Everything I Read in November

Is it me? Or is it my life? When I first sat down to compile my reading list for this month, I was not happy with my list. I was frustrated with myself and my continued inattentiveness and lack of reading. Then I added a bunch of books to my list here at the end of the month, as I had time off work and a little out of town adventure. That makes me wonder if maybe I'm less inattentive than I thought, and reading just doesn't fit in well with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Nonetheless, I fit in reading where I can. Here is the result of that this month:

108) The Theory of Happily Ever After by Kristin Billerbeck—Okay, I actually liked this one. Dr. Maggie Macguire is having a pity party after being dumped by her fiancée. Her friends Katharine and Haley take her on a singles cruise as a keynote speaker on happiness. That is Maggie’s research area, after all. The only problem is that Maggie isn’t sure she believes in happiness anymore. The story follows her as makes her way back to happiness, through love and healing. This is a sweet story with just a little bit of mystery. Happily every after may be a farce, but maybe, just maybe there is some purpose to find in the pursuit of it.

109) Don’t Call It A Comeback: What Happened When I Stopped Chasing PRs, and Started Chasing Happiness by Keira D’Amato with Evelyn Spence—This was a good book, and a hard book, and a sad book. I would also say that it is a real, honest, genuine, and vulnerable book. That is who Keira D’Amato is: a gritty competitor with a snarky sense of humor, but also a mom who lives everyday life. D’Amato lays it all out in this book, her first go-round with track that ended due to a surgery for a congenital deformity that she couldn’t afford, to her most recent bid for a spot on the 2025 Olympic team. D’Amato writes honestly and vulnerably about her struggles as a young military wife and now, the guilt of leaving her kids to compete. She writes about what it took to get to where she is, and about why she stepped off the roads in the 2024 Olympic Trials. There is some language and crude humor in this book, but also a lot of quotes worth requoting. I guess what makes me most sad about this book is how passionate D’Amato is about her sport, but about a sport that will not last. Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoy running. I also want to run as long as I can. I appreciate D’Amato’s story and find it inspiring, especially the parts of going for big goals. Her is also a little bit empty, though. What will happen when D’Amato can’t comeback from a failure, when the happiness of this life fails? I hope and need to pray that she finds salvation in Jesus, because one day He will come back for his own, and I believe that only by living for and in Him will humans find ultimate joy.

110) Heart of the Country by Rene Gutteridge and John Ward—Faith and Luke fall in love, abandon their families, and elope. They have it all: the posh New York life, romance, and bliss, until they don’t. Luke walks out on his father and his father’s business and falls into crime. Faith walks out on Luke. Though she returns home to North Carolina, Faith’s life isn’t there. Her father becomes ill. She waits for divorce. Yes, the plot line had some pretty apparent prodigal son parallels, but it also had some nuances, some unexpected twists and turns, and a fun writing style (with first person perspectives from all of the characters). I guess this book is also a movie, but I did not know that until I read it. Having read the interview at the back of the book between the author and the filmmaker, I think the book version is probably the better portrayal of the story. And don't worry, it does have a happy ending!

111) Violette Between by Allison Strobel—This was an interesting book, about artist Violette Corterm and psychologist Christian Roch. Both are widowers trying to rebuild after their losses, but then tragedy strikes again. Violette falls from a ladder while painting a mural and falls into a coma. From there, the story alternates between her looking back on her life from a bird's eye view and Christian sitting my her side waiting for her to wake up. This is a moving portrayal of grief, love, and life after a first love. I did find the ending a bit abrupt, but overall, I enjoyed reading this book for something different.

112) Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood by Lisa D’Amour—Dr. Lisa D’Amour is a psychologist, and one with a specialist in teen girls. In this book, she unravels seven strands of teen development, normalizing teen behavior and telling parents when they should worry. Written in a matter-of-fact style, with both professional sketches and personal anecdotes from herself and her own family, D’Amour provides practical and accessible advise and expertise. She is also fairly values-neutral when it comes to morality. Instead of imposing a worldview, she presents research about what behaviors are risky to teen girls, and how parents can address them, in the midst of, and sometimes in spite of their own values. I think this is a very helpful book, one that might help set a lot of parent minds at ease as they navigate the ensnarling world of adolescence with their daughters.

113) Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner—This book was underwhelming. Tagged as Christian fiction, it mentioned Jesus a few times, but was otherwise devoid of spiritual content. About frenemy cooks Hadley Becket and Max Cavanaugh, it felt a little bit too good to be true. (Max overcomes his alcohol addiction just through one treatment stint? And Hadley overcomes her family issues just overnight?) The denouement also seemed to come a little too suddenly. Overall, this book just felt empty. Despite the decent writing quality, I don’t think I’ll be looking for a next book from this author.

114) Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way & Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe with Patty Civalleri—This was an interesting book! Coulombe says he wrote it for other business people like himself, but as a lay person I still found it engaging to read about the way he built his business. From starting out with dying Pronto Markets, to several iterations of what is now Trader Joe's, Coulombe crafted a store built on foundations of paying employees well and finding creative ways to keep costs low. Although Coulombe writes that he does regret selling out to the owners of Aldi (due to things that transpired afterward), he went on to help other struggling companies and sit on corporate boards. (He writes that he purposely did not leave his business to his children, because he wanted them to be able to live their own lives, and according to him, they have—successfully!) Although I am not sure where Joe Coulombe stood faith wise, I think it can be reliably said that he left a legacy behind him.

115) Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones—Save time to read this really good book! Unlike with some of the other books I have read lately, the story line of Saving Grace Girl's home founder Lucy Wiltshire and Congress candidate Alex Sinclair pulled me right in. Lucy has been hurt and is hurting. Alex tries to cover up his hurt with good deeds. Lucy and Alex drive an uncanny bargain to act engaged, for both their sakes, but then fall into something deeper. I read this book pretty much straight through and could not have asked for a better integration of mystery, love, and spiritual truth. It probably helps that I am familiar with the real Saving Grace organization, and that I needed the truths about love and forgiveness and grace and truth and self-worth. I cannot remember the last date I stayed up late to finish a book, but I did for this one, and it was a joy to do it!

116) The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff—This is not my normal type of book, but when Hungry Runner Girl mentioned it on her blog, I was intrigued. Written by a social worker, it is the story of Ryan and Lillian Bright, two broken people trying to overcome their pasts. Trigger warnings abound for all the things: addiction, abuse, death, eating disorders, miscarriage, sex, suicidal ideation, etc. This is not a book to feel good, but it is a real book, a true book, looking at addiction from the perspectives of wife, daughter, and addict. Parts of this book startled me. Most of it saddened me. There were a few bright spots, and when I read this statement in the acknowledgements, I was really glad I read: “Thank you to the One who created this world with its sun and shadows, and who offered redemption to those of us who seek.” There is hope. There is brightness: not always where and how we look for it, but always through Jesus.

117) A Sugar Creek Christmas by Jenny B. Jones—This was another book set in an environment I know: Northwest Arkansas. It’s about news anchor Emma Sutton who goes home on sabbatical, a sabbatical that could make or break her career. There she meets her ex-fiance Noah Kincaid. They rekindle their relationship, but they are both going to have to face the past and forgive. They are also going to have to make some sacrifices to make their relationship work. This was a fun Hallmark-ish story, but a little too heavy on steamy romance scenes, which detracted from the heart of the story. While I enjoy reading romance, what matters to me more is the heart behind the story.

118) Wild Heart Summer by Jenny B. Jones—This is a short novella set in Sugar Creek, Arkansas. It’s about loss and love and long-held secrets that must come to light. Truthfully, this story about culinary student Avery Crawford, ranch hand Owen Jackson, and ranch owner Mitchell Crawford packs a lot in—and does it well. Yes, the plot moves at a wildly fast pace, but it has to for a novella. While not my favorite book by this author, and not without some innuendo I could have done without, it was worth an hour or so of my time.

