She Runs By Faith

Our first snow finally showed up! I made the first footprints down the sidewalk on an early morning rainy and snowy run. The roads were slick and slushy but it was a refreshing change of season. I like snow in November and am quite sick of it by March. Christmas lights are here and there around town and I'm definitely listening to Christmas music every day. Our lights and mini tree are going up this week, too! The kids and I made a snowman and enjoyed the fresh snow "crunch" under our boots but soon after... Our snow was gone. The happy little snowman is now a lonely single snowball surrounded by green grass. The time with my family was wonderful and my mom even managed to herd our entire group for family pictures. My husband and I took a rare picture together as just the two of us. It was like engagement pictures all over again. We're just 5 years older, that's all ;) I ate too many slices of pumpkin pie but 'tis the season. I snuck in a...

I'm all cozied up in my warm bed, everyone is fast asleep and... [Insert random non-smartphone alarm here] The phone alarm goes off. 5:30 AM, already?! I turn the alarm off as fast as possible and sneak out of the bedroom. Quickly, I throw on a few layers of running clothes and jump out the door before the kids sense that mommy is trying to make a break for it. (I swear they have a special alarm that goes off) I do sometimes wonder "why". Why on earth am I leaving the warm house to exercise in the freezing cold? Logically, that makes zero sense. After a few minutes of running, I remember why I do this. On a clear morning run, the stars and the moon shine so bright. I love the quiet, the crunch of the snow and I even love those cold mornings - only when the temp is at least above zero and the wind is light! I do most of my writing in my head while running and this list was assembled on a particularly freezing cold run late Saturday morning. There are many...

It's been feeling like winter this week! I woke up this morning and was contemplating going out for a run with the dog. The temp was at 5°F above and I opted for the treadmill - I'm just not ready for cold running yet! E and I made it outside to play for only 15 minutes this week on one of the "warmer" days (+20°F). Hope you are staying warm! Here are my favorites for this Fitness Friday ... 5 Blessings This Week Snow. I really enjoy winter for the first few months. It's around March or April that I really get sick of the snow and cold! As for now, thank God for snow! It's beautiful and E looks like a cute little snowman when he's all bundled up :) Determining My Value. In my Bible study we are going through a book called "Chase" by Jennie Allen and it teaches on chasing after the heart of God. We talk about all that we are chasing in this world that doesn't satisfy because nothing is more satisfying than God. This paragrap...

This week on One Year and Beyond we are sharing busy toddler activities. Since the weather is cooling off in our area, now is the time to brainstorm busy toddler indoor activities to survive the winter! This summer we have been spoiled by many trips to the playground and hours upon hours spent playing outside. With October flying by fast, the dreaded winter is on it's way, whether I want to accept it or not. Now that E is a busy toddler, here are a few ways we are going to keep busy on those -20°F days that may be in our future... Busy Toddler Indoor Activities 1. Make an Art Mess Project. Let your toddler create a messy work of art with markers, finger paints, egg cartons, play dough, or whatever other toddler-safe mediums you have. Color Wonder markers are the best! 2. Create a Rec Room. Designate a room in your house as a recreation room for balls, ride-on toys, and other outdoorsy things. Our basement is the rec room and the change of environment really helps...

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...

It's amazing how much joy the sunshine can bring. We were blessed with three 35°F days in a row! E has been enjoying his first snowy adventures. He wants Leo and I to walk him everywhere and, if we keep this up too much longer, we're going to be permanently hunchbacked! We even snuck out for a 5-mile jogging stroller run yesterday in the snow. That run definitely counted for strength training and cardio... my arms were jello afterwards! The BOB Ironman stroller is such a beast in the messy snow; it's probably the best invention for running moms EVER. When we reached the 5-mile mark, I was a sweaty mess and E was sound asleep. I forgot how to dress when it's 35°F above zero! My body just isn't used to this heat :) I hope it sticks around for a while... 500 Burpees Down Along with playing outside, we've been burpee-ing a lot. Well, more so I've been burpee-ing. Leo is doing some now and then and E is usually attacking me while I...

This week's topic for Motivation Monday is "Favorite Cardio" and I bet you already have a hunch of what mine is. Running. It's my all-time favorite because it's so simple, you can run pretty much anywhere, and the time spent with just God, you, and the road is perfect for prayer and reflection. While running, I just think... a lot . Sometimes I write in my head (that sounds weird). I repeat my memory verses and I feel so thankful to see where God has taken me and my family and where He is leading us now. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Strength of my heart and my Portion forever. PSALM 73:26 Enjoying the peace Over the weekend, Leo, E, and my mom watched the Olympics while I headed out for a quiet 6-mile run. Running is an escape from this ultra-busy and hurried world. Hurry here, hurry there. Do this, do that. To-do lists, planning, and calendars. They can all be good things, but sometimes I miss the peace and quiet. Growing up on a s...

For Motivation Monday , I'm sharing my latest favorite healthy snack. "Moroccan Oatmeal" is one of the easy breakfast recipes I added to our meal planning schedule this month. What is your favorite healthy breakfast recipe? 1/2 cup oats + Greek yogurt + dates + raisins + coconut + a little milk = Moroccan oatmeal Sunlight is Amazing! Despite the unusual cold of this winter, I was really excited to fit in a 4-mile and a 6-mile run this weekend! Maybe my tiny amount of exposed skin even got a tan. One can only hope. After I got in from both of those runs, I had a bowl of Moroccan oatmeal to warm up because my body always "thinks" it's starving after a workout. Problem is, a little boy wants to eat my oatmeal, too. Next time I'm adding a little extra oats to my bowl to account for sharing with E ;) YAY sunlight!!! Both of the runs went really well and I know I need to fit more outdoor runs in along with treadmill running. Running outs...

Ah, how I love winter. As I looked out the window yesterday, there was a whole lot of white stuff flying around in the 35 mph winds. On the bright side, it was +5°F ! The wind makes it less enjoyable, but at least it isn't -34°F anymore. Aside from blizzards, another requirement of the winter season is getting sick two or three times, and yesterday just happened to be my day! I had been hit with a fever of 101°F and had that headachey, hungry-but-nothing-tastes-good, dizzy sort of feeling. Needless to say, I wasn't going to workout or power clean. I could tell something was up on my run earlier this week. My heart rate was quite a bit higher than usual. To brighten up the blizzard-y sick day, E and I baked muffins and read... a lot! Don't worry, I washed my hands a few extra times while baking since I was sick and all :) We read a few different baby books and I finished reading "Approval Addiction: Overcoming Your Need to Please Everyone" by Joyce Meyer. Ba...

Fashion - 0, Function - 1 Last Saturday's run was beautiful yet chilly with a light snowfall - notice the flakes that look like mini-comets in the picture - and my first real run since the marathon. Fall has to be the shortest season ever in these northern parts. One day, a run can be hot, humid and sweaty. Then, a few weeks later, it will be cool and rainy, or even snowy! I've been asked a few times about running through the winter and figured I would explain my winter strategy. Clearly, my approach to winter running is function over fashion (notice photo at right?). My running shorts just weren't going to do it for me this morning. I do slightly resemble a rodeo clown, but I was warm AND I was running out on the country roads by my parents farm and I doubt many saw me! Before I ramble on any further, here are a few running tips to keep you running all winter long: Winter Running Tips Dress in Layers. Layers are great for winter running because you can add...