From Boston to New York City! 2013 year iin review

How do you sum a year without  dragging on and on? You know those long blog posts that go into detail after detail as if you haven't heard it all over the year already.

I will do my best to keep it simple and share without being redundant.

2013 Races Ran:

• Pot O Gold 4 mile run 3/17: 28:19
• Boston Marathon 4/18: 3:28:11
• Grosse Ill Memorial Day 5/27: 35:42
• Run with your Pack HA5K 6/01: 19:27
• Dexter Ann Arbor Half 6/02: 1:41:39
• Ann Arbor Marathon 6/09: 3:37:36
• Crim Festival of Races 10 mile 8/24: 1:18:58
• Merrell Down and Dirty 10K 8/25: 1:05:39
• The Hungerford Games 50Mile 9/28: 8:37:31
• Detroit Free Press Half 10/20: 1:52:58
• ING New York City Marathon 11/03: 3:36:59
• Clarkston Back Roads half Marathon 11/ 10:  2:06:43
• Kona Chocolate Run 10k 11/17: 45:39

MILES FOR 2013= 2067
A lot of healing miles for me.

This is a simple review for time sake!
As I was preparing to write this I realized I have NO idea where I put my BOSTON 2013 medal. The last time I remember seeing it the ladies at my sons school wanted to see it. I brought it all wrapped up like fine china inside my Boston Expo bag with my bib. I am so sick that I can not find it.  I am praying that it comes up. I tried so hard to take care if it only to have LOST it!


3 Greatest Accomplishments:
Boston Marathon
First 50 Mile Race
Ing NYC Marathon

 Well. Here is the basic easy recap! We are heading out. Not a lot of time to blog. I had a lot more but not a lot of time.
The New Year is tomorrow..Hoping 2014 brings my Boston Medal back to me!

Anita

Black Ice and Beeping cars!

Today I was just flat out LAZY.
 I got up early and took Austin to Basketball practice at 7:30am. I actually stayed busy all the way to 12:30. At that point I turned into applesauce.
Austin came home from practice throwing up. That is always fun!
Since he went upstairs to sleep it off it seemed like a good idea for me to do the same!
I fell asleep on the couch cuddling with Sheba. Then I got rudely awaken by a kink in my neck. It felt so good to do NOTHING.
I took my time waking up as the boys began to gather in the great room. I really wanted to get up and go running but found myself sucked into this really dumb movie: Rango. I love cartoons even the dumb ones!
I slowly headed towards the dryer to get my running clothes out. I decided to just keep it simple. I would run to the township offices and pay my water bill. I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone;
Get my run in and be responsible and pay my over due water bill!

One kind word can warm three winter months. ~Japanese Proverb

I thought I was dressed good enough. But it was 11 degrees with the wind chill. Today drivers were just NOT very nice at all. The sidewalks were as slick as an ice rink. And I do not skate.  The only option was to run on the road. People were not being nice and getting over. I was way to cold to plaster that ridiculous smile on my face. Not to mention my face hurt. It was frozen.
When I arrived at the offices to pay my water bill I could hardly talk. My eyes were almost frozen together. I must have looked really pathetic because the clerk not only handed me tissues she also offered me a ride home!
My cheeks warmed up enough to laugh and tell her it was just a little over a mile back home. "Thank You." I finished as I headed back out the door.
I almost had to do a double take as the snot was running faster down my nose than my legs were running. A wind gust came sideways and snot came flying out of my nose about 10 inches long. As gross as it was it was actually quite amusing!
I was glad it didn't end up across my face. Frozen snot across cheeks is gross.
My vision was also impaired. As soon as my eyes began to water my lashes quickly began to freeze. It was like trying to look through a kaleidoscope.
To add injury to insult I didn't wear gloves therefore my hands were painfully cold.

I couldn't have been happier to arrive home. The cars were ruthless coming inches from hitting me. I had no sidewalk  due to the black ice which seriously almost had me on my butt several times also.
I made it home Happy Happy Happy!

RUNDOWN:
Distance: 3:34
Time: 34.

ANYONE RUNNING A NEW YEARS EVE OR NEW YEARS DAY RACE?
I am heading into Flint for "The New Years Resolution Race"  This race is a 8K and 5K. It is ran on part of the CRIM course.  I love this race. It reminds me of Ariel. Ariel came out and cheered me on the last time I ran it. Hope to see some of you out there!

Anita

DOOM! Reviews

I could see the hill of doom almost a mile back. Before I had even left the house I could see that climb up Belford rd. It haunted me. This is about a half mile incline at mile 3 that I always dread.
I was already winded and looked at the hill that looked more like a mountain and wanted to cry. I questioned why I was even out running today. Yeah, it was a heat wave with almost 40 degrees out but I was having a hard time catching my breath and had no energy.
"Maybe I will just walk up it today." I thought.
 "I do not even think I can walk up it" I argued with myself.
"One step, Anita, Just One step at a time. See how you feel and just move forward." I told myself.

