Good Training.

 "You may want something beautiful and fear it at the same time, you may find it both beautiful and ugly."

Tristine Rainer

I have these thoughts of adventure, exhilarating, and frightful all wound up together. Races in different places. I love the things that make me tremble, the dreams right on the edge of brilliance and foolishness. 

Andy always says that it has something to do with my childhood. I am sure he is right, growing up with addiction your adrenaline is pumping pretty high. 

And while I don't drink or smoke or toke, I do love the temptations of fear and failure that adrenalin can birth. 

Run Rabbit run is now less than 7 weeks away. 

I am feeling pretty healthy physically, and more confident in my training after this week. 

Total miles July 24-30th

Total miles: 76.02

Time: 14H 24min

Elevation: 4,200

75K: "It's Good Training

This week the trails have been overtaken with bugs, the humidity has been as thick as snot and the rain has wreaked havoc on the trails. 

But its all "good training". Learning to suffer gives you both experience and tolerance. 

A friend of mine was doing a 50K up north and also running a 25K.

I was running the same 25K and looking for a 50K. I opted to just run local. 

My running partner created a 15.5 mile loop. We invited everyone in our running group for our epic "Groveland Grit 50k". I arrived at 6:32am, a couple minutes late and laughing when I didn't see any other cars but ours and a whole lot of rain. 

No Takers. 

"It's good training" I said at some point of our run. 

"You think everything is 'Good Training" was the response. 

Groveland Grit 50K

I started training with BABY FOOD a few weeks ago! I showed it to a friend of mine, Sarah and she even tried it for her 50K.  I am a real food runner; I don't do a lot of gu's. I prefer whole foods and this had fruit, yogurt and chia in it. 

Truth is I think suffering is good training and that is what I did. It rained on us for almost 3 hours. 

My running partner killed over 30 bugs. 

Andy road his bike to run with us and changed his mind it was so nasty out. 

I fell 2 times in 3 miles and 3 times in 5 miles, giving a lot of concern to what the next 25 miles would look like. At that rate, I would have body parts in the woods and would need to borrow Andys helmet to run in to protect my brain, that I am pretty sure wasn't working right in the first place. 

Regardless, we finished, 31 miles with over 3,600 ft of elevation. 

 

Most people might chill out and put their feet up in order to do it again at 8:30 that night. Me, well, I wasn't passing up the opportunity to enjoy the afternoon with my daughter in love. It was a active recovery before I had to lace up my shoes again. 

Red Moon Run 25K

This would be my FIRST race I ever ran in a PROM DRESS! Sarah and I decided since we both ran a 50K we would just have fun at the 25K. She stopped at a Goodwill and for 10$ found us both prom dresses! 

We did it and even smiled crossing the finish!

RUNDOWN:

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Hebrews 12:11

This scripture is in a chapter of Hebrew labeled "The Race for Faith". I have found great encouragement from the words in this chapter. 

The scripture in context is referring to the discipline of the Lord. Discipline is for our good. 

 

When the morning started for my 50K, I went to the Lord in prayer. 

When I finished, even though I was scraped up, bitten up, sore and tired I went to the Lord in prayer, with thanksgiving and humility. He still kept me strong and steadfast. 

When the National Anthem played right before the race that evening, I went to the Lord again in prayer. First with gratitude, then asking the Lord to help me persevere with strength and endurance. 

"It's Good Training." Yes, I was hurting, and it didn't exactly feel-good winding my wobble sticks up again, but I knew I needed it for my training. And I knew it would prove itself beneficial for Run Rabbit Run. 

Life is like this. Life doesn't always feel good. We are all training in life. 

Life "entangles" us. 

Life has hostility, hurts, and hang-ups. 

But detouring from some of life's pains doesn't teach us to rely on the Lord. When I fully rely on the Lord to walk me through the fires of life it doesn't feel good, but I can count it all joy that I am suffering. (James 1:2-8)

 "You may want something beautiful and fear it at the same time, you may find it both beautiful and ugly."

For every pain I have felt, for every good idea gone bad, for every tear shed, for all the sweat, suffering and struggles I have endured it is all Good Training. 

It is all part of the risk of living. Because Life is Meant for the Living. 

In Peace, not Pieces, 

Anita

Keeping up NOT Competing

 "We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong, the amount of work is the same." Carlos Castandeta

Us four standing up all cheering for Amanda at Ode. 

A few more than 50 days till Run Rabbit 50 miler. I am approaching peak week here shortly, consisting of even more miles, more sweat and more suffering. 

