The More of Less Report (July)

Well, I'm junking up the house again. (The decluttering book warned me of this trap.) I've bought two new clothing items (without swapping out old ones), as well as bought gadgets to make my life easier (silicone muffin liners). I could argue that my dietitian told me to buy clothes in bigger sizes. I could argue that I "need" new clothes to feel better, but I really don't. I just bought clothes because I wanted to feel better (and they did-kind of). I could argue that new kitchen gadgets brought me joy and made cooking a little easier, and they did, but could I tolerate without them? Yes. So should I have bought them? I don't know. I just did. I told myself to spend less money this month. Did I? No. But I also got some joy from buying things, and made some memories. Did I live more of life? Overall, I would say, yes. And that was what I wanted from this year anyway.

In other updates on my goals--

January-LESS scrolling: I don't know if I am or not. Some days, I am on social media less, other days more. I have started using at least Instagram more for information (eg for information on topics like stress fracture recovery). I notice when I am not getting anything out of scrolling, and sometimes I keep scrolling. Other times, I move on. I am playing more word games again. It is a good "out" for my brain, and maybe a little more beneficial than doom scrolling?

February-LESS picking: I do not really know here, either. Maybe I just have not been paying attention as much? I do know that I am going through a season of just feeling uncomfortable in my body overall.

March-LESS hunger (judgment): I want to keep healing from my stress fracture, and I want to gain muscle. I hate waking up in the middle of the night hungry. So I have been eating a lot, and and continuing to gain weight. I hope eventually things even out, but I don't know when that will happen, and if I am truly hungry, I guess my body needs all this food? I hope I continue to gain awareness in this area.

April-LESS goals: Yeah, well. I probably did not do too well here. In working on my July goal, I added quite a lot of activities. The physical therapy exercises have piled up. I need to reduce my list of daily things to do next month.

May-LESS no: I caught myself saying, "No," a lot, but thankfully God gave me plenty of chances to rest and say, "Yes." I am thankful for that. I want to live a full life, and that means saying more, "Yes" (though I am learning to do so with boundaries). Yesses this month included attending several very last minute social gatherings, trying several different foods my husband offered me, and going on a surprise location trip that my husband planned--good things, all.

June-LESS lying to myself: This is a bit of a mixed bag. I need to have realistic expectations for myself, and as my mom pointed out, I need to be willing to change and learn and grow as the Holy Spirit prompts. I have realized that most things in life require sacrifice. If I do something for myself, I say, "No" to doing something for others. If I prioritize one thing, I have less time for others. (For example, when I choose to write at night after work, I generally end up going to bed later and getting less sleep.) I am realizing that sometimes, I need to compromise on my priorities, doing a little bit of what I said I would do, and letting a little bit go. That is probably better than the all or nothing trap in which I find myself too often.

--

Overall, it has been a better month. Maybe I am not quite living by my "LESS" word, but less is not my end goal in life. Loving God, loving others, and loving myself are my goals. Whatever paths lead me to those goals are my path, less or not.

My Second Marathon

My second marathon, and I might be done, not because it didn't go well, but because it did. And it hurt, bad. I'm just not sure I'm made for this distance.

The Backstory

I signed up for this marathon shortly after last year's 10K. Debating between the half- and full-marathon distances, I asked my husband for his input. He told me that I should run the one I most wanted to run. Having heard horror stories of the traffic backups getting to the half marathon last year, I went with the full distance. 

I took a little time off after that 10K, then trained for Pat's Run and ran my first half-marathon for fun. Following that, I trained for Columbus half-marathon, sliding right into full-marathon training.

The Training

I went with the Boston Level Two plan this year (Boston Marathon, n.d., "Training plans". I started off thinking I would go for the 3:45 time, but then I decided to go all in for 3:30. That time would Boston qualify me, though probably not get me into the race, as the current buffer is seven minutes plus (Boston Marathon, n.d., "Qualify for the Boston Marathon"). Let's just say training was rough. I got ill a few times. I experienced quite a bit of gastrointestinal distress. Work has been super intense and stressful since January. I lost my voice the week of the race (more on that later). I really considered deferring or canceling several times.

Race Week

I came into race week with what I refer to as the "chest squeezy" feeling. I wasn't sick, but I didn't feel quite right, either. I started taking Vitamin C and Zinc on Saturday, and allergy medicine on Sunday. By Tuesday, I had mostly lost my voice. As I lay in bed Tuesday night considering what to do about work, I felt like God was prompting me to take time off. After all, I pretty much talk for a living, and it would be a push to try to force my voice through all the meetings I had planned. I did the meetings I had to do and took the rest of the day off. I took a nap and by Thursday, I thought I was mostly better. I finally hit race pace in my last five mile workout and I thought I had a chance.

I went to the shakeout run on Friday at what I thought was an early time, but there were already a lot of people there, and no shoes left in my size to test. Oh well. I ran the run, dashed to Home Depot to pick up supplies for my husband for our home renovation process, and went back to the expo. 

Big pickup was easy. I even got a mug for participating in this even for five year. (I didn't even realize it was that long!). There was a long line for bib testing, though. The people running the bib testing said that the server was slow, and we could move on if we trusted the system. I did, going through the whole expo to fill out my expo passport. (I now have enough points to register for at least the 10K for free!) This was probably the best expo yet, with lots of giveaways and swag. At the pacer's table, I picked up pace bands for 3:30 all the way to 3:45. I really wasn't sure how I should go out. While I believed I was capable of running a 3:30, calculators put me at 3:33 at the fastest, with a more realistic time of 3:49. Should I bet on myself or not?

The Night Before

I hit my carb goals early, and was able to get in bed by 8 PM. I wondered how I would sleep, given that I also napped that day. Praise Jesus, I slept pretty well!