There were so many voices in my head. My body felt good. My knee pain even went away from the first mile. But I was so weak and whiny. I had no watch on today to pressure me or make me feel worse than I already did. There is nothing worse than a tough run  to look at your watch and realize that you are struggling and really slow.

I have to talk out loud to try and coach myself. "Let's Go, UP UP UP."
I looked at the top of Belford keeping my eyes on the blinking lights. My mind was rescued by some crazy thoughts that had nothing to do with running but fueled me unknowingly up to the top.
Laughing out loud I kept repeating "I DID IT! I DID IT!"
Somehow I made it to the top without stopping.

I have a 10 mile route I do but I do not like. It is relatively flat until you get to mile 3 where the rollers come in.

I do not think I am much different than most of you. I could have so easily allowing BELFORD RD to keep me home.
I couldn't see Belford from my house but I could see it from my experience. I remember the pain of that hill. It is the hill of DOOM.
Maybe for you the DOOM is Cold Weather.
Maybe for you the DOOM is ICE.
Only You know what your Doom is that prevents you from getting your run in.

I DID IT. And not only did I feel great about doing it (Not great about running it) but I felt so accomplished. I was very proud of myself for not quitting. It wasn't nearly as bad as I convinced myself..it was still bad though!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHRISTMAS GIFTS:

I didn't get as many running gifts as usual but what I did get were all very practical.
One of the things I really was hoping for that I didn't get was some race registrations. Those are always a fun surprise. I did renew my plates and got my park pass for 2014. This is the best gift I get for myself!

RUNDOWN:
DISTANCE:10
TIME:1:26



REVIEWS:
SmartWOOL socks: LOVE! I wore them in 22 degree weather and my feet never were cold. They come up higher on the ankle keeping that dreaded bare spot warm also. I had these on my wish list. Alec bought them for me!
Nike WINDBREAKER: Another LOVE! I got blasted with the wind for almost 4 miles of a run last week and my chest never felt the effects like my face did!

Love to hear some Goodies you received.
Happy Running

A little piece of me. 9 years ago.

9 years ago I was celebrating my sister in laws birthday at her house. Our entire family was over. Andy was working yet another 12 hour shift at the hospital. I was used to always going to family events with the boys and no husband. It was my life. Andy worked 60-70 hours a week.
I didn't like it but it was all I knew. After all I was fortunate that I had a husband that worked hard and took care of his family.
"Nita, where is Andy?" everyone would ask.
"Oh, he is working." I would say robotic like.
I was beginning to get insecure with all the hours that he was putting in. I felt like everyone was looking at me like they knew something I didn't. I could see it in their eyes. The piercing eyes of judgment. Or maybe it was my insecurity just permeating my thoughts.

It was this day, this evening at almost this exact time Andy was home waiting for me to arrive from the birthday party.
He brought me down to the basement to speak to me without the kids. His mom and dad showed up upon his call.
Confused and scared I followed down to the finished basement.
With tears in his eyes he got on one knee and began to tell me of a man I did not know. A man that I was married to and was living a double life.
My world came crumbling down.



Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 COR 5:17

 

That was a long time ago. But to look back on that evening I am moved to tears.
I am simply amazed that God could take that Broken man, that God could take our Broken marriage and put it back together.
How God could turn my husband into the man he is.
I am so thankful God put my crumbled world back together better than I could have ever thought.

When I look at my husband today I see a Man that OVERCAME.
I Look in his heart and see his fears and see the strength he takes EVERY day to continue to overcome them.
I see a Man of Integrity and Honor.
I see a man of Faith and Love.
I see a man that would fight all of hell for his family and not himself.
He was once enslaved to addiction. It owned him. It controlled him. It hijacked him in everyway.
It stole his joy, his family, his job, his love, his emotions. It robbed him of life with no remorse. That is what addiction does. It does not feel guilty as it strips life from you slowing digging your grave.

The road has not been easy. It has quite honestly been very difficult. But it has been worth it. I believe in Andy MORE than anyone. I see his heart. I see his struggles. I watch him try and grit it out. He would not be alive had he continued down that path.
He is Alive..
I will never let myself forget that day.
I wish people knew how important a "Clean Date" was to a person in recovery.

It is more than just a DATE.

It is LIFE.

It is sad we do not Encourage one another the way we should. Take the time to Encourage someone you know that has OVERCOME. Words are powerful.

Anita

Turn around Point

It is always fun to try out our new running goods. For Christmas I received a handful of running gear. I could hear the items  begging to come out of their packages and go outside and play.

