can't be sure if I will ever run another race, part of me wants to, part of me doesn't, but for now I am just grateful for what this experience taught me and that I enjoyed the whole of it.


Finished results:
distance: 13.1 miles
time: 1:51:00.7
pace: 8:28/M

12 of 12

I need to just once and for all write down a list of all the things I want to accomplish this year because at this point they all just seem like ideas and not quite concrete goals.


[click here to see the images]

While taking the Design Your Life class CathyZ mentioned the 12of12 blog. Have you heard of it? I hadn't at the time, but I think it's a fabulous idea. Basically on the 12th of each month you're suppose to take at least 12 photos to best highlight your day. I loved doing Ali Edwards week in the life challenge, but have to be honest, I was exhausted by the end of the week documenting everything. When I heard about the 12of12 idea I thought it would be a great way to get little bits of your life throughout the year without bombarding your entire week.

So I decided to get on board and wanted to know if you want to do it too? I'm sorry I'm just getting around to posting about it, since January is about over, but I had forgotten about it until mid-morning on the 12th and it's been one of those posts in the back of my mind that I've been wanting to do, but haven't. Anyway, it's definitely not to late to start.

edited to add: I know this is something that can easily be forgotten so I will post on the 11th of each month to remind everyone who wants to do it. Hopefully I won't forget. :)

spt (self portrait tuesday) - resolve

tuesday, january 6 i resolve to take more self-portraits
tuesday, january 13 i resolve to take more self-portraits with people i love
tuesday, january 20 i resolve to take more self-portraits while trying new things
tuesday, january 27 i resolve to take more self-portraits doing things i enjoy

Well, I'm not taking on the challenge I did last year to take a self portrait everyday, we all know how that ended, but I am resolved to be involved in the SPT each week. It's such a great way to a) make sure you are present in your families memory books, b) a great way to reflect about life in a way you may not have ever thought before, and c) a really great photography challenge. I'm definitely looking forward to another 52 weeks of challenges.



Since self-portraits are something I've been doing for a while now, one thing I'm going to try to capture is everyday life in my self portraits. In this photo I am writing in my journal aka life book. Yes, I have now officially started a journal and haven't missed a day since January 1st (the goal to write something everyday if only a line or two). It's something I've wanted to do for a long time and for some reason or another it keeps getting pushed to the back of my list. This year I decided there is enough that gets missed with blogging because I either feel like it's too personal, it's so boring who would want to read it, or I just don't find the time to blog that I want to make sure the workings of my thoughts don't go unrecorded. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about blogging about something on my mind and then I end up completely forgetting. Hopefully by doing both (blogging and a journal) I will get a great sense of our family life this year.

Have you started up a journal again?

a closer look

It's always around this time, as it is with most people, that I reevaluate my goals and make new ones or keep the old ones that are incomplete. It was a little discouraging for me to see many of my goals for 2008 go unfinished. Then I heard this quote on Sunday and it really struck a chord with me.

I do not believe that any man lives up to his ideals, but if we are striving, if we are working, if we are trying, to the best of our ability, to improve day by day, then we are in the line of our duty. If we are seeking to remedy our own defects, if we are so living that we can ask God for light, for knowledge, for intelligence, and above all, for His Spirit, that we may overcome our weaknesses, then, I can tell you, we are in the straight and narrow path that leads to life eternal. Then we need have no fear.

- Heber J. Grant (April 1909)

My brain works in lists and I much prefer to add something to my list so I can check it off and move on. I'm now realizing many of my goals are a process and can't just be check off a list and forgotten about. It doesn't matter how long it takes me to finish as long as it's something I'm continually working towards. So instead of getting discourage when I look at my list, I am now happy about the strides I've made this year (2008) and feel encouraged to keep on moving....keep on trying. For instance, I was hoping to be able to run a 10k by the end of the year. Unfortunately I am far from it, but I did start running and can now run for 10 mins, walking 1 min 3x (does that make sense?). So I am progressing and that's all that matters because we all work at different paces. And it may take me another year to work up to a 10k, but who cares how long it takes as long as I'm trying.



It's a shame some goals can't just be crossed off our list, but I believe it's the doing that makes the difference in helping shape us into the individuals we want to become. I have a lot of work to do and I know I could try even harder to do my best, but I won't let myself get discouraged. I have such a positive outlook on this new year...I feel like the skies the limit and that anything is possible.

Where ever you find yourself tonight when the clock strikes 12...be safe, have fun, and by all means have a Happy New Year!

6:30 am...

Photo by tess taken last week

use to come early and now not so much. For two weeks I've gotten up early to exercise before my girls wake up. Last week I wasn't happy about it, but this week my body has been getting up on it's own, assuming that I get to bed at a decent time, which I have. It's something I've done in the past, but have been really lazy about since last winter. I use to go to the gym, but Megan kept getting sick with ear infections so I stopped going...and when I stop going it's so hard to go back.

I can't tell you how good it feels to be on this schedule. I love getting up early and getting ready for the day so it's awesome to have already exercised too. I never get my shower in before I'm bombarded by the morning routine, but usually do that once breakfast has been served.

Ok so now with the irony...all I want to do is get up early to exercise and have a bit of me time, but it seems my days are just starting earlier with no benefits. The last couple of mornings my girls have been getting up one by one earlier than normal. What's up with that? Yesterday I got up and decided to do pilates instead of the treadmil so I stayed in my room to do it. I hadn't been exercising 5 minutes before Tess woke up and then a stream of kids after that. I was bugged. What am I doing up earlier if I don't get the benefit? It happened again today as well. Bella got up as I was headed downstairs (6:30) to walk/run. When I asked her what she was doing she said I told her she could finish Giada, aka everyday italian, she had to stop watching last night. What? Are you kidding me? I forget how literal she takes everything, but then to actually get up...I was shocked. Then Tess got up shortly after that and Megan. Aargh!

With that said, I'm not giving up. Right now I want to, but I can't. I know if I do it will be months before I get on this early schedule and it feels too good to stop. I just wish my kids would cooperate more by sleeping in to their normal time. Is that too much to ask?

Do any of you get up early to exercise?

resolution...INTENTIONS

I like the way Ali Edwards put it in the January 2006 Creating Keepsakes...think of resolutions as intentions. I truly need to be honest with myself and look at my track record. I have not been so great in the past about completing my goals. So I find in more fitting to say intentions and then I won't feel so guilty if I don't get to them all.

Here it goes.

1. Positive Positive Positive.
2. Read the Scriptures with my family everyday.
3. Hold regular FHE...every Monday night.
4. Do a Layout/Project once a week.
5. Try a new recipe every 2 weeks. (i'm being realistic)
6. Read my Sunday School lesson every week even though I don't get to go.
7. Stay on top of my fly lady goals...organization.
8. Continue to read and educated myself in the things i am interesed in like photography.
9. Attend the temple once a month.
10. Continue to write my thoughts so to be more comfortable with me.
11. Stop talking and just do. ACTION!


Sure feels good to get it out there. Here's to keeping my Intentions and really striving to be a different, better, more unique me.