No Sugar Tonight

This song popped into my mind while writing this post: No sugar tonight in my coffee, no sugar tonight in my tea, no sugar to stand beside me, no sugar to run with me... "No Sugar Tonight" The Guess Who

This week I read a post by Jodi at Granola Mom {4} God called “I Quit Sugar” and she inspired me to, well, quit sugar. One of my girlfriends and I once gave up sweets for a month and it was so worth it. At first, I really craved the sugar, but after a week or so, I didn’t even want sweets anymore. Then life happened, pregnancy came and went, now breastfeeding and marathon training is going on; it’s time to take another shot at cutting back on my sugar intake. I'm not a sugar maniac, but I like to have a chocolate or something sweet after meals; not bad, but a habit worth breaking.

The rules are basic and not crazily restrictive – I’m just cutting out extra sweets. It seems impossible to 100% avoid sugar since it’s in basically everything; even in milk and bread! Desserts in moderation are meant to be enjoyed. So, if I'm at a birthday party or get-together of some sort with a lovely array of desserts, I can pick something small to try. Gotta live a little :)

Good Earth Super Green Tea

Green tea has helped me to kick the afternoon sugar cravings. Coffee in the AM; green tea in the PM. Good Earth Super Green Tea is really growing on me! It’s natural, or so the packaging says, and it’s 0 calories.

Post-Pregnancy Weight Issues

At least in this culture, after baby arrives, the pressure is on to returning to pre-baby weight as soon as possible. I bought into that lie and initially returning to “normal” weight was a concern of mine, but now looking back it was silly. For me, ditching the sugar is not about losing weight or the scale. It’s about lifestyle changes for my health and for my son’s health, since he’s eating everything I do. Per the scale, I’m lighter than I was before I was pregnant, but that’s partly due to losing some muscle while pregnant! I avoid weighing myself and focus on how my body feels rather. You can learn so much from just listening to your body; it is a fine-tuned machine designed by the most brilliant Creator. I want to honor God with my body.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This Week

God has truly carried me through this week, as He always does. Some coworker relationships have been rather abrasive lately but God has helped me to speak wisely, but, most importantly, just hold my tongue (most of the time). As with every place where numerous people are together for long periods of time, gossip and opinions run wild there! Proverbs 31:26 has been my prayer this week. God is teaching me to drop my pride and forgive others for their sometimes hurtful words. At church today, it just so happened that the sermon was about others "throwing stones" at you for being a Christian. The stones feel like they have been flying at me in the masses lately, though they are very mild compared to the persecutions that Christian martyrs have gone through. They were tortured and sometimes killed for their faith! But even so, I still need to lean on God for strength and wisdom when situations like that arise. Do I always say the right thing or say nothing at all? Nope, I'm so far from perfect. Every day the Holy Spirit is shaping my character and sanctification is a process that's going to last the rest of my time here on earth!

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26

Mom and Mr. Eli - Soon 5 months old!

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Running Recap

M – Rest day.

T – 6 mile tempo run + XT.

W – Off.

H – 6 mile run with strides.

F – 4 mile easy run with jogger and Eli.

Sat – 12 mile long run in 1:40:37 at 8:23/mile.

Total Mileage: 28 miles

Training Week 4: Are You B.U.S.Y.?

Of course you're busy! I haven't met a single person who has said, "Oh my, I am SO un-busy these days..." Lately, the weekdays have felt like I run from one thing to the next. The world has you going and going, always in a hurry. I've assessed my daily routine to better manage time each day; working out is now something that only happens early in the morning and who needs a TV anymore! I learned what B.U.S.Y. actually stands for in a Bible study a few years ago.

Source: mybible.com

B - Being

U - Under

S - Satan's

Y - Yoke

Satan loves keeping us busy; he uses "busy-ness" as a sign of prestige - "If you are busy, you are a very, very important person!" What a load of lies! When we are busy and rushing around with our heads down, we miss out on the beauty of God's creation all around us. When I'm stuck in "B.U.S.Y. mode", I find that I don't live life for the present rather my mind is floating around somewhere in the future. I do what I can to prioritize time with my husband and son, but it never feels like enough!

Staying at home with Eli is going to present many challenges, but I know that I will never regret investing my time in my son, our family, and our home. I am so thankful for the freedom God has given us through His Son. Despite the whirl of daily life and the temptation from Satan to fill up every second of our time, I'm choosing to take the yoke from Jesus, not Satan. My importance does not come from how busy and important I am in this world, it comes from Jesus Christ.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Marathon Training Week 4

On a slightly random note, a coworker shared this comic strip with me about running and "hitting the wall". In future marathons, I'm no longer going to hit a wall of any sort; instead, I'm going to kill "The Blerch". Training has been going well. Each week, I want to get in at least three focused runs - speed, tempo or hills, and long run - and whatever else I can get in is a bonus!

Unique cross-training exercises this week included walking in the fair parade and dancing with Leo on Friday night! Leo and I had some tasty fair food; fortunately the fair is only once a year! We split a deep-fried Muskateer bar on a stick (see photo). Bleh... those are good, but too sweet. Our favorite "real food" was the chicken gyros and favorite treat were the shakes and malts.

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Running Recap

M –3 mile speed intervals

T – 6 mile run

W – XT: planks, push-ups, crunches. Leo, Eli, and I walked in the fair parade!

H – 4 mile tempo run

F –Leo and I had a date night out dancing at the fair!

Sat – Rest from training. Gardening day.

Sun – 10 mile long run in 1:26:04, 8:36/mile

Total Mileage: 23 miles

Training Week 2: Tired. Just a State of Mind?

Source: www.nycrunningmama.com

"Tired is Just a State of Mind"; That's usually a motto I swear by, but lately the "tired" has spread to the rest of my body!

I left work early on Monday with a sick baby and spent all Tuesday taking care of him (and power cleaning on naps). I hate to miss work sporadically, but I couldn't imagine a better reason to be gone! The devotional I read that day put it into perspective, "The best gift you can give your children is yourself." My sick baby needed a parent to take care of him!

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

Today's devotional

Our News

No, we're not expecting #2... yet. We've got two BIG changes happening in our family, though:

1. August 9th is officially my last day as a corporate graphic designer! I'm going to stay at home with E and work freelance design projects when I have time.
2. And, we're moving to a neighboring small, small town. Less than 1,000 people small. The house is cute, but it needs some renovating to become a "home". I better get really good at painting soon!

My feelings are so mixed. I'm SO excited and anxious at the same time. Change is always scary, but Leo and I know this is the right direction for our family to move in. We're in for an adventure and I'm so excited to see where God takes us in this journey. It's definitely not going to be easy, but what's the fun in always taking the easy road?

Marathon Training Week 2

I'm learning to be very laxed in my training these days, especially in the base phase. The training runs are going fine and the important ones are getting done, but I'm lacking the "zip" in my step. I'm doing my best to accept that I'm in a new phase of life that makes training more complicated! When I was training for Boston in 2012, I ran 40 to 50 miles per week. Pretty sure that's not happening for a while, at least while we have little ones in the house. I wouldn't trade it for one second; I just need to get more creative!

I love my little man!

Running Recap:

M - 3.33 miles, speed. Now that Leo is home, I can run in the early AM again without the jogger :) It's getting a bit too warm some days to take E out with me.

T - Home from work with a sick baby. Power house cleaning was my cross training!

W - 6 mile normal run.

H - 4 mile run on a mix of hills, grass, and the usual pavement.

F - Tennis with Leo and a 1.2 mile run home.

S - 9.25 mile long run, 8:28/mile.

Total Mileage - 23.78 miles