119) 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days—and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance by Dean Karnazes with Matt Fitzgerald—Dean Karnazes may not be the most socially correct runner, but he may be one of the fittest. In this book, he details how he ran 50 marathons across 50 states in 59 consecutive days. One would think this is impossible, but Karnazes is an ultramarathoner, and he did it. There is a little bit of blood, guts, gore, and inappropriateness, but mostly, there is testimony to the power of setting one’s mind on a big goal, and drawing support from others to do it. This is an inspiring book, and one that includes lots of running facts and lessons along the way. I wouldn’t recommend copying Karnazes’ feat, but for readers who want inspiration for running in general, this is a good book!

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And on that odd number, that's a wrap for reading in November. Have you read any good books lately? If so, please share in the comments section!

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

Eats and Empties (Week 48)

The Eats:

Apple pie macaroni and cheese

Dirt pudding cups (Feel Good Foodie) made with chocolate and pumpkin pudding (Growing Naturals)

The Empties:

That box of apple pie macaroni and cheese
Container of Greek yogurt
Frozen homemade healing chicken soup (Mary's Whole Life)
Half gallon of milk
Frozen oatmeal pumpkin cookie muffins (Jenna Fischer Nutrition)
Oreos
Bag of Parmesan cheese
Prunes
Head of romaine
Batch of sourdough discard bagels (Farmhouse on Boone)-My go-to bagel recipe that I'm eating through like crazy!

What went to waste:   

Nothing that I know of!

Meskawki Health Clinic Turkey Trot

Well, I have now run a turkey trot in three states: Arizona, my home; Washington, my in-laws, previous home; and now Iowa where my in-laws currently live. I wasn't planning to run a Turkey Trot, but well, I'm a runner and I did a Google search just to see if there was one, and there was! I asked my husband if he would do it, too, and being the runner that he now is, he agreed!

Weather: Iowa is well, cold. The day before the race, it was in the 30's, with gusty winds up to 49 miles per hour (or something like that. I did not run or walk outside. Rather, my kind mother-in-law bought me a guest pass to the Meskawki Recreation Center, where I ran a mile and walked 2.25. (It was a cross-training day on my plan, and having done some Nourish Move Love strength workouts before I left, I figured this was good enough.)

Thursday morning, the low was 21, and the high was 33. The winds were supposed to die down, and I prayed they would. I got up at 5 am thinking I would go run two miles before we left at 7:00 am, but with sunrise not until 7:13 am, and country roads, that did not really work out. So I did my physical therapy exercises and tootled around until 6:30 am when I woke up my husband. I drank coffee with RNWY and scarfed down a banana and decided I had time to run, and went for it. With a tank top, running shirt, thick fleece, headband and two pairs of gloves, I felt mostly warm, well, except for my hands. They were cold already. I wondered how that would go.

The Race: This was a somewhat unofficial turkey trot, starting from the rec center, going down to a stop sign, and running back. Entrance was two cans of food per person, and they gave out hooded sweatshirts and track pants while supplies lasted. Talk about swag! There was also a raffle, with tickets given for every can of food brought.

My husband and I chilled and ate our fruit leathers and walked towards the doors around 7:45 AM. (I also used the bathroom twice and took a few sips of water from the water fountain.) Around 8 AM, we walked out front and they gave us a brief course preview and then told us to go. One man (whom the rec center director had identified as "faster") took off from behind and quickly went to the front. A man and a woman (who had driven an hour to this race because they like it so much) were out in front of me. I figured I could not catch them, but then.

Mile 1: My plan was to run half-marathon pace, which once again was 7:40/mile. I wasn't sure how that would go with the cold and everything, but I figured I would try. I looked down at one point and was in 7:30/mile range. Sweet, I thought. Well, that did not last long. While I felt like I was cruising, I steadily watched my pace falling. I did pass the man and the lady in front of me. I heard them talking about her sticking with him, but then I watched him surge ahead of me. "Did you drop her?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said. "She wanted to run alone." Or something like that.

Mile 1 was 7:46/mile--not quite where I wanted it, but good enough.

