Strong(er) in December/Stronger in 2025

Sometimes progress isn’t linear. Day to day, I don’t think I am making any gains, but then I look back, and I am think, “Wow, God. Thank you! I actually did go somewhere!”

I set out this year to become stronger in faith, marriage, and body. It’s hard to quantify faith growth, but I did finish the The Bible Recap, daily podcasts, Bible Project intros, and all. While not my favorite Bible reading plan, by reading in big chunks like I did, I did learn some things about the ways that Scripture hangs together as a hole. Praise God for how he shows up in Scripture over and over again.

I mostly listened to my one (or more) marriage podcast(s) a week. I kept praying for my husband thanks to the note on my daily to do list. We finished our marriage devotional. We took some trips (like the Hoover Dam Half Marathon trip in December) and went on some dates. (We finally got to see the cougar shadow!) We still miscommunicate a lot, but I think I am spiraling less, and therefore we recover faster. (Thanks, counseling, for helping a lot with that!)

This year, I graduated physical therapy (or asked to graduate, and they said, “Yes.”). I have added physical therapy exercises for my legs to my daily arms, routine, however. I got through all of the new free workouts published on the Nourish Move Love YouTube channel. I think my endurance has strengthened through my running. While I cannot do a full-pull-up, I did go from 50-125 pounds resistance band support down to 15-35 pounds for my last go-round of the assisted pull-up program. If I work really hard, I can get my nose to the bar unassisted. I am not really any bigger or buffer than I started the year, but functionally, my strength has grown. I also found out that I can sometimes up my dumbbells to 15 pounds for workouts—something I discovered unintentionally when I grabbed the wrong weights, but then patted myself on the back for afterwards.

Overall, I have realized that a lot of physical strength comes down to mental strength. I have also realized that I can't have it all. Pull-ups had to get rushed to get out the door for running. If I really wanted to get physically stronger, I would need to drop the running. I think that applies for my other goals as well. Time with my husband and pouring into that relationships sometimes meant sacrificing my own personal time and sleep. Trips meant less finances for other things. God-time meant less frivolous time, a worthy sacrifice, but still a sacrifice.

Overall, I'm not sure I gained a lot of quantifiable strength. By God's grace, I think I just might have learned about prioritizing and gotten a little stronger in practicing that. Believe me, I have a long way to go, and I think that lesson of not being able to do all the things with strength will carry into 2026 and beyond.

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.

--

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.

--

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!

Strong Does Not Mean Hard.

I have been pondering lately what it means to be strong, not just in a physical sense, but in a mental sense. Does strong mean able to push through it all? Or does strong mean feeling it all, sometimes pushing through despite the pain, and sometimes pulling back to mitigate it? I think I am going with the latter.

I think for a long time I thought that strong meant hard. Gaining strength meant hardening to the pain of workouts, the struggles of life, and sometimes, to the agony of just living. I don't think so anymore. Rather, I think that strong means being able to feel the pain and know what to do with it.

Emotional health is not just remaining steady and stable. It's about having a right-sized reaction to situation, or as Lisa D'Amour (2023) says, managing emotions effectively, in a way that helps, rather than harms. That is where real strength comes in.

Real strength is not shoving down the pain. Ignoring physical pain can lead to serious injury and being unable to at times, even physically move. Dismissing emotional pain disconnects the brain and the body. It neglects empathy and can fracture and shatter relationship. It disconnects the self. It hardens the self against receiving help from God or anyone.

I don't want to be strong and hard. I want to have strength that allows me to be soft. I want my strength to match my days (Deuteronomy 33:25). I want to be able to recognize where my strength ends and where God's for me begins. I want to have strength to know that I will make it through any trial God takes me to. Hardness is not going to get me anywhere but stuck right here, shriveled up, dried out, dried up, and with no place else to go. That's no place I want to be.

Reference:

Bowler, K. (Host). (2023, September 19). Lisa D'Amour: Understanding today's teenagers. (S11, E3) [Audio podcast episode]. In Everything Happens. https://katebowler.com/podcasts/understanding-todays-teenagers/

Catering to Our Strengths

We have somewhat of a rhythm in our house. I get up early and turn on the coffee pot. I try to have breakfast dishes out and work lunches mostly packed. I exercise, write in my journal, and get ready for the day. My husband rises a little later. Then we join together for breakfast. In the evening, it's the opposite. He sets out dinner for us when I get home. He also graciously does the dishes after dinner. I'm more of a lark. He's more of a night owl. Our daily schedule therefore mostly works for us, as it caters to our strengths.

