I know this isn't the popular opinion.
I just watched a new story about a high school girl who felt something pop in her thigh and her twin sister carried her piggy back style 370 meters of an 800 meter race.
Add to that the story of the Boston Marathon runner that fell down just short of the finish line and other runners carried them across the finish line.
I run races. I have DNF'd a race (did not finish). I have been dead last.
This is my unpopular opinion. If you don't cross the finish line in your own power, you didn't finish the race.
I understand how moving it is to see someone help someone across the finish line. How selfless, how sacrificial.
But...
YOU DIDN'T FINISH.
I think it's great you gave it all you had, and all you had wasn't enough, but there will be another race.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Who Am I?
It's Mother's Day in an hour. I've been mama (or mom) for almost 22 years. It is the single most important title I've held. And while I will always be mom, I hit a milestone tonight. Whitney graduated from high school. I watched for her on the big screen and when the camera picked up her and Madeline walking in to the arena, my heart stopped. My baby girl, all grown up.
Reality check for me, she is grown up. She has her first semester of college finals next week. She is enrolled in her second semester of college in the fall. She has her first unsupervised trip with a friend next week, to see her favorite singer in Colorado.
Life moves along whether we are ready or not. I am but I'm not. I love the freedom that comes with older kids. I love that my money is able to be spent more how I want to and not how it's dictated to me. But I miss being able to make decisions for my kids. Because I'm much better at it than they are.
I'm surprised to realize that I'm trying to figure out who I am at my age. Everything is changing - again - and while I understand that change is inevitable and it is mostly good, I find myself struggling. I thought I had everything figured out, but apparently I was wrong.
I know you can't stop the growing up process. You can't hold them back, you can't hold on to them. You have to let go and trust that everything you've invested in them, everything they've learned from everyone that has had impact on their lives, and that God will take care of them.
I just don't know how mommy birds can push their babies out of the nest.
Reality check for me, she is grown up. She has her first semester of college finals next week. She is enrolled in her second semester of college in the fall. She has her first unsupervised trip with a friend next week, to see her favorite singer in Colorado.
Life moves along whether we are ready or not. I am but I'm not. I love the freedom that comes with older kids. I love that my money is able to be spent more how I want to and not how it's dictated to me. But I miss being able to make decisions for my kids. Because I'm much better at it than they are.
I'm surprised to realize that I'm trying to figure out who I am at my age. Everything is changing - again - and while I understand that change is inevitable and it is mostly good, I find myself struggling. I thought I had everything figured out, but apparently I was wrong.
I know you can't stop the growing up process. You can't hold them back, you can't hold on to them. You have to let go and trust that everything you've invested in them, everything they've learned from everyone that has had impact on their lives, and that God will take care of them.
I just don't know how mommy birds can push their babies out of the nest.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Hard Charge
Today I ran the Hard Charge at Park City. It was a 4.2 mile run with 20 obstacles. You can see pictures of them here.
It was crazy and intense and FUN! There were 5 of us from my workout group, Marquis, Chris, Steve, Leesa, Sheila and I. I was severely under trained. The first four months of this year have been brutal. I've had plantar fasciitis (again), worked 60+ hours per week and been severely stressed. The not working out but continuing to eat like I am has not been good to me. I'm working to correct that.
But about the race...
There was crawling through mud pits a good 20 yards long under barbed wire fence without the barbed wire. This was a foot of water on top of mud. It was grueling. Mud up to your elbows, people in front of you kicking it up in your face, yep, it was awesome. It is called a mud run for a reason.
I'm going to just share a few of the obstacles and how I did, because it was pretty comical. There is one that is 5 hills of dirt that you climb over to climb down the other side into waist deep water with calf deep mud under it. I got to the top of the second hill and slipped. Hoping to land on my butt and slide down the other side. Unfortunately the way things work for me, I slide back down the side I just climbed up, taking Marquis back down with me. And go completely under water. I did that twice. From that point on I climbed up, slid down on my butt and dog paddled across the water so I didn't have to worry about losing my shoes in the mud.
There was a water crossing that I swam across. There were cars to climb over. There were 25 pound gas cans to carry. There were sand bags to carry. There were culverts to crawl through, sewer tunnels to crawl through, muddy creek beds to run through. Sand pits to army crawl across with fencing over your back. Muddy tunnels to crawl through.