Mile 2: I heard footsteps behind me for most of the last mile. Remembering the first place female trophy I had seen when we signed in, I told myself to keep going. At the same time, my legs were cold, and I could not go much faster. Eventually the footsteps came around me. It was a young boy, and he was racing! We turned around at the stop sign and then started back up the hill. I had noticed we had run down a hill and was not sure how that would be going back up. The answer was slower. I hit 7:54/mile here.

Mile 3: I was once again able to get sentences out, but I felt like I did not/could not go much faster. (Thankfully I did not feel like I had hit the wall, rather that I was cruising and could not feel my legs through the cold to go much faster.) While I could not remember exactly where we would turn, I knew that we would come out on the flat eventually, and we did. I was at 8:11/mile here.

Mile 3.1-3.33 I watched the guy in front of me turn. (The first guy was long gone!). Not sensing anyone else around me and not thinking I could pass anyone, I just held on. I tried to sprint to the end, and I guess I did, clocking a 7:31/mile for the last bit.

Results: I came in third overall (behind the first two men) and first for the women. I thought that would mean a trophy, but I was not sure. I hung out for a while and congratulated the men in front of me, and the kid who came in not much behind me. (That kid has a future!) I stood outside for a while, went inside to grab a water bottle, and then came in to cheer my husband to the finish line. The second two ladies came in and the press and rec center director took pictures. 

I went inside and got more water. Then they gave me a trophy, and told me to get a pie. Sweet! This is the first time I have won a pie. (I chose blueberry since I heard from my mother-in-law that someone else was bringing an apple pie.) We grabbed a few snacks and headed out.

After the race: I ate another fruit strip and drank a second 10 ounce water bottle in the car on the way back to the house. I needed to run five more miles to hit my total for the day. It took me a bit to get out of the house, but I got on the fitness trail and was enjoying my run. It was nice in the sun; cold when the wind blew.

Around 3.7 miles, I somehow slipped or tripped. I went down hard, but wearing two pairs of paints, two pairs of gloves, and a thick jacket, I thought I was okay. I picked myself up and kept running, When I got home, I noticed I had ripped the hand of one glove, and bled through my two layers of pants on one knee. I showered and found a lot of bruises, but overall was okay. That was a praise. Having read in my devotional that morning about God's goodness, I tried to name the good things from the day and not let my fall sour things. Thank the Lord, he helped me.

Concluding Thoughts: I guess we will call this day a cruise and a bruise. While I did not hit my prescribed 7:40 pace, I did get to run. I got a new sweatsuit, a trophy, and a pie. While my bruises hurt, they will heal. So for a Thanksgiving Day run and gun, I think I got a pretty good deal!

Foster 5K (Year 2)

It was year two for the Foster 5K! After all the other races I have done, I probably would not have signed up for this one, except that it supports a cause near and dear to my heart. I tried to recruit some others to join me, but only my husband (of course, the most important one!) did.

Buildup to this race was a bit rough. I caught some kind of bug and had a high fever the Sunday/Monday before. The week of the race, I did my long run Thursday, but got some terrible heal chafing and bleeding due to running in the rain. I still had six easy miles to run on Friday. I wanted to give the 5K on Saturday a go at racing, though.

I rearranged my run schedule and my workout of the day was 2 miles, 5 miles at half marathon pace, and a 1 mile cooldown. To make this work for the race, I ran a three mile warmup, the 5K, and then another two miles. It worked.

I ate my normal longer run breakfast prior to the race (caffeinated coffee with RNWY and a bagel). I also did my PT. Fifteen minutes prior to the race start, I took a caffeinated salted caramel GU. (I have mostly moved away from GU due to the price increase, but I had this gel leftover.) Weather was partly cloudy and the temperatures were in the mid fifties.

Goals:

For my training plan, I needed to hit a half marathon pace of 7:40/mile. Surely I could do that, so that became my A goal. B goals was to PR, which would happen if I hit my A goal. C goal was to PR my Pat's Run pace of 7:27/mile.

The Race:

Mile 1 felt hard. I don't really like the up and down around the lake, and I told myself to make it to the canal out-and-back. Several men passed me here. I was not feeling great and I only looked at my watch at the mile mark. My watch said 7:36/mile.

