ING New York City..learning to Let Go and Let God.

SHORTS..I have the Ugliest legs..Mine are in the middle, the ones with the most scars!

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 

 FINALLY, I did it. I applied for entry into ING New York City. I have about a 1 in 8 chance of getting my name pulled in the lottery. The odds are really against me. But I am going to remain optimistic and give it to God.  
The Lottery will be held April 27, that's a FRIDAY. The drawings will be conducted using a random number selection algorithm to choose entrants from each applicant pool. (tristate, US, International)

After last years Detroit half marathon time, You remember..1:37:02, It was those 2 seconds that prevented me from having Guaranteed Entry that I have put it off, grieving.
 
You have successfully applied for entry for the ING New York City Marathon 2012, Your entry number is 944414. Please write down your entry number or print and save this confirmation page in your records as you will need this number in the future.

So with less than 2 months away..We shall see..... Let go and Let God.

They were calling for Thunderstorms today. As I was taking Austin and Alec to school I was sharing the weather forecast. 50% chance of Storms. Austin replied, "Yeah but mom that means it could be 50% chance of good weather." Well there you go!! I liked his answer. And that was the answer that defined most of my day. Sunny and Beautiful out. 

It made for a great run with the girls. Katie did awesome today. And Danielle with her cheetah legs had to reign in those blazing legs. We all showed up at Indian Springs in shorts. The temperature was in the 60's.
 I was feeling pretty good but my allergies really are giving me a run for my money! I  went to bed last night early after taking NyQuil and 2 Bayer Aspirin. I think I sneezed about a hundred times. That meant I probably peed my pants to! When I sneeze it is always in a series of 4 or 5 obnoxious, jerking, spit flying blows. I try to cross my legs but sometimes they just come out of no where! All the things you didn't need to know!! 
The run went well. Danielle made Home made strawberry jam and gave us each a jar. I can hardly wait to dig into that, I have to hide it till them..BOYS!

Speaking of things given to me. Here are a couple more things given to me that I am going to try today:

The butterscotch sits on the bottom!

http://www.chindeep.com/2011/02/27/slowcooker-sunday-butterscotch-pudding-cake-with-an-alternate-ending/

1. Heidi from work gave me a recipe for Crockpot Butterscotch Pudding Cake. Which is currently in the crock pot as we speak..I can not wait to try it.
2. My client gave me some quail. No idea how to cook it. I have it in a saucepan as we speak also. I added garlic, onion, chicken stock, thyme, salt and pepper and basil OH and BACON! I am going to cook it off the bones. then make a sauce with the stock and serve it over pasta. I think..Well thats the plan....

 3 hours later.. I came home from my addiction meeting to discover 2 out of 3 enjoyed dinner and the Cake was a huge success. I had a bowl...and I think I want another.....

 “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Herman Hesse

Anita

Putting my Tongue on Pause

"Never undertake anything for which you wouldn't have the courage to ask the blessing of heaven."

G. C. Lichtenberg

 

I just finished my long run for the week. I am tapering for my final try for the ING New York City. I was pretty crushed a few weeks ago when I did not qualify by 3 seconds. But some really neat circumstances have been birthed in place of my heartbreak.

1. I have met 2 new people from the Detroit Free press Facebook page who both blogged their experience. "NINA" and "Melissa". I really enjoyed reading both their posts and their blogs. 

2. "Melissa" was actually in my corral at the race in Detroit! I remember seeing her and thinking in her "Aquafina" professional technical shirt..."Thats cool, I wonder how fast you have to run to be sponsored?" She too was trying to qualify and we both missed our times!! AND the crazy thing is we are not only both trying again but we are both trying AGAIN THE SAME WEEKEND....next SATURDAY is her race and mine is SUNDAY!

And the third thing was a very recent "Ah HA" moment...
Yesterday I was thinking about a friend of mine running the ING next weekend, "Ken K".  "Ken" is the one who planted  the SEED OF ING into my head a few months back. (This is how he got into the ING by qualifying) "Ken" has the gifts of edification and encouragement. He has the power to to make anyone feel like that could work towards the impossible. He qualified and is running ING next weekend ...and while he is running my dream I will be trying to qualify for the very race at the same time and weekend!
This was not planned..I didn't even think about the ING being the same time as my Little Half Marathon in Carrollton, Michigan. BUT I think its pretty neat...I know someone who knew though...

A little piece of me...I never really played sports as a child. I would try out for sports and not follow through.. When I realized my mom was not going to be there for me or even make it to the school to pick me up I would quit. I would be so embarrassed being the last one at the school  or have my mom show up tanked if she even showed up. It was easier for me to not care then to care and get let down, hurt or disappointed. I didn't want to have anyone know that I had a house that was any different theirs. I was like a chameleon I could blend in any where. That was a reason I even tried out for sports, everyone else did . Only everyone elses mom showed up, they were reliable, committed and most of all sober, everything I wanted my mom to be.
I ran track my senior year. My mom never came to one meet. My then boyfriend, and now husband came to almost every one helping me get to and fro. I am not sure I really ever missed my mom not coming, probably because I was to scared she would show up drunk and embarrass me. I missed having a "mom" there, all the qualities that parents are supposed to represent just not my mom. I wanted a cheering section, a "thata girl", a celebration dinner. I wanted to look up and our and see that proud mom...just not my mom. I knew my mom wanted to be that mom...but the alcohol owned her. She was a slave to the bottle and the pills.
Now at 37..like a big kid I have that. Like a big kid I RUN after these dreams and goals most of us do in grade school. I am not running back in time trying to relive my childhood rather running towards the passions that God has given me.  I have a husband that might not always see my vision or hold my passion but his passion for me makes him  support and love me like I never had. God has supplied me not only with this blessing but also with loved ones that support and love me in my running. He had supplied me with a cheering squad, I know I can always see my family up in my stands, cheering and encouraging me from the bleachers.

THE RUNDOWN:

TIME:1:18

PACE:7:46

DISTANCE:10:06

COMMENTS: Running on Sundays is like running in my prayer box. It is a time to listen to a voice BIGGER than my own. It is a time to "put my tongue on hold."  This morning in church I heard God speaking to me through the pastor they had invited. He spoke on James 1:19 "..Be SWIFT to listen Slow to speak and SLOW to wrath." He then gave to illustrations of SWIFT...A CHEETAH and HUSSEIN BOLT. This settled in my heart first thing in the morning.
As I ran in my sanctuary this afternoon I could feel the emotion of gratitude immersing from my tear ducts. My legs felt SWIFT. Light. As though my body was trying to keep up with my legs. I enjoy my Sunday runs as a time to Be Swift not only on my legs but also with my heart and ears. This is a time I don't speak, I just breath. I inhale Gods glory, breathing in what he wants to feed me, and I exhale my hang ups and all the misconceptions that distort my VISION HE wants me to see. I try to release the voices in my head that drown out his Plans and his peace me.

Jeremiah 29: " For I know the plans for you declares the Lord, Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

ANITA