This is the time when training and life become a balancing act. Life doesn't get any easier at 49 trying to juggle work, training, family, and daily adulting. 

The problem with 49 is that I am working harder to just maintain my level of fitness and still dream BIG. At 49 seeing "gains" is a place I can journey as long as I lift the requirements I had in my yesterdays. 

At 49, I have to be more intentional about my recovery, both in rest and nutrition. 

At 49, I have to embrace my training with contentment. Finding joy even when I miss the mark. 

At 49, I have to learn to give myself more grace on my runs. I am learning to let go of being so hyper focused on my pace and learning to let those numbers go. 

This weekend, Andy and I were at Holly Rec camping, volunteering and running. One morning we slept in and didn't start our run until late morning. By the time we started we were already sweating just from tying our shoes! 

Andy wanted 8-10 miles but of course all I heard was 10 MILES! 

I am sure we were both dehydrated BEFORE we started running. On average a man should be getting about 15 cups of water a day and women are recommended about 11.5 cups and the truth is the only way I really like my water is with coffee beans in it! 

Andy and I were more prepared for our run carrying hydrations vest and salt tabs along with nutrition. 

The sweat quickly soaked our clothes and mentally began playing head games with us. It is so easy to beat yourself up when you feel miserable and are struggling. Learning to crash the chatter of negativity and give yourself grace is where running in the heat makes all the difference. 

"In THE HEAT of the Moment"

RUNNING your perceived effort is where your attention needs to be not your pace or your milage. 

It is said "When the temperatures climb your pace shouldn't." 

5 tips for running in the heat:

1. It takes 10-15 days to acclimate to the heat
2. Wear light colored clothing
3. It is normal for your heart rate to spike as our bodies are trying not to overheat, allow yourself about 10% pace drop in the heat. 
4. Run early or run late
5. Hit the trails! The temperatures are always cooler in the woods!

"Being negative only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may be given a catcus but you don't have to sit on it." Joyce Meyer

All the tips in the world can be given to you but it's what you entertain between your ears. I continued to encourage Andy as we fought for each mile and tried to convince him how good he was doing in the heat. But the bottom line is-we were SUFFERING. 

I am at that point in life I am just trying to KEEP UP. I am not trying to break any records and I am not trying to get myself BROKEN. 

With Run Rabbit approaching I am trying to find a balance with even my suffering!

Todays notification! 

"Keeping UP not Competing" 

Me, Shirly, Mark ad Sarah all running Run Rabbit 50M

This weekend I was with the group I would be traveling to Colorado with. We have a large crew running the 50 miler. 

They are all doing epic things and are mostly all younger than me. I am fighting for miles and fighting my age with everything I have, 

Today, when we ran, we really didn't have a solid plan. Maybe it was a Monday thing but there was a lot that was lost in translation! 

So we just took off to run. When we made it back to our car we decided to run the stairs at Holly Rec to get to 10 miles. 

I had asked my running partner how many times the runners had to run the stairs to get 50 miles. 

It sounded a little competitive coming out of my mouth and I quickly said, "I am not competing I am just trying to keep up..." 

Even after we had shut off our watches took off our vests and even headed to the car to leave, I knew I needed more. 

I was hot, I was gross with woodsy stench, but I was back by the steps and we were challenging ourselves for another mile of hill repeats, another 7 times climbing with over 1500 feet of elevation for the day! 

I have some incredible runners that surround me. I am inspired and motivated by many. 

• Tina P, who ran her first 100 miler a few weeks ago!
• Amanda S who ran a backyard marathon this weekend getting over 44 miles and looked amazing!
• Andy, my hubby who I love having next to me running, watching him come back from injuries and not give up. 
• Christina B who just ran over 200 miles last week, training through cancer treatments and crushing it. 

I could go ON and ON with runners who inspire me, motivate me and encourage me. 

But most importantly, I need the LORD to encourage me, strengthen me and prepare me. I love RUNNING, but it has to be onto the LORD. I give HIM all the glory for all the miles. 

I am humbled every run, praising HIM even in my suffering. 

In Peace, not pieces,

Aanita

The Leap

 "By my God I can leap over a wall." Psalm 18:29

We all have these walls we are trying to overcome in life. If you are on this side of the living, we will be presented with walls that want to block us from an abundant life. 

Some of those walls I have created and even confused with terms like "boundaries". We can be our own worst enemy. 

• "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." - Saint Augustine

The truth is I have had many barriers created by me or created by life. Some I have conquered on my own efforts. 