(Photo courtesy of Startline Racing)

Mile 2 was not bad, but when I looked down, I was over 7:40 a mile. I had felt thirsty, so slowed and grabbed a water cup at one aid station. I was the only woman out front (behind about six men), so I felt confident that I would place, even if not running a fast race. I was 7:41/mile for this mile.

Mile 3 I just settled in. I didn't look at my watch much. My legs weren't burning. I got out close to shouting a few sentences to cheer on other races, which told me I could have pushed harder, but I just didn't want to. (Was I dehydrated, underfueled, tired, or just not recovered from my 15 miles on Thursday? I don't know.) I was 7:41/mile here.

The course looked like it would be short, and it was, but I threw my hands up at the finish line anyway. At 3.05, I finished in 23:18 according to the clock. I breathed a little and then sprinted another 0.05 mile to get to 3:10, for my time of 23:48 (what I am counting for PR). 

Results:

When I finished the race, I was 7/7. After I grabbed some water, changed shoes, and went to find my husband (who ran his first full 5K since returning to running and placed 3rd in his age group!), my place had fallen to 8th and 2nd in my age group. I thought about contesting, but my husband reminded me that chip time matters, and that a woman behind me must have arrived late and run really fast. Maybe, but she did not make it to the award ceremony, so I will never know. I was not thrilled with my results, and I did not want to seem stuck up, so I just let it go.

(Photo courtesy of Startline Racing)

Final Thoughts:

Am I proud of this race? Yes, and no. I did it. I got it done. I was not at my finest. I did not feel great, but I am thankful I could do it. (I am most thankful that my husband got to run with me!) The more I run, the more less than great races I know I will have. That is part of the process, and part of what it means to stick with it. The 5K is not really my race anyway, at least right now.....

Eats and Empties (Week 47)

The Eats:

Cinnamon cocoa sourdough discard bagels (A recipe I cobbled together from various sources, and may share on this blog if I can replicate my results)

Healthy sweet bites (Fat Secret)

Hearty meatball soup (Budget Bytes) with homemade meatballs (Budget Bytes)

Oatmeal cinnamon muffin bread (The Fed Up Foodie)

Pumpkin banana muffins (Oh Snap Macros) (Frozen for the future)

Pumpkin muffins (Fat Secret)

The Empties:

Slivered almonds
Jar of applesauce
Carton of beef broth
Frozen beef broth brown gravy (Creme de la Crumb)
Frozen best gravy (Brand New Vegan)
Bag of brown sugar
Five pound bag of carrots
Celery
Dozen eggs
Trader Joe's fruit leather buttons
Frozen gravy (Macrostax)
Red onion (some frozen for future use)
Split peas
Two cans of pumpkin
Head of romaine lettuce
Jar of Trader Joe's pumpkin pie spice
Pound of ground turkey
Pound of Italian ground turkey
Wild rice
Twenty-eight ounce can of diced tomatoes
Twenty-eight ounce can of tomato sauce

What went to waste:   

Nothing that I know of, but the fridge smells weird, so I fear there is something rotting somewhere....

Mindset and Running

Running has taught me a lot about life. One of those life lessons is that mindset matters, a lot more than I think! Although I do not believe that mindset matters to the extent that a person can "manifest" things into being, I do believe that mindset helps a person achieve full potential.

I think I read about the power of mindset in running first from Elizabeth Clor. She wrote a book about how her mindset held her back from qualifying for the Boston marathon, and how work with a sports psychologist helped her shift away from a cycle of failure (Clor, 2016). Clor has now run the Boston marathon at least four times (Clor, n.d.). Steph Bruce has a GRIT motto, which she uses to encourage herself to dig in deep physically, as well as mentally (Bruce, 2018). I never really thought about mindset and running until I wanted to get faster.