The sun was shining and making the ice glisten off the trees. It was almost mesmerizing  to look at. Throughout the night and early morning we had another 2 inches of snow fall. The snow was beautiful to look at as it rested over everything so delicately. The snow was much more gentle then the ice storm we received just days before.
As I began to run- the innocent looking snow disguised the slippery ice just below. I began running only quickly noticed I would have to share the roads with the cars because the shoulder was underneath layers of slush, snow and ice.
This is a chance I sometimes have to take. My line of defense is to smile really BIG as the cars are coming my way. I always wave "Hi" or nod at them to try and prevent them from getting mad at me.
I am not scared though. I have come very close to getting hit several times. I do not have a death wish, However; as responsible as I am some people are mean while others are careless.

This afternoon I had not made it a mile when 2 very large trucks were coming towards me. I had to jump into the snow embankment. When doing so I slipped on the hidden ice flying into the air. I barely landed as I felt my legs coming out from the road. I desperately tried to correct myself bouncing out of the muddy slush. Mortified that I was directly in front of the intersection I managed to paste that smile back on and act like it never happened. There was no denying my drenched gloves and muddy butt. I looked like I had a bathroom problem and used my gloves to clean up the mess!

I recovered well not letting my hurt pride steal my run. It was just so perfect that I found myself even smiling when there were no cars coming.
When I got to the high school I decided to turn around and head back home. Shockingly the wind slapped me square in the face. "What the heck?" I thought pondering over the origin of the nasty wind. The air was bitter and cold causing me to zip my fleece up to my chin. I tucked my hands into my sleeves because my gloves were now frozen. Within minutes my eyes began to water turning my eyelashes into icicles.

My run coming home was so much different then my run going out. It really got my mind going.
Crazy how we can run the course of life and know our route only just in a blink of an eye everything feels so foreign. Everything we thought we knew is gone. Life is skewed.
We make these turns in life where suddenly we don't know where we are going or how we are going to get there.

As the wind blasted me I decided I had to dig in. I knew I had almost 4 miles home and quitting was not option. I had bouts of entertaining the thought though. Somewhere in between almost getting hit a half dozen times and sludged even more. The route home was the same so I laughed at myself at how much different the other side of the rode was. "How can this side of the rode be so terrible?" I asked myself with soaked socks. I had to keep jumping in the ditch to avoid cars.
We all have these turning points in our lives. Sometimes for the good and sometimes not so good.
The path is laid out before us to travel. Even when the conditions are less than desirable do not give up. Even when you get confused and you wonder how much more of a beating you can take..Don't give up.

Andy got a call from one of our church kids who has gone stray. He is now 21 years old. He called on Christmas day. He wanted to know if you would still go to Heaven if you committed suicide. Andy went upstairs and convinced him to keep going. Not to give up. This young man was feeling beaten up. He later thanked Andy and told Andy he made his day!

This Christmas was a Turning Point for me. I travel down the road of grief and pain losing Ariel. I keep it buried most of days but the pain is still very raw. It has been a little over a year. But today I smiled. I smiled knowing I have the most amazing memories SHE gave me. I smile knowing she loved me beyond measure. I may never experience the LOVE she gave me again but I smile knowing I had it. If only for a little while I had it. I smile knowing she is in Heaven and that I was a part of influencing her. I smile knowing that one day I will See Her AGAIN! I smile knowing that I have the greatest gift that no one can ever take from me. Her LOVE and her Memories.  I am smiling even as I write this. This truly is a turning point.

RUNDOWN
Distance:9:34
Pace: 8:24
Time:1:18

What is Your Turning Point??

Thank YOU~ Ba Ha Ha: and a lil laughter

 



Today I went to the mailbox and I got a letter. Not just any letter. It was a CARD and it was special  for 2 reasons.

1. It was homemade
2. It came from one of my followers, Carrie

I just loved it!!
I had a really good day today and this just made it even better.

My run with Danielle this morning was nothing short of fun. The sidewalks were a mess so we took it steady and careful. Today's run was not fast my any means, however; it was not easy. Together we tried to dodge cars, ice, slush and falling. The traffic was rather intense and in a couple places I was saying prayers. Our run this morning definitely got the heart pumping!

Sometimes I laugh so hard the tears run down my leg.  ~Author Unknown

In other news I caught a bird today! This was a first for me! There was a bird that SOMEHOW got locked in my husbands Maw maws spare bedroom. Mom and Maw maw were all panicked when I got to the house. "LORD HUNNY, we got ourselves a problem.." By the look on their face I thought that the septic backed up and it was going to be my job to clean it!
They secretly took me back to the bedroom and opened the door. I about jumped clear out of my pants when this big black bird came at my flying all over the place. They started yelling "Shut the Door, OH Lordy, LOOK OUT!" I had to quickly grab myself from peeing my pants I was laughing so hard.
Next thing I knew I was jumping all over the little 10' by 10 bedroom trying to catch it.
It was so pretty. I had to catch it twice because it snuck out from my fingers. Mom thought she was funny with the camera, taking my picture bent over trying to get him from under the nightstand.
Aunt Lois made an early birthday comment on Facebook "Is that what the 40 year old spread looks like!" I had to laugh at it all.
But just when you think you couldn't laugh anymore I went out with my girlfriend "Lisa" to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. She is about as crazy as me so together we are NUTS. We had so much fun. Who says turning 40 doesn't have to be FUN!

