GGGGNATS!

This morning was not one of my finer moments. I woke up with a bad attitude. My head was telling me that there was no use in even attempting a long run, and when Mike woke up just as I was about to leave the house, he told me something that I should have been telling myself, "Just do your best." So I thought I'll be lucky to get ten out of myself but I'll try to push for fifteen.
As I started running I thought back to the run I did in Sugarland and decided that I would pretend that I was running next to the wounded soldier on crutches that did the 5k. The whole run I kept telling myself that I would just do a little more and see how it felt. The truth is, it was hard, I was dehydrated, and I didn't eat enough of the right carbs the night before, but I never thought this sux or I hate running, or why do I do this to myself...I just kept thinking I need water. I ended up doing somewhere between 19 and a half and twenty. It might be good to measure it, but I don't really care, it was time to be done when I stopped, I was dehydrated and I knew it. There was a swarm of gnats that flew at me, some of them sticking, one getting in my mouth and one in my eye, and I thought if this is the worst thing that happens to me today Lord, then you have more than blessed me. Just after that, as the sun was coming up Brandon Heath's Give me your eyes started playing on my ipod...it was inspiring. Hope y'all are doing well- Love ya, LJ

Trigger Happy

So maybe I'm a little trigger happy, but I stress the word happy in it all. After looking repeatedly at the cowtown website, feeling waves of excitement jolt through my body each time I did, and getting a long pep talk from LearAttack (Sarah)-who by the way made up a cheer for herself because she wears a purple and black bike top (purple and black, learattack!) Back to the point at hand, I registered for the Cowtown 50k! In the words of Jesse Spano (Saved by the bell) I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so...scared ;) Really, I can't wait. Yesterday I had a discussion, entirely in my head of course, about what I wanted and what I was willing to do to get it. I want the 50K, I want to push myself to my limits, I want to stay disciplined, I want to feel myself breathing and my body working, knowing that I am alive, I want to spend more time seeing the world the Lord has given me to see, and I don't want to do it through a car window. As I'm typing this I have 190days six hours and eighteen minutes to get ready, but in my head I'm already there, now I have to train my body.
A-train- http://3girlstraining.blogspot.com/2007/11/i-am-runner.html this was when I knew I was a runner. November 27, 2007 was the day. Didn't know if you cared to read it, but it went with what we were talking about. It was the same time I am Legend came out in theaters, hence the title. The shirts are in the works, and I can't wait to see y'all in them in SA! SA or bust-LJ

Why do I bother wearing a shirt.....

Finally Ran my 5 miler... . Which I haven't done since high school.... 10 years ago... Whew!! I should be cooling down but instead I'm typing this thinking I should cool down.... I usually run at nights which is a big no no seeing that I have trouble sleeping after waking up my body..... I feel as though I can run more but need to map one out.....

Have any of you ever heard the story of the princess and the pea.... One teeny tiny something in my shoe and my last two miles that is all I am thinking about...... Don't want to stop and ruin my flow..... Then I think, my shirt is soaking wet with sweat (kudos to the one who invented Dri-Fit, just need to expand my wardrobe I guess)

I figured out on other runs a way not to think of the mileage or time is by following along and sing in my head my ipod songs... makes time just fly by..... Also looking at the ground and concentrating on the songs seems to pass time as well verses staring at people, things or distances??? Don't know why....

My cross country team is finally growing... I'm up to 6 girls 3 returning from last years Varsity and 3 newbies.... pretty sad considering I should have at least 15 by now...... I guess you can say its not the quantity but quality?? or maybe you can't say that since we are all trying to increase our mileage???

Anyways just had to vent... Finally going to a running store to buy "real" running shoes verses "pink ones" this weekend.... Hope all is having a great running week....

Amazing Grace

This race and support group came at such a perfect time in my life. I never cease to be amazed at the little ways God takes care of us. My brother, who I've mentioned before, is struggling again with issues with his brain. He had a surgery last week from which he is not recovering very well. He is in a lot of pain and the doctors have no great answers for him at this point. It is an incredibly frustrating and heart-breaking time for our whole family. He is an amazing person...hard-working, a great dad and husband, and exemplifies a Christian man. He does not deserve an ounce of the enormous pain he has suffered through for the last 7 years. Every time I run now, I run my first and last mile for him. He ran cross country in high school and continued to run until doctors told him not to about 2 years ago. I ran my first half with him and he stuck by me the whole time to encourage me, even though he could have finished well before our time together. I'm praying that we'll run another race together again someday! Training for this race has given me an outlet for all my frustrations and sadness about my brother. I end all my runs now with Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin. It's awesome. "My chains are gone, I've been set free, my God my Savior has ransomed me..." I know we've all had some kind of chains in our lives...pain, insecurities, disappointments, self-doubt. Isn't it great that we have a Savior who sets us free...even when the most brilliant doctors in the world have no answers?!

God IS good all the time...we just have to choose to see the good when life gets tough!
Rebecca

Another ouch!

Okay...what's the deal with the sports bra rubbing raw spots where it hits? Should I get a smaller size? Maybe I should smash my chest like those swimmers and I wouldn't have that problem. Any suggestions there?

The Old Woman That Lived In Her Shoes

I've decided that at the end of my days, I want to be remembered as the old woman that lived in her shoes. Not necessarily running shoes, just any and every kind of shoes. I want everyone to say, "she never stopped doing!"

I woke up Sunday morning to rain, and thought, "YES! I get to sleep in! Can't go out in the rain!" So, then it stopped, so I got up and drank one cup of coffee and took off. I got to the beach and then it started flooding! But, I kept going. A couple of miles into my run, I thought, who needs Jeff Galloway! I am feeling good! I know that there is a world of difference running at 6 in the morning than running at 6 at night during the heat of the summer, both in your legs but especially in your lungs. BUT I was really beginning to think that it was just my age and I wasn't going to be able to overcome my problems. But then the rain cooled weather proved me wrong! And I did it! Ended up it was just a mental block I was experiencing, not age after all. (Not to say I am not still slow! But at least I'm running slow instead of walking slow!)

Watching the Olympics has helped too! Of course the "old ladies" there are much younger than me, but they still give me hope. I was watching the women's marathon and listening to the comentators saying, "she can never hold that speed." And I thought how lucky it was for her that she couldn't hear their negativity. What a terrible thing to be saying, and such a crock, because she did it! But what would that do to her if she had heard them? I would have believed it and slowed down. (Mental Blockage)

God is good - All the time!
Robin

P.S. The reason I am thinking about shoes, is because I bought me some really cool looking (ha!) orthopedic sandals this weekend to ease my heel pains.
draft

Ouch!

Ran a 7-miler on Saturday. Did it in 1:13...the last mile was ssssslllooowww. I am glad to have it behind me. I felt good after I ran it, but then about 2 hours later, my knees were really killing me. I felt like an old lady! Okay you seasoned runners, what should I have done? Ice? Do I need new shoes? What's the deal?

Am on my way to do 5 miles this morning...will letcha know how my knees feel after that.

Did any of you watch the marathon on the Olympics? Wow! The lady who won gold was a 38-year old Romanian and ran a 5.76 minute mile!!! I couldn't believe it!