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Showing posts from March, 2014

Not Your Typical Obstacle Course: Reebok SPARTAN Race Entry Giveaway! {closed}

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Have you heard of the Spartan Race? I hadn't until last week! I'm just a simple long-distance runner but, I have to admit, it does appeal to the farm kid side of me. Growing up on a farm is like living on an "impromptu obstacle course". What kid doesn't love to run around in the pasture, clean barn, and climb anything and everything? And then there are the less enjoyable obstacles... running into the electric fence, excessive dirt (aka manure!), and hauling square alfalfa bales that are a bit too green. Now that I'm off the farm, I push myself through running (well... and through parenting). In whatever physical activity you do, there is a thrill in pushing yourself beyond your limits. The Spartan Race is a hard-core obstacle course designed to do just that. They even have barbed wire! What a treat. Make the wire electric and I'm sure any farm kid would feel at home! Dirt, fun, sweat, and no couch. What's not to love! Spartan

Goal-Setting, Pizza, and a Movie

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I've got a sick little boy at home today and, though I am thankful for his extra napping, I really don't like seeing him sick! Despite not feeling well, he still manages to smile for a picture... I love this kid. During nap-time #1, I did today's 30-minute tempo run and finally crossed the 100-mile mark for #FFMarchMiles ! I guess I can quit training for the race in May now... Kidding :) Setting Finish Time Goals While running, I was thinking about my time goal(s) for this race and the different approaches of goal-setting. Setting multiple goals works really well for me. The A-Goal for me is a finish time where everything in training and the race would have to go perfectly; no sickness near the peak of training, no injuries, nice weather on race day, pace well during the race, and, who knows, maybe even a full night's sleep before the race! The B-Goal is a finish time that is very realistic to hit but it gives me a little margin to work with depending o

Who Inspires You?

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Motivation Monday 's topic this week is such a short and sweet question yet it has been one of the hardest ones for me to write about! Inspiration in my life has varied in the different seasons and I wanted to pinpoint that one true Source. People who don't make excuses inspire me. My favorite books inspire me. My family inspires me. Nature inspires me. Really, when I dig down to the actual root of it, God is the One behind my inspiration. He gives me the motivation to live for each day. There is no doubt about that. Whether it's waking up early to make breakfast for my husband and son or lacing up my shoes to run a few miles, I don't have the power within myself to be motivated each day. (Not to say I don't hit the snooze button or think up excuses for skipping a long run from time to time!) Yes, God even cares about running! Isn't running a shallow concern? Does He care about the daily, mundane things we do? Yes, God cares about everything we do and He

Almost bought a giraffe today

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After E's doctor appointment today, we stopped by the pharmacy and he fell in love with a stuffed giraffe. It was love at first sight! I'm usually a "saver" and impulse buys are rather unappealing. But when I saw how much E loved that giant giraffe, the crazy thought of buying it ran through my mind. That is, until I read the price tag... $99.99!? Here's a scenario: You find a $100 bill in the middle of the street and no one claims it. Would you.... A.) Go on a really fancy date night with your spouse. B.) Buy a fancy new pair of running shoes. C.) Or buy a giant stuffed giraffe. No thank you, $100 giraffe. I opted for a picture of E attacking the giraffe instead of actually taking it home. I'm so glad he didn't drool all over it or break it so we had to buy it! Leo would not be too impressed. When we got home, I looked away for one second and E already ripped off his band-aids and decides to eat them. Kids are goofy. What's the

A Reason to Write and Motivation Monday

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Leo was gone for another weekend so E and I headed up north to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa. My mom was digging through some of my old papers from school and the random stories I wrote. Those old stories were quite entertaining to read! Recently I've thought about the purpose of writing. What's the point? Is it just a waste of time? This gem is reason enough to take a little time to write, blog, or whatever it is you do to save your thoughts: My first official journal entry written by the ten-year-old me I had just returned from a hospital stay after a severe concussion and two skull fractures due to a horse-related accident. I remember parts of the accident vividly and other parts don't exist in my memory at all. I feel for my parents and how stressful that must have been on them! Anyways, my point is that it's worth your time to write down your thoughts. My writing style has changed significantly since then and I mainly write Scriptures in my journal,

Best Tip Ever

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What a week! I mean that in the best way and in a semi-exhausted way, too. To start with the AMAZING, God has opened my eyes to a specific part of His Word and given me such a new sense of freedom! Running and training for the half is going really well. E had his first ECFE class tonight. He really seemed to enjoy himself and I got to catch up with an old friend! For the bad, E has been trying his hand at tantrums. These tantrums aren't horrible, super-long-lasting kicking and screaming; just occasional meltdowns that have been testing both Leo and I. I thought kids were supposed to save their tantrums for the "Terrible Two's"! The Best Running Tip Ever: Friends don't let friends eat bacon before a hard run. Today's workout was a 5-mile tempo run (7:54~7:42/mile) and I was hoping my breakfast wouldn't make a second appearance. Next week I will write about a bit more serious exercise tips :) What is your best running tip? Or how about a parentin

Making Progress

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This week we're sharing our progress for Motivation Monday and I also want to share the progress God is making in my heart. ... God is always answering prayers and half the time I'm not even aware of it! My prayer recently has been that God would search me and point out anything in me that offends Him (from Psalm 139:23-24). This weekend, He pointed out that pride is a struggle for me. Pride is a vicious cycle. It's everywhere and the cycle needs to stop here and now. I've noticed that I am most tempted to feel prideful when I'm feeling hurt or defensive. How true is that? When I feel secure in who I am in Christ and when I see myself the way God sees me, I want to encourage other people and lift them up. When I feel beaten down and am wallowing in self-pity, my sinful nature wants to make others feel bad with me. Bleh, it just feels bad to even write that. My old habit was to store up all of the negative comments about how easy it is to have only one ch

Greener Grass and Half Training

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Do you ever have that feeling that everyone has life figured out except you? Today I was thinking of that quote, "the grass is always greener on the other side". Isn't that the truth! God has been showing me lately that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. So often in life it seems like everyone has it all together except for me. He's shown me that everyone is struggling with something . We're bound to have struggles as long as we're on this earth. So often we strive for perfection, but perfection is only available in Heaven! I've felt convicted about putting on the happy facade myself. Generally I'm a smiley, happy person; I even tend to wear a smile when I'm not-so-happy or just downright upset. A smile works as a mask at times. Maybe God wants me to share my struggles more often. Now I'm not talking about totally unloading my personal life trials on the random person behind me in line at Walmart! By sharing the s

One Special Day!

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Today is a very special day. One year ago, E made his surprise arrival into this world! I am much more calm today than I was a year ago (probably because I didn't just give birth today). E was due on April 6th, but decided he couldn't wait any longer. Having E five weeks early was a scary experience, but God was watching over him (and us) every step of the way. He was born at only 4 lbs. 14.5 oz. and the doctors were amazed when he passed all of the post-delivery tests with flying colors! I was so thankful they didn't send him off to the nearest NICU, one hour away. Apparently he is still an impatient boy because he woke up at 1:00 am today to remind me that it was his birthday, ate breakfast with Leo and I at 6:30, and now the birthday boy is sleeping in. That means it's mommy's chance to write! Motivation Monday Today's Motivation Monday topic is "Top Ten Weight Loss Tips". I really don't have too many weight loss tips, but I wil