There were wooden barricades to jump over. Over waist high on me. I was running with Steve and he puts his hand on the top and hurdles over. I put my hand on the top, hoist myself up to my waist on it, slide my legs over and then drop on the other side. I lost my bib doing this. Completely ripped off my shirt. But I did it. The next time we hit barricades, they were taller than my head. Chris and Marquis and Steve put their hands together to make steps for us to get high enough to get over. I have bruises on my palms and my abdomen. But I did it, and felt extremely proud of myself.
Then there was the wooden ladders to climb up to get to the top of a I don't know what to call it, so you could rappel down the other side. This was my other "mishap". I climbed to the top no problem. Grabbed the rope swung down and the my hand slid all the way down the rope, I dropped into about 3.5 feet of muddy water and went completely under AGAIN. Also felt like I might have ripped two finger nails off my left hand.
Other than this, I was okay. I couldn't get over the last wall, I couldn't even jump high enough to grab the top, so I went around. There was also one that you swung across like monkey bars, but the pipes were too big for my hands to grip and the fall was too far to take the chance on. I'm kind of klutz. I also couldn't complete the last one, it was a rock wall, but you had to get up the first 8 feet or so with very few footholds. I didn't have the strength in my hands to pull myself up, and didn't have the patience to wait for help.
I am bruised from palm to armpit on my right arm, and my knees from crawling are beat up, scratched and bruised. My whole left leg from the knee down is turning purple.
And I have to say I loved every hard, exhausting, painful moment of this race. I will be doing more mud runs, and I will be back next year to do this one again. I had mud in my hair, in my bra, and caked to my face. I had muddy grass in my pants and stuck to my hair, I had to brush my teeth three times to get the grit out. My toe nails still have some dirt caked in I couldn't get out with a brush. I'm hoping the second (third, if you count the one with the hose outside before I came in the house) shower of the day will get that completely off before I get a pedicure tomorrow.
Here we are, the friend I can always count on to support me in my crazy adventures and include me in hers. Nothing is too ridiculous to try, if we go together. And usually bring Steve. We'll have years of fun reliving this. Here's our "selfie" in the bathroom at McDonald's where we stopped for lunch (and diet coke) after. We were so hungry. We got a lot of attention inside the restaurant, and then we sat outside on the pavement to eat.
Here is the whole groups, Sheila, me, Steve, Marquis, Leesa and Chris post race, with the "earned" sign. And we did earn this.
Did I mention that I'm going to do this again? Because I am!
It was crazy and intense and FUN! There were 5 of us from my workout group, Marquis, Chris, Steve, Leesa, Sheila and I. I was severely under trained. The first four months of this year have been brutal. I've had plantar fasciitis (again), worked 60+ hours per week and been severely stressed. The not working out but continuing to eat like I am has not been good to me. I'm working to correct that.
But about the race...
There was crawling through mud pits a good 20 yards long under barbed wire fence without the barbed wire. This was a foot of water on top of mud. It was grueling. Mud up to your elbows, people in front of you kicking it up in your face, yep, it was awesome. It is called a mud run for a reason.
I'm going to just share a few of the obstacles and how I did, because it was pretty comical. There is one that is 5 hills of dirt that you climb over to climb down the other side into waist deep water with calf deep mud under it. I got to the top of the second hill and slipped. Hoping to land on my butt and slide down the other side. Unfortunately the way things work for me, I slide back down the side I just climbed up, taking Marquis back down with me. And go completely under water. I did that twice. From that point on I climbed up, slid down on my butt and dog paddled across the water so I didn't have to worry about losing my shoes in the mud.
There was a water crossing that I swam across. There were cars to climb over. There were 25 pound gas cans to carry. There were sand bags to carry. There were culverts to crawl through, sewer tunnels to crawl through, muddy creek beds to run through. Sand pits to army crawl across with fencing over your back. Muddy tunnels to crawl through.
There were wooden barricades to jump over. Over waist high on me. I was running with Steve and he puts his hand on the top and hurdles over. I put my hand on the top, hoist myself up to my waist on it, slide my legs over and then drop on the other side. I lost my bib doing this. Completely ripped off my shirt. But I did it. The next time we hit barricades, they were taller than my head. Chris and Marquis and Steve put their hands together to make steps for us to get high enough to get over. I have bruises on my palms and my abdomen. But I did it, and felt extremely proud of myself.