Race Morning

I woke up at 3 AM. That was barely early enough, but I made it! I listened to my audio Bible reading (One Year Bible, n.d.), worked on my pull-ups, did my push-ups, PT exercises, stretching and foam rolling. Then I got dressed, made my cup of coffee with RNWY collagen, toasted my bagel, climbed up and down the stairs, and was out of the house around 4 am (RNWY, n.d.; Farmhouse on Boone, 2024).

My kind husband has been my chauffeur every year for the race, and thank goodness! I still don't know my way around town, and with lots of roads shut down, it was interesting to get to the bus line. While driving, I ate my banana and bagel and drank my coffee.

Transportation instructions this year had different parking and drop off locations. My husband said he didn't like the drop off, but I thought it worked well. He dropped me off around 4:20 AM. I was on a bus by around 4:30 AM, and we departed at 4:40 AM.

It was a bit of a drive to the start line, through Tempe and up the mountain. We arrived about 5:30 AM, which I thought was a good time, as it only left an hour until start time. Well, the porta-potty lines were already long, and even though I jumped right in, it took about 40 minutes to get through. That left me just enough time to throw my bag on the truck for retrieval at race end, and get in the corrals.

In the corrals, I decided to line up with the 3:35 group. We heard there was no 3:30 pacer, and the 3:35 pacer Ken seemed nice (Skrien, n.d.). Two other ladies and I were right with him.

The weather was pretty cool at the start (around 49 degrees and cool). I gave my first mylar blanket to two ladies shivering in the cold. I honestly did not want to, but I thought it was the right thing to do. God was gracious, and I found a discarded mylar blanket in a trash can when I went to drop my bag. Maybe it is gross, but I took it and kept it right until the start line.

The Race

Miles 1-10 I pretty much ran with the pacer the whole way. He seemed he like he knew what he was doing, and I trusted him. Sometimes he was a little ahead of me. Sometimes I got a little ahead of the pack. There was a hill around miles 4-6, but it was not too bad. It was lovely not to look at my watch, and I just chugged along, taking gels every three miles.

Miles 10-20 I started feeling my legs probably around mile 9 or so, and by 13, I was hurting some. I thought to myself, "And this is why I am a half-marathon girl." At some point, I actually got ahead of the pace group, and I thought I just might be on track for a 3:30. Then things started slowing down. I took a Carbs fuel gel with 100 mg of caffeine at mile 15, and at about mile 18, I felt it kick in (Carbs Fuel, n.d.). By this point, though, I had dropped behind the pace group. [Marathon Mama RD also passed me (Scott, n.d.)] I was off pace for a 3:30 slightly by mile 17, and at 18, I was hurting. I told myself I had just about an hour left, and that around 22, I would see my husband.

Miles 20-26.2 My pace kept slowing as the flat ground and hot sun loomed before me. I texted my husband around mile 20 that I planned to throw my pack at him. I had drank most of the RAW electrolyte water and just wanted to shed weight (RAW, n.d.). I stuffed my pockets with my remaining fuel, and still slowed down. I went from 8:04 to 8:07 to 8:10/mile. I didn't really look at my watch. Honestly, I didn't care about my time anymore. I just wanted to finish. I knew I had friends at the finish line, and I didn't want to disappoint them.

One of my "friends" (the ladies with whom I started) was off and on my shoulder as we got closer to the finish line. I saw at least two people either doubled over or sitting. I told myself to hold on. I was belching gels at this point, so I let myself get away with skipping the one at mile 24. I took a few sips of water and grabbed a Crank E-gel and Skratch energy chews (because I am a sucker for freebies) and just kept going (Crank Sports, n.d.; Skratch, n.d.).

I tried to be encouraging as I went. I saw one lady walking and crying. I saw Waddell Running Lady with her son's name on her bib and cheered her on (Schroff, n.d.). I tried to run a little faster, telling myself that if I sped up, I would finish faster. I gave it all I had in the last 0.2 miles, and I thought I was fast. Splits say I was just the same: 8:10/mile. 

The Finish

I did see my friends and husband out of the corner of my eye as I finished. I threw up my hands and stopped my watch. The 3:35 group was pretty far in front of me, but the clock said 3:35 when I passed, so I thought I might be close. My watch said 26.47 in 3:34:20, but I stopped it after the finish, so I wondered what my time was. The app didn't say.

I grabbed my medal and filled up a bag with food: Spylt chocolate milk, Siete Foods, That's It fruit bars, water, and more (Spylt, n.d.; Siete Foods, n.d., That't It, n.d.). I skipped the banana, thinking we had a lot at home. That was a mistake.

The Finish Line Festival

I thought the Finish Line Festival was for runners only, but my husband and friends got to me. My friends had made me a sign, which was super fun. I immediately went to the results tent, but after waiting in line for quite some time, was told to come back in 30 minutes, as my results had not registered. We went and took photos and got some more goodies. I went back. They told me to come back again. I hobbled over to take pictures with the 26.2 sign, and then my friends had to leave. At some point, I went and got my drop bag (a little bit of an Easter egg hunt, but I found it.). The Honor Health tent let me have a banana, and that helped with refueling.

I am not sure if I went back to the results tent one or two more times. All I know is that it was getting hot. I felt like I was getting sunburned, and both my husband and I felt thirsty. Running friends encouraged me to go to the Honor Health tent to stretch out, and that helped my pain some. Eventually, after trying to hydrate with more caffeine (I could only get half down) and eating another protein bar, results were still not it (1st Phorm, n.d. Phorm energy; 1st Phorm, n.d. Level-1 Bar. The nice man (who was losing his voice) explained that the beacons on the course pinged about 50 times per person per beacon, and with 11,000 runners, the server had crashed due to the backlog. It was back up, but not more backlogged than ever. He said it could take until evening or the next day to register time. Convinced that I would get a time, we went to the car and drove home.