Oh, but there have been some walls I could not leap over. And yet I made it over...

"BY my God I can LEAP over a WALL."

Today, we met out at Fox Lake RD to run the 6-mile loop at least 3 times. 

I knew it is going to be hard. 

I knew it is going to hurt. 

I knew I was even nervous I wouldn't be able to keep up. 

 

• "If we cannot believe God when circumstances seem be against us, we do not believe Him at all." - Charles Spurgeon

Most of the barriers we have to jump over, we create. 

Discouragement, fear, anxiety, control, forgiveness, contentment...

This morning, every mile another hill loomed in front of me. Some of the hills were so high I could not even see the top of them. 

I prayed. Just a quiet prayer, a simple prayer, nothing religious or extravagant. 

Quite simple really, "Lord, get me up this HILL...." 

I see myself heading over, I feel myself one step closer to the top. 

I am not sure if I "leaped" over the hills today. But I made it not just over each hill but also each mile, 21 miles and over 2,500 ft of elevation. 

There was 4 of us running. It was a great dynamic. We laughed, we encouraged one another, we helped one another, and suffered together, although Erika looked fresh as a daisy! 

Scientists and professionals can look all day at what our heart can do and what our lungs are capable of. Sports doctors have told me I couldn't and shouldn't run years ago after my FIRST knee surgery. What if I let that wall stop me? 

The wall of surgeries. 

The wall of injuries.

The wall of cancer. 

SOO many walls I have LEPT over....BY MY GOD. 

Trusting on HIS strength, HIS power, I have leaped over walls that many have said are not possible. 

The Power of faith is Immeasurable. 

The Power of faith is incomprehensible. 

• "To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." - Thomas Aquinas

In Peace, not Pieces,

Anita

Directing your Words

 The tongue is the greatest of blessings when wisely and lovingly used, but it becomes the greatest curse when it is unkindly and dishonestly used." A. Purnell Bailey

The smell of port-a johns lingers like the stab of words that hurt. 

I can be a lot. 

The older I get, the better I am at not only reading a room but also reigning myself in. I'm like a wrecking ball of energy when I am in a place of comfort. 

The traffic director let me have his flag and direct
 traffic when my friends came through!!

I had just finished running Bastille 15K in Fenton Saturday morning. My endorphins were on tilt when I jumped in my truck to head out for a group run with our running club, Complete Runner. I had double booked myself. 

From Fenton to Holly Rec, I smiled as I recollected my last 9 miles. I never planned to race it but I also didn't plan to pace Miah, my friend's daughter. It would be her LONGEST distance in her 13-year-old self and she would place 1st in her age group. I loved pacing her.

I miss coaching and it felt so good to encourage her to the finish line.  

Miah Floating to the Finish. 

I pulled into Holly Rec and the parking lot was hopping. All the cars, all the people, and all my energy was bubbling over. 

I had planned to meet them for the final 6-mile loop, but since the day was already going unexpected why would I be shocked they were actually doing a 9-mile loop. 

"Suck it up buttercup" I thought to myself. Smile and stay positive is the best reaction and it usually expresses the best outcome.

We had about 9 of us running single file into the Wilderness Loop. 

We were running in my wild and overgrown playground.  

We ran and chatted with many different conversations going. 

I am like a kid, hyper, outspoken, ridiculous, immature and a little goofy. Ryan was talking about his middle schoolers and their creative writing skills. We got chatting about my writing and Ryan says, "I love that Anita blogs..." 

I responded "...Because NO ONE blogs anymore!" He was very kind saying he enjoyed reading my blog, they made him laugh. 

Surprised by this, I then added "..if you can get pass my grammatical errors..." 

The thing about the whole conversation came down to THIS...He was so encouraging and genuinely kind. 

Ryan could look beyond the imperfections of my writing and read it for what it was and is. 

He is a teacher and yet he wasn't judging my writing skills or spelling mess ups. He wasn't shaming my writing or teasing, he was actually doing quite the opposite. 

When we finished, I was just steps behind him. I was determined to stay close even though I was pooping out. We were the only two still running together, everyone else took different routes and different paces. This was the farthest Ryan had ever run on trails and he was sweating like a stuck pig but he NEVER complained and even finished with a smile, still encouraging me. 

We were all a mess of perspiration and stink but as we all gathered together under the Complete Runner tent, we collectively laughed at one another, teasing and goofing off together. 

We should have a tribe that builds each other up, not tearing one another apart. 