Unintentionally or intentionally, we try to divide other tasks by strengths as well. I am more of a planner, so I tend to handle details for things that need to be done in advance. He's great spur-of-the-moment, so he comes up with last minute plans. He also solves problems, as crises are not my strong suit. I sort the clothes by washing type. He handles the technology in the house. Speaking for myself, I am kind of afraid of his task. He's definitely more skilled at it!

Not all of our tasks get divided by strengths, however. Some things just have to be done. In fact, my husband does quite a few household things that I would like to do, but can't do, due to time. Those tasks become a joint effort, and a joint strength, because we cross them off the list together.

I believe in gender roles. Really, I do. A lot of things, though, I believe are purple (a phrase I heard on a podcast, the name of which I don't remember), that is, not male or female, but just tasks. I think it behooves and benefits us to divide those tasks by strengths where we can. Big or small, it accentuates the best in each of us, and makes each of us more content. The better each of us are, the better our marriage is, so catering to our individual strength is really catering to our strength as a team. To God be the glory.

Making Memories: 10K Number Three

I completed my third official 10K! (I did three virtual ones between my September 2019 one and now.) I finished with an official time of 54:23, a PR by 0.06. The course came up a little short on Runkeeper, but my pace was still my fastest yet, so I will take it. Overall, I have been doing things a little differently, and I think it paid off.

What I Did Differently

After taking several running breaks in 2020, I started back with a base building plan. [Thanks to Instagram for introducing me to the concept (Sugar Runs and Elizabeth’s Healthy Life)]. This got me running four or more days a week, which took a little getting used to, but I think it built stronger running muscles. I used Lea Gender’s 6 week 10K training plan, which made for a shorter buildup, and fewer weeks running more miles, which may have left my legs fresher and reduced likelihood of over training. For the first time, I actually did the prehab warm-up exercises before running each day. I also reduced my Tuesday/Thursday miles and did 15-20 minutes of strength training instead. I read that strength training for runners should include single leg exercises since running is a one leg at a time exercise. Lea Gender’s plan had some of those exercises, which made runner specific strength training easier. Since I had the opportunity to run at altitude before the race at altitude, I did. I took the two days before the race off running (per the plan and per my tired legs.) Nutritionally, I focused on getting in a lot of carbs the evening before the race (four to six servings at nighttime snack, plus carbs from the other things I ate alongside.) I also sipped eight ounces or so of water before running (new for me). I think that’s all I did differently before the race.

The Race

I ran in the 9/11/21 Patriot Run, a race to remember the lives lost, and to support the local fire district’s honor guard. I have run the 5K race three previous years, but wanted to up the challenge this time, and I did. The course is pretty much completely flat, and is a loop course, which helps with pacing. The race is also small. I would guess 50 or less people ran the 10K.

The race started at 7 am, a blessing for my used to early running body. This meant I would be under 12 hours of fasting, which is supposed to be about the most you should go without eating before a run. I had not trained to do that, and since I had not, I tried not to do anything new on race day. The temperature was around 70 degrees, cool compared to the 80 plus degrees I had been running in. I hoped my heat training would make up for the altitude difference. I was that runner and did go for a five minute shakeout jog before the race, for a total of 0.44 miles.

My Strategy

I had A, B, and C goals, but I wanted to focus on my B goal of finishing in an hour. Even this seemed like a challenge, as I had run slower than that in my altitude run. With these goals, having run the 5K race in the past, and having studied some 10K pacing strategies, I decided to start off slow. I know that I normally get faster as I go, and I was banking on that.

I ran miles one and two around a 9:30/mile pace. I was happy with that, as I knew that would get me to my B goal. I tried not to go too fast, as I wanted to leave something in the tank for the last two to three miles. I kept an eye on the women in front of me, but was not sprinting to catch up.