The Drive Home

While driving home, I listened to the kind shoutouts my sister-in-law (plus niece and nephew), Mom and Dad, and prayer partner of my mom's sent. I had forgotten my AirPods, but that was just as well, as it it made the drive home more special. Mom had asked me to send her a picture of what I was wearing on the run, and I figured she had some plan, but what I didn't know was that she would have a friend on the course to cheer me on. What a blessing!

My finish time finally posted while driving home: 3:34:14--not a Boston qualifier, but over 17 minutes faster than my first. And there was so much to give thanks for: nice weather, friends, good nutrition (thanks to my running dietitian, which will be another post), the pacer, food at the expo to get me through an extra long stay, the Asics Magic Speed shoes Sole Sports got me hooked on, no blisters thanks to Bombas socks from my husband, etc. (Moore, n.d.; Asics, n.d.; Sole Sports, n.d.; Scheels, n.d.).

It took me a bit to unpack and unwind when I got home. I had coffee, plus 100 mg of caffeine on the course, plus 200 more in the protein drink, plus 100-150 mg more. Needless to say, I was buzzed.

I didn't think I was hungry after I showered, but I thought I should eat more. My friends gave both my husband I goodie boxes, and praise Jesus, there was a savory Quiche Lorraine in there (Paris Baguette, n.d.). After all the sweetness of the gels, that hit the spot. I attempted to nap, but nah, that was not happening. Caffeine and adrenaline do not for a good nap make. But that's okay. It was still a good day.

Final Thoughts

The pacer told us early on in the race to find our, "Why." I had it written on my wrists: "loved" on my left wrist, and "beloved" on my right wrist. Loved was to remind me to pray for the kids with whom I work. "Beloved" was from the new Francis Chan book (2025), and encouragement to me to focus on absorbing God's love. As I ran, I thought about what it meant to "be loved." I committed to myself that I would not take anything for granted, thank God for whatever results came, and actually try to accept and absorb the love of all the people supporting me on this day. I did pray a lot. I am super grateful for the results. I am not sure I have fully absorbed all the love of the people around me or of God, but you know what? I have that very kind race sign to look at and remind me of love for as long as I want to keep it around. That's probably going to be for a very long time!

References:

Asics. (n.d). Magic Speed. https://www.asics.com/us/en-us/magic-speed/c/aa50124900/?CAWELAID=120223060000996421&CATRK=SPFID-1&CATARGETID=120223060000867441&CAPCID=587613936406&CATCI=dsa-19959388920&CAAGID=130950374040&CADevice=c&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=10390976860&gbraid=0AAAAADl69Mha6JyZbmEthRvK5MOWT72vI&gclid=Cj0KCQiA18DMBhDeARIsABtYwT2fJ3oKsxUvl044pCFuHqs00MVb8zS4Cm5hzF71mHdhe3ficQKwNEsaAnWvEALw_wcB

Boston Marathon. (n.d.). Qualify for the Boston Marathon. https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/qualify/

Boston Marathon. (n.d.). Training plans. https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/info-for-athletes/boston-marathon-training/

Carbs Fuel. (n.d.). Carbs Fuel original caffeinated 50g energy gel. https://carbsfuel.com/products/carbs-fuel-caffeinated-original-50g-energy-gel

Chan, F., & Gordon, M. (2025). Beloved. David C. Cook.

Crank Sports. (n.d.). Radical raspberry e-gel. https://www.cranksports.com/product/radical-raspberry-e-gel-box-of-24/

Farmhouse on Boone. (2024, April 27). Easy sourdough discard bagels. https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/easy-sourdough-discard-bagels/#wprm-recipe-container-41224

1st Phorm. (n.d.). Level-1 bar. https://1stphorm.com/products/level-1-bar-15ct?variant=40173113737302

1st Phorm. (n.d). Phorm energy. https://1stphorm.com/products/phorm-energy

Moore, E. (n.d.). The Dietitian Runner. https://thedietitianrunner.com/

Paris Baguette. (n.d.). Quiche Lorraine. https://parisbaguette.com/product/quiche-lorraine/

RAW. (n.d.). RAW replenish. https://getrawnutrition.com/products/raw-replenish?srsltid=AfmBOoqjVrcdX1lM0_ZQ5yCKWzG0a2rGrwIqGRAigxSbKn_bbJBNbr1O&variant=51657774334270

RNWY. (n.d.). RNWY foundation. https://rnwy.life/products/foundation?srsltid=AfmBOoqU6wWmXDD7Gyzy-F1kRCyx8OdoJoBe896SQxm77xyjbYPI6pKM

Scheels. (n.d.). Bombas performance ankle running socks. https://www.scheels.com/p/84362919468?queryID=c9989f49f8db5376728a82c6bcff6378

Schroff, M. [@WaddellRunningLady]. (n.d.). Waddell Running Lady. [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved February 14, 2026 from https://www.instagram.com/waddellrunninglady/.

Scott, J. [@MarathonMama_RD]. (n.d.). Marathon Mama RD. [Instagram profile. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/marathonmama_rd/

Siete Foods. https://sietefoods.com/shop/

Skratch Labs. (n.d.). Energy chews sport fuel. https://www.cranksports.com/product/radical-raspberry-e-gel-box-of-24/

Skrien, K. [@Im_That_Ken]. (n.d.). I'm That Ken. [Instagram profile]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/im_that_ken/

Sole Sports. (n.d.). https://solesports.runfreeproject.com/

Spylt. (n.d.). Spylt chocolate milk. https://www.spylt.com/product/chocolate-milk

That's It. (n.d.). Fruit bars. https://www.thatsitfruit.com/collections/shop-fruit-bars?srsltid=AfmBOorcRr0Oq8XJ7lB7PDp-HpFK0AeK9xTu4pbV9dephGOVX1EArZRJ

Less

Faithful followers may have noticed that I took a bit of a break from the blog and social media here at the beginning of the year? Why? I'm trying to re-evaluate. My husband pointed out that although I enjoy a lot of things, the stress of doing so many things outweighs the joy in doing them. So I am trying to do less. In fact, "Less" is my word for 2026.