Then there was the wooden ladders to climb up to get to the top of a I don't know what to call it, so you could rappel down the other side. This was my other "mishap". I climbed to the top no problem. Grabbed the rope swung down and the my hand slid all the way down the rope, I dropped into about 3.5 feet of muddy water and went completely under AGAIN. Also felt like I might have ripped two finger nails off my left hand.
Other than this, I was okay. I couldn't get over the last wall, I couldn't even jump high enough to grab the top, so I went around. There was also one that you swung across like monkey bars, but the pipes were too big for my hands to grip and the fall was too far to take the chance on. I'm kind of klutz. I also couldn't complete the last one, it was a rock wall, but you had to get up the first 8 feet or so with very few footholds. I didn't have the strength in my hands to pull myself up, and didn't have the patience to wait for help.
I am bruised from palm to armpit on my right arm, and my knees from crawling are beat up, scratched and bruised. My whole left leg from the knee down is turning purple.
And I have to say I loved every hard, exhausting, painful moment of this race. I will be doing more mud runs, and I will be back next year to do this one again. I had mud in my hair, in my bra, and caked to my face. I had muddy grass in my pants and stuck to my hair, I had to brush my teeth three times to get the grit out. My toe nails still have some dirt caked in I couldn't get out with a brush. I'm hoping the second (third, if you count the one with the hose outside before I came in the house) shower of the day will get that completely off before I get a pedicure tomorrow.
Here we are, the friend I can always count on to support me in my crazy adventures and include me in hers. Nothing is too ridiculous to try, if we go together. And usually bring Steve. We'll have years of fun reliving this. Here's our "selfie" in the bathroom at McDonald's where we stopped for lunch (and diet coke) after. We were so hungry. We got a lot of attention inside the restaurant, and then we sat outside on the pavement to eat.
Here is the whole groups, Sheila, me, Steve, Marquis, Leesa and Chris post race, with the "earned" sign. And we did earn this.
Did I mention that I'm going to do this again? Because I am!
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Radical Christianity
Nate was telling me that during the Olympics that one of the guys he's works with (from Pakistan) tells him this story:
A group of radical Christians hi-jacked an airplane of Muslims in Sochi. Because it was Christians kidnapping Muslims, it wasn't getting any press. He only knew cause his relatives in Bangladesh told him.
He asked Nate what he thought of that. I don't know how Nate answered with a straight face.
But I did think about radical Christianity.
Today,
Radical Christians picket soldiers funerals.
Radical Christians sit down in the drive way at abortion clinics.
Radical Christians shoot abortion doctors while they worship in their church on Sunday morning.
Radical Christians refuse to eat at restaurants that support gay marriage.
The first radical Christian was nailed to a cross for loving radically, forgiving radically, healing radically.
His followers were the next radical Christians, sharing this Jesus they knew and loved and they were all martyred for their beliefs.
Then we have the martyrs that were thrown to the lions, and even modern day martyrs around the world that are killed for their radical love for Christ.
Someone this week called Mother Theresa "a great human being". And she was. I would say however, that she was a radical Christian.
I had a friend this week tell me she wished she had more so she could give more. She is a radical Christian.
The world needs more radical Christians. But not the ones hi-jacking airplanes, lol.
A group of radical Christians hi-jacked an airplane of Muslims in Sochi. Because it was Christians kidnapping Muslims, it wasn't getting any press. He only knew cause his relatives in Bangladesh told him.
He asked Nate what he thought of that. I don't know how Nate answered with a straight face.
But I did think about radical Christianity.
Today,
Radical Christians picket soldiers funerals.
Radical Christians sit down in the drive way at abortion clinics.
Radical Christians shoot abortion doctors while they worship in their church on Sunday morning.
Radical Christians refuse to eat at restaurants that support gay marriage.
The first radical Christian was nailed to a cross for loving radically, forgiving radically, healing radically.
His followers were the next radical Christians, sharing this Jesus they knew and loved and they were all martyred for their beliefs.
Then we have the martyrs that were thrown to the lions, and even modern day martyrs around the world that are killed for their radical love for Christ.
Someone this week called Mother Theresa "a great human being". And she was. I would say however, that she was a radical Christian.
I had a friend this week tell me she wished she had more so she could give more. She is a radical Christian.
The world needs more radical Christians. But not the ones hi-jacking airplanes, lol.
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