Anticipation

This Christmas season I am going to post a short entry on Advent in the 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas.

This is a running blog, sure, (and there will be plenty of future run-related posts) but I'd like to take the time, in the spirit of the season, to post about something even more important to me than running.

Advent is a season of watching and awaiting the coming of Jesus Christ. At Christmas we celebrate that first coming in human form to make a way for all people to be with God and now presently we await the second coming when Christ will come to gather up all who are his.

"O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice ! Rejoice ! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel."

The candle of anticipation is lit on this day to signify the waiting and watching.

I have been thinking about becoming a morning runner for a while now.  I decided to make my move this month.   

There is one small detail that has been standing in my way...I am probably the opposite of a morning person.  I find the transition from sleep to activity extremely challenging and not to mention I'm super uncoordinated when groggy.  My body becomes its own tripping hazard.

This was a tough one but I finished!

It is kinda hard to believe this was my third marathon.  What a year of injury, recovery, and ramping back up!  I'm not where I'd like to be in terms of marathon performance but this time around was mostly about the experience:  getting myself back out there and putting some miles in.   

I praise God for this experience and keeping me relatively healthy during the process, for all my sweet sweet friends who let me ride their enthusiasm for me and my racing to the start line and beyond, and for my faithful running followers and blog readers who share their experiences and let me learn from them daily!

A couple weeks ago I decided to do my 15 mile run on a one mile loop around my neighborhood.

Why, you ask?

Because...Honestly...

I have been feeling like a crap runner these days.

I know that's not true. I know that running performance is all relative.  I know that I should be happy with how far I've come (I only managed 32 miles last year due to injury!).  Even with all of that "knowledge", I have still feel that something is off in this marathon ramp up.

My runs have been super slow (I mean suuuppper slow) and the process just hasn't felt the same as it has in the past.  I have been distracted by all the details and a little more than intimidated by the distances.  It was starting to worry me that if I couldn't get a solid run in before marathon day,  I would be in for a disaster on the 18th.

I decided to do the loop to strip all the logistics and worries away.

just run.

Surprisingly, it worked out.

My house was the "aid station".  The 4 major streets around my neighborhood connect for a one mile loop.  Of course I switched up directions and I forced myself to only stop according to plan -- running the first 5 miles nonstop then stopping every 2 miles after that.

I think this worked out because:

1.  I was close to home so I knew what to expect.

2.  I had easy access to fuel without having to haul it.  I carried my shot blocks but left water and Gatorade on my porch.

3.  Knowing the route allowed me to zone out and just run. I was able to maintain a steady pace the whole way!

Aside from slight boredom, there were no issues.  It was really good to get my legs moving and get a little confidence back.

Best run I've had all summer. 

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalm 16:11

I ran 20 miles today.  It was everything but joyful.

As I was out there riding along on the struggle bus I had a lot of time to think.  

20 miles...4+ hours = lots of time to think

The run started out great. Thankfully.   It was a perfect sunny fall day.  I anticipated sweating but not down to my shoes. I was feeling great.  By mile 5 however, things started to get tough and I started to mentally freak out about how much time and how many miles I had left to go. My right arch and ankle was also starting to flare up -- last year's injury rearing its head.

With all of that going on and the miles prematurely getting slower and slower I was hit with the thought of God's graciousness.

Just out of the blue.  Wham.  God is so good.

I was reminded of how much I have to be thankful for.  I think of grace as giving someone something good that they don't deserve. This is seriously how God deals with me day in and day out.  The verse above came to mind and wouldn't go away.  Out on my run today, I was filled with gratitude.  For everything.  Not just running. 

In the end, it was a hard run but I'm thankful for the experience.  After all, that's what training is all about -- to toughen me up for the real thing.  Boom.

I'm also thankful I got a great shot of these two feathery buddies while out on my run today.

City Turkeys!

It's fall folks!

What about you?

How is your fall running going?