Less is not the word I wanted for 2026. I had other contenders:

Dream

Joy
Margin

Priorities

Try

But what I settled on was, "Less." I don't really know what that looks like, but I am trying. May the Lord be my guide!

For now, I am experimenting. I am unsubscribing and unfollowing. I am trying to purge excess items (though not going minimalist, because that is more work in and of itself!). I am trying to scroll less and read more. I am trying to stop accumulating (even if it is just more books on my to be read list, or more podcasts on my too listen list). I am trying to keep myself more accountable and put less pressure on myself at the same time. I am trying to have less priorities, so I can focus more on the main one(s). 

Am I doing great? No, honestly, I am not, but I am here for it. Maybe in less, I can learn to be more present, even if that does mean being present for some of the stuff I'd rather not acknowledge.

Strong(er) in November

Whew. It's been a month. And how has it already been a month? It seems like it has just flown by! We had our Utah trip, sickness, the Foster 5K, and Thanksgiving, and now the month is over.

How is our marriage doing? Up and down. That Utah trip was a boon to start the month, as we were stretched and strained in the weeks afterward. Our recent Thanksgiving trip, while not for our marriage specifically, was restful.

The good news is that we are founded in the Lord. The good news is that we are talking about the stress. The good/bad news is that we do not have answers to what needs to change about everyday life in order to grow stronger together.

Physically, I have kind of plateaued. I did accidentally use 15 pound dumbbells for my workout 11/5/25, and I made it. Otherwise than that, I am still working on pull-ups, but feel stagnated. I have one more month to go, but I might loose the power tower for the Christmas tree, so we will see if I even have a place to practice!

Spiritually, I am thankful to report that I have at least had some learning this month. I got some extra time to read my Bible while my husband was gone, and for some reason when I read my Bible over a meal, I seem to get more out of it. This time, I noticed some new things about the apostles in Acts. I also learned from The Bible Project introductions and Bible recaps. [For example, did you know that Jacobus/Jacob wrote James? (The Bible Project, n.d.). I have also been reading more of my wife devotional (which I guess could go towards my goal of strengthening our marriage.) While it is designed to be weekly, I started late and am only about halfway through. Therefore, I started reading daily. I might finish it this year....

Well, that is a wrap on this month. One more to go. May God find me faithful, even if not strength-full. His grace is sufficient for me, for his power is made perfect in my weakness (English Standard Version, 2016, 2 Corinthians 12:9). Praise Him! 

Reference:

The Bible Project. (n.d.). The book of James. https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-james/

English Standard Version. (2019). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/#copy

Strong(er) in October

Well, at the end of the last round of my pull-up program, what do you know, but I can actually pull myself a little higher on the pull-up bar. While I am not there yet, this was encouraging. Now, can I get to one full pull-up (my goal), by year's end? I am still progressing through the program, but admittedly also doing less strength work overall, because it's race training season, baby!

My first race of the "season" was a bit of a slog, but by God's grace, I eked out a PR. I am learning what it means to be strong in mind, as well as in body. Thanks, Deena Kastor for the timely book on this subject.

Marriage has been hard, not necessarily bad, but hard. My husband observed that both of us are stressed right now. I have not been communicating well. I am struggling with some bitterness and resentment. Maybe we are having growing pains. Whatever the case, by God's grace, may we get through this season and come out stronger in the Lord on the other side!

I did a few word studies with my Bible reading this month. I also subscribed to the new TBR Deep Dive podcast that covers some topics more in depth. I have been catching all of the sermons from church, but with illness all of our travels, we have not been there in person as much. We need to get back to that.

And we're on to November. Only two more months of the year remain to grow stronger in body, marriage, and spirit. I need to be intentional, but will I?

Strong(er) in September

I am not sure I am every going to get a pull-up. I have almost reached the end of another cycle of the Nourish Move Love Assisted Pull-Up Plan, and I just don't possess the strength to really pull myself up as a lower the weight of the resistance band. Oh well. I said I would try, and I am trying. Maybe this exercise is building mental strength, if nothing else. 

While I did finish the 30 day core challenge from Run to the Finish, I don't think it did much for me, so it is back to the old PT exercises of eccentric step-downs, banded lateral walks and resisted supported fire hydrants. Sometimes it's the simple stuff that works best. A few more weeks and I will be tapering for my next goal race!

We seem to be getting hit with some hard stuff in our marriage, not the hardest of hard, but what feels to me like spiritual opposition. We have both had individual stuff weighing on us. The circumstances of life have reduced some of our usual quality time. It's been hard, BUT we are as committed as ever and working even harder to stay connected. Recently, that looked like buying a new game to play instead of watching TV, and going to a running event together for the first time in about five years.

I have learned some stuff spiritually through my reading. The pressures of life and culture remind me daily of the importance of being in the Word. I am trying to keep my nose there so that I can remain strong to do the work set before me. I have been living on a wing and a prayer more days than I would like, but maybe that is what growing stronger means: relying ever more and more on the strength of Jesus and the prayers of His people.

Strong(er) in August

No pull-up gains this month, but I did go up one more pound in the dumbbells I used for strength training. No, it is not a lot, but it is something, and I will take it. Although I still an't do a pull-up, I think I might be gaining a little bit of strength, as push-ups seem a little bit easier, and like I am doing them more fully. I have committed to eating more protein in this season, but it is just hard to gain muscle when I am training to gain strength to hit my running goals.

On the running front, I did switch to a new training plan this season. I bought the 30 day core challenge from Run to the Finish and have been working through it instead of doing my daily physical therapy exercises. I have had the return of some foot pain, though, so after this 30 days I am likely to return to what works. With the heat and my strength, I am not hitting the prescribed paces in my new training plan, but I am trying and that takes some mental strength. I will take it and thank God for it.