I practiced the GRIT mindset and dug in before I went further into mindset. I did that first in my third 10k, digging in for the second part of my 10K when I found things getting hard. I ended up with a personal record [PR]! I practiced mindset more than physical moxie in my Thanksgiving Turkey trot. I was not really in shape, but wanted to try hard...and I PR'ed again. Repeat for the marathon and my most recent half-marathon when I am pretty sure I PR'ed by giving it my all in that last tenth of a mile. Apparently this is a thing, as Olympian Aliphine Tuliamuk PR'ed at the New York Marathon after not much training, but going in with an attitude that she was going to give it her all. Mental toughness is a big part of running (van Sprundel, 2022). Running is a mind and body sport.

Running well requires presence in the current moment. Be tough in the moment, and I might be able to tough out a good race, or finish a less-than-good race. Take on the whole race, and I might not try my hardest. I might be done, and not even finish. I heard somewhere the phrase, "Why not today?" That is a good phrase for running in the moment, and living in the moment, too. Why not live fully, give my best now, today? I am not guaranteed tomorrow.

Thinking well is not only beneficial for running, but in line with Scripture. Paul encourages believes to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (New International Version, 2011, 2 Cor 10:5). In the famous Philippians 4 passage, Paul encourages readers to think about "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable...excellent [and] praiseworthy" (v. 8). Having the right mindset requires taking captive anxious and fearful thoughts (Brooks, n.d.). It requires putting ego to death and thinking truth, about potential, but not in a prideful way. It seems having the right mindset is a discipline that takes practice.

I don't have mindset all figured out, but I am realizing that it matters a lot more than I thought, in running, and in life. Maybe it is a way my mind is growing wiser, even as my body ages. Maybe the former makes up for the latter? I don't know. Whatever the case, I hope with the Spirit's help, that I continue to improve my ability to practice a productive mindset so that I may do all things to my best, and to God's honor and glory.

References:

Brooks, A. (n.d.). Shut down the negative voice on your next run. Run to the Finish. https://www.runtothefinish.com/overcome-negative-thoughts-while-running/

Bruce, S. (2018, October 5). G-R-I-T. Steph Bruce. https://www.stephbruce.com/blog/2018/10/1/g-r-i-t

Clor, E. (n.d.) Race history. Racing Stripes. https://www.elizabethclor.com/p/marathons.html

Clor, E. (2016). Boston bound: A 7-Year Journey to Overcome Mental Barriers and Qualify for the Boston Marathon. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform

Feller, A. (Host). (2023, April 20). Live at the Boston Marathon with Sara Hall, Aliphine Tuliamuk, & Sara Vaughn. (No. 632). [Audio Podcast]. In Ali on the Run. https://aliontherunblog.com/2023/04/20/632-boston-marathon-live/

New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/

van Sprundel, M. (2022, April 26). Running and the science of mental toughness. The MIT Press Reader. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/running-and-the-science-of-mental-toughness/

Eats and Empties (Week 46)

The Eats:

Butterscotch Pie (Sally's Baking Addiction)

Healthy pumpkin banana muffins (Mary's Whole Life)

Homemade healing chicken soup (Mary's Whole Life)

Homemade salted caramel (Sallys' Baking Addiction)

Instant Pot beef and cheddar ranch potatoes (365 Days of Slow Cooking)

Wild rice and mushroom soup (Meal Prep in an Instant)

The Empties:

Three pounds of baby bella mushrooms
Head of butter lettuce
Five pound bag of carrots
Three boxes of chicken broth
Carton of cocoa powder
Two pound bag of frozen broccoli
Tw0 boxes of chicken broth
Frozen chicken broth
Frozen easy buttermilk cornbread (Cafe Delites)
Dozen eggs
Favorite Day pumpkin spice trail mix
Old garlic
Fresh ginger
Container of Greek yogurt
Pound of hamburger
Carton of heavy whipping cream
Jar of mayonnaise
Instant oats
Five pound bag of potatoes
Rotini pasta
A pound of split peas
Airplane pretzels
Can of pumpkin
Head of romaine lettuce
Unsalted peanuts
Rotini pasta
Zucchini

What went to waste:   

Nothing that I know of this week!