"Every deed, whether good or evil, was conceived in the thought process of the mind." Lindsay Terry

THREATENED:

"This is what you do when you feel threatened by others..."

 Andy and I were watching a show after our run. There was a scene where the gal was complaining about her husband's friends when he looked at her very soberly in the eyes and said, "This is what you do when you feel threatened by others..."

SOO GOOD!! 

SOO CONVICTING. 

I see this all the time. When we feel threatened, we misbehave. We gossip, we slander, we say something sideways to make ourselves feel better. 

It might not be about a person at all. It could be about a opportunity you never got or a vacation you couldn't go on, a slew of things. 

We all feel threatened by something or someone. 

This is a gentle reminder to be comfortable in my own skin. 

To be GRATEFUL for my abundant life. To be SECURE in my surroundings. To SHINE confidently with KINDNESS, with GRACE for others and above all LOVE. 

LOVE Yourself and LOVE others. Like me directing traffic, I have to remind myself to DIRECT my words with Kindness, encouraging others the same way I like to be encouraged!1 

Andy, enjoying some watermelon after his long run with CRU. 

  "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.

1Peter 3:10

In Peace, Not Pieces, 

Anita~

Goodbye June

 "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." Maya Angelou

Summer is my favorite season. 

Running in the summer can have its challenges but wearing shorts trumps most of those challenges for me. Running with the sun beating down on my bare skin is like heaven to me. I feel the warm embrace of summer, the fragrance of flowers, the blue skies sparkling and my little heart patters to play outside. 

June was a great month to run with her cooler mornings and little rain. 

Total miles: 268.

Total elevation:17,081

Total days running: 21

LOOPTY LOOP 8 hour race: I signed up for this 8-hour event a week prior to the race. I thought I would use it as a training run, not race it. In the 4 weeks leading up the race I had raced Highball to Thurmond 50 miler, and we had hiked the Grand Canyon, putting in over 30 miles of hiking, my body was still in recovery mode. 

Even with temps reaching the 90's I was running the 3-mile loop with an average 12min/mile. It came to the last couple hours, and I had to stay true to my word, NOT RACING. Turns out I was 2nd place female and had enough time to go back out for one more but called it. 37 miles, a perfect long run. 

Discipline is more than mental. I had to reign in my competitive spirit, run humbly and with content. 

We all have that EGO that like dictate our actions. The more we listen to our ego and our pride, the less we live with humility. Ego and pride robs us of interpersonal security. I would find myself battling this out. 

It came down to "MY WHY". Stay true to yourself and be content with your victory and secure with your choices. We allow too many minor choices become major decisions in our pride and ego and most of the time you are the only one that cares that much! 

I love all sports, I'm actually terribly unathletic but I make up for that in spirit!

 We played a lot of games camping. 

We play card games, putt putt and our own version of badminton! I won, I lost I had fun!

Hello JULY! 

"The Butterfly does not look back upon its caterpillar self, either fondly or wistfully: It simply flies on." Guillermo del Toro 

We have had more heat that sun. July brought in "Air Quality" alerts. 

I still ran, right or wrong I ran. 

Andy and I took our camper this weekend to Frankenmuth to get away. Pine Ridge Campground was in the middle of corn fields.

Andy and I went for a long run together and discovered very quickly there was nothing to protect you from the heat. 

I ran 20 miles in the baking heat, 16 miles with him. Heading back to our campground I spotted something fluttering in the grass. We were running on the side of the road, many miles we had just inches from the road. It was a stunning yellow butterfly resting in the grass. I stopped as Andy continued running unaware of my curious pause. 

I felt Andy standing over me as this gentle butterfly crawled up my arm, around my neck and unto my cheek leaving Andy in amazement. 

After a couple minutes the inquisitive yellow butterfly fluttered away leaving me with so many thoughts. 

Butterflies cannot see their wings. 

They are unaware of their beauty. I thought of many people in my life that are so beautiful. I also thought of so many people who do not see their beauty. 

Let us not let the world harden our hearts and close our eyes to the beauty that surrounds us. 

Let the reminder of the butterfly whisper You are Beautiful. 

You may not see your worth or value, but you are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

You are a beautiful creation. 

PRAYER REQUEST: a very Dear friend of mine was attacked by a dog yesterday running a route from her house. She suffered a broken collarbone, stitches and is home recovering. The mind can do a lot with am attack like this. 

Will you please lift Kris up in prayer as she recovers from her physical wounds as well as their other wounds that we do not see. 

In Peace, not Pieces, 

Anita