Our marriage weathered another air conditioning outage this month. Thankfully, my husband is just working one job this time. (Our air went out three years ago when he was also in school.) It was not pleasant, but we survived (in part thanks to my hairdresser, who loaned us their portable swamp cooler). We continue with our devotions, and we have even fit in a few fun date days (a culinary day and a paint by numbers day). Quality time helps fill my love tank, which gives me more bandwidth to weather trials like the air conditioning outage. An addition to our Sunday routine has been couples yoga or stretching after our walk around town. That has been a fun way to connect, and I think that having fun together also strengthens our marriage.

Spiritually, I am sticking with my same routine. I am not sure if that makes me stronger or just maintains strength. Either way, I will take it.

I guess that is the theme of stronger this month: I will take it. While the limits of my strength are finite, God's are infinite, and for that I praise God and look forward to the next month of growing stronger in the life that He has given me.

Strong(er) in July

I don't think I am getting stronger, at least in terms of my pull-up goals. Sure, I went down another band size, but now I can barely get to the top of the bar for one rep, let alone the three, five, or eight reps in the Nourish Move Love Assisted Pull-Up Plan. I tried to do one pull-up and nope, couldn't do it. I didn't even get half-way up. Still, I am committed to finishing this plan, because if I don't try, I can't know if a pull-up is really impossible for me, or just not possible yet.

Overall, I felt like I gained strength in the Overload 30 program, but now I feel that waning. I held my mileage steady these last few months, but started a specific training program on Sunday, which means less strength. Sigh. I am realizing that life is about priorities. I can't be strong everywhere, or at least not at the tip-top of my strength game in every area of my life.

Thankfully, marriage is going pretty well. We have our fits and starts, but more time to communicate, and re-communicate. I give God thanks for that. We are still working through The Marriage Devotional by Jennie and Levi Lusko, and I still try to listen to a marriage enrichment podcast each week. I am thankful for those resources. 

I continue reading the chronological Bible reading and listening to The Bible Recap podcast episode each day. I don't feel like I am not getting anything from this. (Maybe Bible reading has a cumulative effect?) I don't feel like I am getting as much as I can from it, either.

Maybe the theme of this month's post should be the summer doldrums. I am not not making progress, but I am sure not making the progress I would like. At the same time, I don't have the energy, or want to put in the energy to push harder. Maybe this is a rest. Maybe rest is a flex to get ready for the next season of God growing me stronger? We shall see.

Strong(er) in June

 

How has it been another month already? Life is certainly flying by, but here we are!

In my strong(er) updates, I praise God for continued growth in strengthening our understanding of one another in marriage. We aren't perfect, and I think we are starting to recognize more and more how we are different, trying to work through those differences, rather than forcing the other person to take our position (an effort in insanity). We continue our work through The Marriage Devotional by Jennie and Levi Lusko, and that alone promotes good conversation. It also points out areas where I need to grow stronger in my identity in Christ. Most recently, we read about pride and the spirit has convicted me several times about my weak identity in Christ contributes to this sin.

On the physical front, I completed Nourish Move Love's two week Overload 30 challenge. I know I am not lifting as heavy as I could (because I am still running), but whew! That first week, I had trouble walking. This is for sure a plan to build strength! While I am focused on running and maintaining strength for that, this is a plan to bookmark for the future. As Lindsey Bomgren says, it's not about changing your body, but building strength for your 70 year-old self. I like that!

Spiritually, I feel in the same place. Maybe I should do more? Maybe I am maintaining strength? Or maybe I am still growing in strength (albeit slowly) through regular spiritual disciplines? I have heard several things lately about how staying in the Word does strengthen us to be able to recognize counterfeit truth when we see it. So many the regular humdrum disciplines are the strength? May the Spirit continue to show me the way, and if there is to be a different way.

And that's a wrap! (Maybe more pull-up progress next month as I finish another progression of the Nourish Move Love Assisted Pull-Up Plan? I am not convinced, but we will see!)

Strong(er) in May

It's been back to the "rat race" after our first vacation, and now a second one. I hoped to carry some of the ease and joy of vacation back into real life, and at moments, it seems like I have. Other times, it seems like I have just fallen right back into the rut of rush, rush, rush, and fail to enjoy life.

Vacation itself was a victory for our marriage, though. By God's grace, I did not drive my husband nuts despite spending almost 24 hours straight with him for four days on end (and a lot of that in a car hurtling down the highway at high speeds). In fact, I missed him the first day we went back to work. Being apart just felt weird! I guess we still like each other. We survived an almost seven day road, trip, too. Praise the Lord!

God is growing us in our teamwork. We tend to do things pretty differently, but we have been able to tag-team a few things. I called the doctor and left a message. He was able to coordinate with the doctor. I ask a question. He gets the answer. I prep for the company. He cooks for and serves the company. We have failed many times in our collaboration, but I praise God for each and every success.

The Bay Bridge Half was a physical victory for me. Praise the Lord for my fastest half-marahton yet! I think I *might* be making progress in my pull-up program, but I also want to be careful. Several men I know have tendonitis/tendinopathy from doing too many pull-ups. I hope not to get that! I continue to do physical therapy exercises, too. I think I now need those for both my dystonia and my running career.

Spiritually, I don't think I am stagnating, but maybe I am just steady? At least I hope so. I can't name a whole lot of mountaintop moments, but I seek to continue in my spiritual disciplines of weekly prayer time and dedicated Bible reading. The Spirit is showing me how much I worry on a daily basis, and convicting me to pray more. That is a growth area, for sure!

All in all, I am thankful for this month. May God continue to grow me stronger in him, stronger in the body and life he has given me, and stronger in my marriage, for his glory and my good.

Strong(er) in April

Phew! What a month. It was full. It was long. It felt hard, but by God's grace, I got through. Am I stronger? Maybe. Maybe not. Here's my summary.

Faith: Lent is over. I think it was a beneficial experience, but man am I glad the reading fast is over. That was tough! Did it make me stronger in my faith? I hope so! I do think that fasting builds strength. It is just very, very hard.