I started feeling the effort around mile four, but gave myself a Steph Bruce pep talk and told myself to grit my teeth and grind it out. I saw the lady in front of me pass someone between miles four and five. I thought about adding in a goal to medal, but told myself to stick with the plan. I would rather race myself than other people. Around mile five, though, I also passed the same lady as the front runner. This lady had led the whole race up until this point, but was so encouraging and yelled, “Get it, girl” as I passed. The other lady was still ahead, by at least 100 meters or so. I, however, was starting to feel nauseous. I had some left in that tank, so when I saw myself getting to 5.8 and 6 miles, I tried to speed up. I hit 6.13 miles at the finish line and tried to run through to get to 6.2, but they stopped me with an official time of 54:23. (My Runkeeper said 54:26 and 6:14.) I grabbed some water and settled in to wait for results. I thought I might be second or third in my age range, and I wanted to see.

The Results

Racing during COVID has many unique challenges. A challenge of this race was that the timer got COVID before the event and could not make it, meaning the race organizers had to scramble. They ended up giving everyone wristbands and timing the runners with stopwatches. Understandably, this made tallying results very time-consuming. I think we waited one to two hours in total. We all wanted to get home to eat breakfast, but we also wanted to see results. We chatted with a few other runners, and the time actually went by fairly quickly. It’s the first time in forever that I have had “nothing” to do, and it actually felt good!

Thankfully, the awards ceremony started with the 10K. I don’t remember how fast the male winner ran, but he was in the 21-30 group and fast! The they called the 31-40 group and said I was the winner. I was pretty dumbstruck and just went up on stage to get my medal. They gave me a flag kit, 50 dollar Visa card, and 50% off next year’s race, too. (All are blessings, but I am a big fan of that last prize, as racing is expensive these days!) Mt family was like, “Let’s go!” and so we left directly afterward. By the time it registered that they said I won the race, we were already in the car and driving home. I started asking, “But what about the lady in front of me? I hope I didn’t steal her win!” It was too late to find out, though. My parents thought came in first, and the race organizers took their time to tally, so I told myself to thank the Lord and trust him with justice and fairness.

The Memories

This race was special for many reasons. This was my first race to run after COVID shut down in person racing. I ran in my hometown. It was the 20th anniversary of 9/11. My husband and my parents came to watch (only the second time this has ever happened). The nature of the loop course and the low crowd volume let me see my family at least four times. My husband even gave me a high five as I hit the hard part of the second loop. My parents talked about leaving to make breakfast, but they stayed, so all three of them got to see me medal, a first! My dad and mom texted my siblings about the race, and I received sweet (and silly!) messages of congratulations. I found out a friend from college ran a sprint triathlon the same day as well. These “people factors” meant a lot to me. In fact, I think they meant the most to me. A race win is super special, but without people to celebrate with, it does not mean much. Having a family that supports me in everything I do, even running is the greatest win. This race reminded me of that.

How (Not) To Train for a Terrain Race

My husband signed up for another 5K right after we ran The Butterfly Run. I initially passed, one because I'm a fair weather runner, meaning I like running, and not obstacles; and two because I wasn't sure where our relationship was going and didn't want to sign up for something over six months away. (Read, I was afraid).

But when January came around and registration was "free," and he and I were getting more serious about our relationship, I signed up for the Terrain Race. (Registration isn't really free because you have to pay for "insurance" and make a required donation and a few other things. So it evens out to the $25-$35 cost of most other runs I've done.)

I trained for Pat's Run. I trained for the 10K. I kind of intended to train for this race (e.g. do more strength), but I didn't. And then I got sick. I walked Sunday, and Monday, didn't even work a full day Tuesday and only walked for work and went for a two miles snail's pace stroll Thursday and Friday. So I wasn't ready.

I made a list of things that needed to happen for me to run.

Thankfully, most of these did, and we went.

The race was in Flagstaff, Arizona at about 7,000 feet. We weren't really sure what to expect, so we overly prepared with sunscreen and throw away shoes and towels and new sets of clothes. But when we saw people coming out of the race (since heats were already running before we got there), we thought we wouldn't need all that. So we sunscreened, emptied a backpack of all but our phones, keys, and water, checked the bag, and got ready to run.

The race was supposed to be 5K, but we got an e-mail Friday saying they had to extend the course. I wondered if I'd make it, but prayed about it and said I'd try.

The first part of the course was uphill. And the first part of the course was long, with few obstacles other than carrying a sandbag around a small circle.

But then the course got a little rocky and hilly. There were some beautiful views, but 1) I didn't have my phone to take pictures, and 2) I really didn't get to enjoy them because I had to carefully watch my feet.