I am so Thankful for good friends and family. I don't have a lot of either but those who invest their time in my life really are a blessing to me. They bring such Joy to my life. They make me a better person. They encourage me and support me in countless ways. They sharpen me with love and wisdom.
I had such a hard day on Tuesday at work So much so that I questioned why I even bother. I left feeling discouraged and disappointed in not only myself but in others. It embedded in my mind and left me feeling worn out.

 

 Proverbs 17:22             

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

 

Funny how 1 day can really make a difference. We all have rough patches but persevering and moving forward can bring blessing beyond our imagination. Truly Laughter is the Best medicine!

RUNDOWN
Distance: 7.6
Pace:9:32
Time:1:13

Anita

Running and Balancing Life

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.

Albert Einstein

Some days I get up and look at my list of "DO's" and instantly get discouraged. I run all over trying to make ends meet, knocking off my list and it appears that TIME gets knocked off more than things.
As a mother of 2, I work part time, volunteer in my kids school and lead an addiction group every week at church. I am always on the go especially with both boys in sports all year long.

You will NEVER come to my house and see me in the afternoon watching TV. I have never even taken the time to figure out how to turn it on. I just don't have time. I often feel guilty just sitting down for 5 minutes to eat.
There is NOTHING different from my life than most of yours. We lead very busy lives and always feel like we can not manage all we need to do.

People always ask me how I find the time.
Well you do not FIND time you Make time.

And it is not always that easy. Sometimes I get very discouraged because I feel like my Wonder Woman cape is worn out and lacking power.
I get really disappointed in myself when I look at what other mothers do. The fancy homemade Christmas gifts, the elaborate Birthday cup cakes for their kids, the spotless homes all seem like a fairytale to me.
I have a hard time keeping the laundry basket empty, I often run out of milk, makeup is a novel concept and those of you that vacuum every day surely are amazing.
I so badly want to be that mom but I fail miserably.
.
"Kelli" a friend of mine and co-worker was chatting for a minute with me at work on Tuesday. I asked her if she had any New Years Resolutions. Kelli replied "Guess, Guess what they are."
I knew the first one right away from conversations 1. "Work out more!" She laughed  and had me continue to guess the rest of them.
2. "Read your bible more?.."
"Yup, and guess the last one." Kelli urged.
Not able to figure it out Kelli replied "Save more Money!"

Kelli is a new mother and an incredible mother. Finding balance to be all that we can be and do all we can do is a novel concept but not always realistic. "There is a season for everything under the SUN."

Often times people think that I run 6 or 7 days a week. I laugh wishing I had a dollar for every time people are surprised by my answer of 4 days a week.
There are times I find myself green with envy at those who are able to run 5 or 6 days. But then I have to remind myself that like "Kelli" this is just not my season.

How do I find balance between being a mom, a wife, a runner and working??

1. Being flexible. Today it was MORE important to get Christmas shopping done rather than run for an hour. I decided 3 miles was better that nothing.
2. Schedule it in. I try to find out how I can make 1 hour for myself. It is not saying that I put running IN FRONT OF my husband and kids. This is where the balance comes in. It may be getting up and sacrificing sleep and that warm bed. When my kids were very little I put them in daycare 1 day a week for a half a day and used that time to run and do errands. Let me tell you I heard about that! There was whispering going on about how I could put my running in front of my kids. I also would run pulling Alec in a wagon and Austin riding a bike next to me. They were not always easy runs or even fun runs but I made it happen. They were done runs!
3. Just because I FAIL does not mean I am a Failure. I fail all the time. I decide what is most important and try to do that first. Sometimes I may get my run in but I didn't get a load of laundry in. Sometimes I get my run in but didn't make it to the dry cleaners. I just do the best I can do with all that I do. But sometimes we fall, just remember to get back up again.
4. Priorities. Figure out what is MOST important and then go from there. While running is important to me so is my family. The reality is a week consists of 168 hours. 6-8 hours for ourselves should still balance.

Maybe you have no desire to run but can not figure out the magic equation for balance.
Expectations. Letting go of expectations and perfectionism.
Just do the very best you can with the fullest of heart and NO excuses.
Believe in your God given abilities.  Remembering you are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.
Nothing is impossible with HIM.
You can do ALL things through Christ.
Do not look to the right or the left..

RUNDOWN:
Distance: 3 miles
I ran outside in the slip and slide fest!


What tips do you have for finding the perfect balance?

Anita