Marriage: I am thankful to report that my husband and I are doing well. Is that a result of the work we are putting in through our marriage devotional and regular dates or just God's blessing? Both? Whichever the case, I give God thanks and pray we can continue in this trajectory and enjoy a summer season in our relationship.

Body: I did complete my first round of the pull-up program, too. If I jump hard and high, I can almost pull my chin over the bar. Dropping down to the next resistance band size, though (as instructed in the program) was humbling. I am back to not getting my chin back over the bar. Do I continue to increase reps, or try to get up at least one with this band? I am not sure of the correct protocol.

Praise the Lord for an amazing Pat's Run, especially after sickness weakened me and brought me down for a few days. My feet have started hurting a bit again, though. I changed up my physical therapy exercises, so is it that? Or that I got new shoes? Who knows? Lord willing, I have one more big event, and then turning down the running (or at least the speed portion of it). 

What's next? Lord willing, diligence in continued Bible reading, some summer trips to spend time with my love, and continued strength training and at-home physical therapy exercises. What to do about those pull-ups still remains a question.

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Readers, do you have any goals as summer approaches? Please share in the comments section!

Strong(er) in March

What's going well? We've gotten into the swing of having more regular dates. We've had some epic and some everyday ones (exploration of new places and commonplace errand running). Regular dates definitely strengthens our marriage and helps me feel more positive about life overall. Praise the Lord!

What's about the same? I am still reading my Bible and doing the Bible recap. I am fasting for Lent (from a food and a few activities). The goal of Lent is to focus more on Jesus and grow stronger in my faith. I hope it is doing that, but I am not sure right now.

What might not be getting stronger? Although my pull-up program reps are increasing, I am not sure I am getting stronger (Bomgren, 2023). I am getting tired of them and without seeing progress, I am tempted to quit the program. Shall I? Is it serving me? I have yet to decide.

I am still running. I am thankful for that. I have been having a few weird health things, which makes me worry that I will not be able to run like I want to run. I also caught a cold this past week. Boo!

I did buy more collagen and running fuel. I do not like the new running fuel brand, but if I have a hope of getting stronger, I have to fuel! We will see how things work out for my race in a few weeks.

Overall, this month, I feel like I am getting hard, not strong. Truth strength is not hardness. Hard things snap and break. Strong things handle the load. They are flexible (to an extent). I want to be that kind of strong.

The thing is that I am not strong on my own. I can only be strong with the strength that Christ gives me. As Tara-Leigh Cobble (2025) says in The Bible Recap “True strength and courage is established by being mindful of God's presence in our lives.” May I grow in my awareness of the Lord, even as I seek to grow stronger in the every day of this life.

References:

Bomgren, L. (2023, October 4). How to get better at pull-ups (12 week guide). Nourish move https://www.nourishmovelove.com/how-to-get-better-at-pull-ups/

Cobble, T. (2025, March 23). Day 082 (Joshua 1-4) -- Year 7. [Audio podcast episode]. In The Bible recap. https://thebiblerecap.podbean.com/e/day082-year7/

Strong(er) in February

I realized this month that I have been equating strength with "hard." It can be hard to make time and find focus to read my Bible. Sometimes I want to listen to another podcast before The Bible Recap (and sometimes I think I have).

Selflessly serving my spouse is hard. Not arguing is hard. Accepting help is hard. Sometimes we find it hard to fit in dates (though thankfully we fit in a few this month).

Pulling-up to the top of the pull-up bar is hard (and I cannot even always physically do it). It is hard to push paces in run training. Fitting in physical therapy is hard. 

Life is not all hard, though. And there is that saying, "Choose your hard." I have chosen to prioritize reading my Bible. I chose my spouse when I married him. I decided that I wanted physical therapy to work, so I committed to work the exercises. I reminded myself on a workout this week that I get to run. No one is chasing me.

Is all my hard work building strength? Maybe not in externally obvious ways yet, but surely they build mental strength, something I did not aim to build, but nonetheless benefits me. To be fair, I did see my work pay off in the 10K, and I thought I saw muscles in one of my race photos. For as many years as I have spent picking my body apart, this made me proud. I also managed to convince my physical therapist that I had gained enough strength to graduate and do exercises on my own again.

Thank you, Lord, for this body. Thank you, Lord for this life. It may not be easy. It may just be hard, but you give me the strength to endure, survive, and sometimes even thrive day to day. I praise you!

Strong(er) in January

When I chose my word for 2025, I pictured myself focused, fierce, strong, brave. This month has not been that. Instead, I feel like it's been more of a grit-my-teeth, put-in-the-hard work kind of month. Everything has not been hard, but it has all taken effort. I think I always forget that. Good things take work. I need to put in some more before I really start to see gains. So here is the work I have been putting in for the three areas of my life that I want to strengthen:

Faith:

I continue with The Bible Recap reading plan. It has been a little bit of a switch to read my Bible every morning instead of in the evenings. I try to listen to The Bible Recap Podcast before I listen to anything else. I appreciate the fresh perspectives this practice is bringing to my faith walk. So far, I am really happy with this practice.

Marriage:

We did start a new marriage devotional from Jennie and Levi Lusko. That has been very good, with readings, discussion questions, and prayer to keep us focused on the Lord, which is where our ultimate strength lies.

I have listened to a few marriage podcasts. In my pride, sometimes I think, "I already know that," but then God humbles me and reminds me how much work I need to put into my marriage. Two specific podcast episode I would recommend are "From Conflict to Communication: How to Heal After a Fight" from A Purpose-Driven Marriage and "Tips for Planning Memorable Date Nights" from Focus on the Family. 

On that note, we have been slacking on official dates. We concluded our downtown scavenger hunt for the Gnome on the Roam. I proposed a year-long journey to visit all the public parks in our 138 square mile city. We started off strong, and have waned. Hopefully we get back to that pursuit. That is an area to strengthen for next month. 