(Parking lot view)

Most of the obstacles came about 1/2 to 3/4 through the course. There was the log pulling, the tire pulling and dragging, the tire flipping, log jumps, and then the culvert crawl. That's what got me muddy! You had to wade into muddy water about waist deep and crawl through a plastic culvert about 1/4 full of water. I managed to crouch through it since I decided to wear my watch and didn't want to get it wet.

(Our friends had their phones and took this picture.)

There were then more log jumps and crawling under a rope net. (Thankfully people held it up over me and I didn't get too scraped up. This is also when I realized there was a reason people pinned their race bibs to their backs. I lost a safety pin on mine and had to repin it with another that tried to come off.) There were more log jumps, some six foot walls to climb over (thankfully there were steps to help boost oneself over), carrying a weighted bucket around a little moat with water in it, and at least three upper body strength exercises (monkey bars, a trapeze like thing, a rope climb, and a Tarzan rope swing). I touched all of these, but then passed by (one, because I have very little upper body strength, and two, because my grip strength is shot due to my focal dystonia and I don't want to do any further harm to my hand or arm).

The last part of the race was supposed to be a tenth of a mile. I'm sure it wasn't. There weren't any obstacles there, but then we came to this:

It was probably a 16 foot plus canvas net to crawl over. (The finish line was on the other side.) It was a bit shaky, but I actually liked this kind of obstacle. I might have been afraid, but there was a terrified kid at the top, so I gave him a hand so he could get down to his mom, and after that, I wasn't afraid. The finish line was right on the other side. (My stopwatch said my time was 1:05. People running with me said they clocked the course at 5.3 miles. No 5K for us!)

We I got separated, so I guzzled some water while I waited for him. Then we went and tried to wash the mud off our hands and got our bag. We ran into some friends and took some photos and chatted with them. And then we headed home.

The drive back on I-17 is really gorgeous. I haven't been to Flagstaff in awhile and really enjoyed the scenery. (He drove so I could take pictures.)

We got back at 2 pm and I sat down and had some food and a lot of water (one 16 oz glass and another 16 oz bottle with a Nuun electrolyte tablet). 

I thought I had plenty of energy, but then I kind of crashed. So I showered and laid down for a power nap. 

(I really had to scrub to get all the mud off so I could be clean to take a nap.)

Moral to the story: I didn't really train for this race. I didn't fully do it since I couldn't complete some obstacles. But I'm thankful, and grateful, and honestly praying I stay well after all the energy I exerted.

To God be the glory!

Go in the Strength You Have.

Life is a lot sometimes. And it just seems to throw at us more than we can take. Sometimes the things that come are consequences of our own sin. Sometimes they are consequences of the sins of others. And sometimes, they're consequences of the sinful world we live in. And they're all hard.

It's easy to do what I deem sitting in a puddle and crying. Life is overwhelming and we just want to quit. But that's not necessarily a godly or beneficial response. The best thing to do is to put one foot in front of the other and do the best we can.

Sometimes the best you can looks like getting out of bed in the morning. Sometimes it looks like taking a shower, getting dress, eating. Sometimes it looks like confessing sin to others, to apologizing to those you've hurt, to making amends. Often, it looks like doing things other people don't understand and having to be okay with it.

Life is a journey and sometimes timing doesn't make sense. But as Dr. Colleen Reichmann says, "Just because you're taking longer than others doesn't mean that you've failed." Healing is hard. Healing takes time. Recovery requires effort, and sometimes all we have to give is all we have to give. We just have to do the next right thing.

As God said to Gideon, sometimes we have to "go in the strength [we] have" (Judges 6:14) and trust that it is enough. Not enough for yesterday. Not enough for tomorrow. Enough for today. Enough for right now.

Go in the strength you have. It's what you've got. It opens us up to what God's got. And it's easier for God to move an object in motion than it is to move one stuck in a mud puddle.

I'm SO Tired...

I'm SO tired. 

How do I know? Besides physical symptoms of yawning and general malaise, there are some other common markers for me:

• It takes more time to get out of bed in the morning.
• I cease reading my Bible on a regular basis.
• My runs are slower.
• I spend WAY too much time on social media.
• I look to food for comfort and emotionally eat.
• I don't go to bed on time, often due to the two aforementioned issues.
• I'm cranky and irritable.
• I lack creativity.

I can be angry with myself about these things, or I can give myself grace. I can recognize my signs of tiredness and start thanking my brain and body for them. Now's not the time for shame or blame or guilt. Now's the time for addressing the issue.