Body:

I am keeping up with my physical therapy schedule. I have progressed at least two of the exercises in difficulty. Two out of my three ailments have gotten much better. Praise the Lord!

I completed the two week Perform 20 program with Nourish Move Love (NML) this month. It was the most accessible program from NML yet, but still a bit much with as much as I am running. A few times a week of strength work versus every day are better for my current schedule.

I am training for my next race. Overall, I have not getting back down to the paces I was running during marathon training, but oh well. This is where gritting my teeth comes in. Running is not agony for me. I like it, but it requires some strength of will to keep putting in work when not getting results right away. I keep trying, and we will see what happens.

I don't know if I will ever be able to do a pull-up, but my husband put back up his bar, and I bought pull-up assistance bands to start NML's pull-up program. I am far from progress, but am trying to grit my teeth and put in a few reps every other day or so. Will I gain strength? We will see.

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That's my recap for strong(er) January. May the Lord's strength carry me forward. To Him be all glory for any progress made.

Strong(er)

Simplify was my word for 2024. Strong(er) is my word for 2025. To be honest, I wanted a different word for 2025, but as I thought and prayed about it, the words of Ephesians 6:10 kept coming to mind, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might" (English Standard Version, ESV). This is a year I want to grow stronger, in my faith, in my marriage, and in my body (in that order).

How will I work towards my goals this year? I like Lindsey Bomgren's (of Nourish Move Love) of having rocks, that is specific things to do each month or quarter that contribute towards those goals. As of right now, those are starting The Bible Recap reading plan (for spiritual strength), doing a weekly marriage devotional with my husband, and keeping up with my physical therapy regimen. Is there more I can (and am trying) to do? Yes, but for now, these are my focus.

The Filter Question. Another strategy I am keeping in mind is that of a filter question. My husband came up with this idea while planning our wedding. The idea was to run every decision through a question. Using my word of the year, I can ask myself, "Does this make me/us/others stronger?" If the answer is, "Yes." I can ask myself, "How?" Everything I do does not have to make me stronger, but if it doesn't, I really need to ask myself if it is worth my time. Although I tried to simplify last year, I still had a lot of stuff on my plate. I still have a lot of stuff on my plate, and I think, in reality, a lot of it is going to stay there. I can choose where I focus, however. I can choose to prioritize.

So there you have it, my word, and what I hope to start to do with it. With God's help, hopefully I can grow stronger in 2025. Stronger in the Lord. Stronger in my marriage. Stronger in my marriage. To God be the glory!

I Ran A Marathon!

Where do I even begin? I ran a marathon. I've been quietly training for 20 weeks, hoping I could make it to and across the finish line. I almost got derailed by exposure to illness, a stomach that eschewed food, and tendons on both of my feet that caused pain, but by God's grace, I finished!

I chose Tucson Marathon because it was basically the last marathon I could do this year. I could not see training for anything else in the intense summer heat. It was also small, and I could drop down to the half, if needed. The course was mostly flat (though it changed to more downhill last minute) and seemed accessible.

We drove down to Tucson Saturday morning, visited the expo (which was really just bib and shuttle wristband pickup) and then visited with my aunt. We spent most of the afternoon outside, and I tried to stay hydrated with water and LMNT. I packed all of our food because, "Nothing new on race day!" My husband was kind enough to eat packed food with me, including cold pasta!

I ate dinner about 5:00, snacked at 7:00/7:30 pm and stuffed with carbs, went to bed at 8:30 pm. (I did a three day carb load of over 400 carbs a day, and after three days, I was done!) I slept a little fitfully, but woke up a few minutes before my alarm.

Race morning

I got up at 4 am and after doing physical therapy for my hand/arm/shoulder, ate my sourdough bagel, and drank my decaf coffee with collagen, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt (for electrolytes). I toodled around and then got dressed. I wrote the word, "Every" on my left wrist in honor of the work I do, and "ILYS&P" and "ILYVM" on my right wrist for my parents (two messages they often tell me-"I love you stacks and piles" from my dad and "I love you very much" from my mom). I sunscreened, grabbed my water pack and drop bag, and was off at 5:30 am to catch the shuttle.

We stayed at the El Conquistador Tucson resort, and they had a very nice coach class tour bus shuttle to the start line. That was nice, as it took a little bit to get up to the race start at Biosphere 2. It was very dark and the poor driver had trouble figuring out where to go! They made us get off the bus at the drop-off, but we discovered that the Biosphere 2 building was open. I found a bathroom line and immediately got into it. It took until about 6:45 am for me to get through that line, and I decided to go get in the outside porta-potty line before the race start. (I didn't want to have to go to the bathroom during the race, if possible!). That took until right before the race. I slurped a pumpkin spice GU at 7:05 am and was ready to start at 7:15 am. I placed myself between the 3:50 and 4:05 pacers, hoping I could pull off a 4:00 marathon.

Weather

It was forecast to be 45 degrees or colder at the start. I thought I might go with the sleeveless tank I wore for my half marathon, but then I decided to go with a black tank. I debated arm warmers, but eventually decided against them. It was 48 degrees when I woke up, and getting to stay inside The Biosphere 2 meant I did not even need the space blanket I brought! I did bring hand warmers and put them inside my gloves. They were not really that warm, though, so I chucked them at the first aid station. I really just wanted hands warm enough to open my gels, and they were! I wore gloves through about halfway, and then took them off and shoved them in my pocket. Temperatures with in the mid-60s and felt great. 

The Course

The Course was a little bit up and down out of the Biosphere, and then almost all downhill. Somewhere in the first mile, my shuttle wristband must have slipped under my watch, turning it off. I didn't realize until at least half a mile had elapsed. I got the watch back on for pacing, but it was too late to have an accurate read for the whole run. I think that was God's grace, though. I didn't know my time and couldn't hyperfixate on it. I just knew my pace and could control that. 

Most of the course was open road with sun, but the last half was on a bike path and that had some shade. I have never given thanks for hills until now, but every little bridge hill on that bike path gave me cause for celebration, as it relieved my every increasing quad pain. The course was marked with distance flags, and that helped me know where I was since my watch was off.

Hydration and Fueling

I wore a water pack that held 1.5 L of water. I put an entire package of LMNT raspberry flavor into it, and sipped as a ran. "Early and often," was my motto. I took gels every three miles throughout, using exclusively GU energy. Some people hate on those gels, but they were the cheapest ones out there, and I liked the flavor variety. I purposely put my favorite flavors later in the lineup, and I was glad I did! (My order was vanilla, campfire s'mores, salted caramel, pumpkin spice, vanilla, campfire s'mores, chocolate, and birthday cake, if I remember right.) I kept telling myself that I needed to do things right the first time. I did not want to question what I could have done if I had fueled properly. Control the controllables!

Miles 1-13.1

From the get-go, people were passing me left and right, but at a speed of 8:50/mile, I knew I should not go any faster. (Even that was faster than the 9:00-9:09/mile I planned.) I thought I might need to go to the bathroom, but kept praying and checking in with myself. If it did not get worse, and my stomach did not clench, I thought I could make it. I prayed at each porta potty stop and when I saw them full each time, took that as a sign from the Lord to keep going, and by His grace, I was able to do so.

My quads starting hurting about halfway through, not bad enough to quit, but bad enough that I knew I would feel it later. I also knew that if I stopped, I might not restart. I did see a firetruck and the firefighters holding up a young man somewhere around halfway. I do not know what happened, but felt bad for him! No one wants that kind of marathon day.

I wanted to see if I could run without a podcast, in order to stay present. The scenery was beautiful. I thought. I prayed. I think I got in the flow, as the miles just ticked on past. Having a gel of a different flavor to take did help pass the time.

Miles 13.1-20

I told myself that the race did not start until mile 20, and I needed to hold the pace. I also knew that my husband planned to be at around mile 20, and that gave me motivation. When I finally got to him, I gave him the "I love you" hand sign, and yelled, "I love you! By God's grace, I think I'm going to make it!?

I was hurting, but had an 8:38/mile and 8:48/mile for 20 and 21. Then the hurt really set in. I  needed to finish, as one of my goals was to run the whole way, but my pace dropped. I hit 8:58/mile for 22 and 8:55/mile for 23. I ran out of water at mile 23 and took a cup from the aid station. I didn't want to take my last gel at mile 24, but I did.

I could hear the finish line music thumping at mile 24, and hit 9:15/ mile. I also started feeling like I would cry about this time. I told myself to hold it together because I needed to breathe. I was able to hold it together for a 9:10 mile 25, and then an 8:52/mile to finish. I knew that my legs were not toasted completely, because when I saw that the finish line was slightly uphill, I gunned it, and I was able to sprint past a woman in the finishing chute.

I threw my hands up as I crossed the finish line and bee lined for my husband. You could see it in my face how relieved I was. I gulped air, but I somehow never actually cried. (Maybe I was dehydrated?) I just limped over to collect food, then to get my drop bag, and finally to the finishing time tent. 

Results

Imagine my surprise when I saw a finishing time of 3:52:01. By the grace of God, I blew all of my goals, A (Cross the finish line), B (Run the whole way), C (Finish in four hours), D (Run sub 4). The fastest any calculator said I could run was 3:52:57. Could I have run faster if not for the pain? We will never know, but good enough is God-blessing enough for me

After the Race

The Instagram reels of not being able to climb stairs or sit down to use the bathroom are real. I had to have my husband help me in and out of the car. I needed him to pick up anything that fell on the floor. Even several days now past the race, I remain sore. Going down the stairs at home backwards is a saving grace! Who knows how long I will be sore, but it is worth it!

My left hip flexor was very tight and sharply painful for most of Monday. My right extensor tendor felt a little sore, but not bad. Thankfully that pain abated. While I might not have hit post-marathon blues yet, trying to work a ten hour day after a marathon is not the best idea. I needed to do it this time, but I hope next time that I get to take some time off afterwards!

Final Thoughts and Takeaways

The lady on the shuttle bus told me that I would want to do another marathon after this one. "Whether it goes good or bad," she said, "You will want more." She is not wrong. I had two other marathons that I might like to do in mind, and then she told me to do New York. We shall see. Marathons like Boston and New York require qualifying times far faster than what I can run right now, maybe ever. I did enjoy the marathon experience, though, and I think I will be reliving it for quite some time.

I got questions about how I passed the time I ran. Honestly, it just kind of flew by. I thought. I prayed. I sang. I thanked God. I looked at the motivational words on my wrist. I counted down three miles to the next gel. I talked to a few people, but most people were in their own zone.s

A cool thing I saw was two middle-aged to senior men (older than me) tethered together by an arm strap. One wore a deaf/blind vest. I could hear them as they would come up behind me, "1, 2, 3, speedbump." "Aid station on your left. What do you want? How many?" They were such a great team, and fast! They definitely finished ahead of me as I struggled there at the end.

I did not get at cool "shiny tarp blanket," as my brother calls it. I did get a medal and a t-shirt. It is special to me that both feature a sunrise/sunset. That is a special occurrence to me, and a unique beauty of Arizona. I also bought myself a marathoner sweatshirt. I told myself I could only wear it if I finished, and since I did, I wore it proudly. People make jokes about marathoners wanting everyone to know they ran 26.2 miles. While I want to give God praise for allowing me to do so, yeah, it's a thing.

Will I run again? Maybe. Probably if the Lord allows me to do so. Will I run this race again? Probably not. Marathons are hard, and now I know how much this one hurts, I think I would want to hurt for another course. We shall see. Only the Lord knows. He got me through this marathon, and only His strength can carry me through the marathon of this life, let alone another race, should He so bless me by allowing it.