The Night Run 5K

How it started:

Versus how it's going: 

One of the first/last things my (now) husband and I did as friends was the 2018 Butterfly Run. The race was at best, awkward. He said he just wanted to be friends, and I was trying to honor that, but he kept showing up at all the things I wanted to do. I wanted to run this race, but then he said he wanted to try a 5K, so he signed up. I wasn't against him coming, but I was trying to create distance between us, because I liked him as more than a friend, but was trying to honor his wishes. Add to this race the awkwardness of my Oklahoma best friend being in town and wanting to meet this guy who wasn't my boyfriend.

The 2018 race started out hot. He kept up with me for about a mile, and then I sped up to drop him. I could tell he was struggling, and well, I wanted to run my race. Even though I took off, he still managed to place in his age group. I guess it was a small race.

A lot of my photos from that race had my husband in them, but I didn't post them. We had a long chat about that. I told him that I didn't want people making assumptions (which they were already doing), and I was not going to feed the fire. I told him that I valued his friendship, and was trying to honor that privately rather than publicly.

That race and conversation led to a weekend hike and a conversation about where we wanted our relationship to go. As of November 10, 2018, we were dating. Christmas Eve 2018, I told him I loved him. We got engaged March 10, 2019 and married June 10. The rest is history.

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I always try to do something a little extra special for our dating anniversary. My husband took up running during 75 Soft, and though he was not quite up to 5K in distance, I thought he was close. We both like sunsets, so when I found a sunset run the weekend of our date-i-versary, I asked my husband if he was interested. Given that it was the same weekend as the Scottsdale Canal Convergence, I thought we could run, grab dinner, and then go to the outdoor art show.

Since the race was small, bib pickup was the day of the race. That wasn't great, as we had to walk from the parking garage to the park, and then back to put away our shirts. While it was not a long walk, I wondered how it would affect me, as I had done a 12 mile training run with speed work in the morning. I seemed okay.

I used the outhouse at about 5 PM. At about 5:15 pm, we both ate a fruit strip. I was not planning to race, but I also wanted to fuel well since I had already run so much. The raspberry lemonade was tart, but I got it down.

We had decided ahead of time to go out at an 11:00/mile pace. While there were not a lot of people, we had to dodge a few, and then settled in. We only had to cross one main road, and they had that blocked off, so it was an easy course along the canal path overall. My husband's PR distance was 1.5 miles from an event we did in September. My goal was to help him PR that. We did, getting to 2.1 miles before he cramped. (This has been an ongoing issue that we have not quite figured out.) We walked, breathed, and stretched for 0.1 mile and then kept at it. I was cheering him on, and he said he wanted to quit about 3 miles, but on sheer determination, he finished, in 35:02.1. He was pretty proud that his bib number was 54, and he finished in 54th place. (Somehow my time was 35:01.2, even though I am pretty sure we came over the line together.) We knew we hadn't placed, so we grabbed some water, took a tunnel medal picture and headed for dinner.

As usual after a race, we did burgers. Shake Shack this time! We carried the meal over to Canal Convergence and I inhaled it. My husband was surprised when I finished before him, as that is not usually the case. I guess I was hungry?

We walked around and saw a few exhibits, and then lined up to watch the showtime fire show, which is the highlight of the night. We squeezed in a photo booth visit and then headed home.

Overall, it was a great experience. Running is for health, but also for community. It is to do hard things, but also to have fun. It is to chase PRs, but also to chase love, of each other, and of the sport. The night run was an example of this, and I hope for the chance to run more with my husband soon!

Real Life Marriage: Trying to Balance It All

I have been trying for a long time to figure out how to balance it all: his needs, my needs, our needs as a couple, our marriage. For the first part of our marriage, I leaned into trying to serve my husband and be everything to him. That kind of backfired, as I found myself basing my self-worth on whether or not I pleased my husband, dangerous for him, and for me. 

I experienced a strong recoil reaction and started to be more of a loner in our marriage. I was not trying to be selfish, per se, but rather trying to find myself as a married woman. I am sure I was selfish on many occasions in this pursuit.

It is really hard to find balance in marriage, to value my husband, to value myself, and to value us. As Jennie Lusko writes in her devotional with her husband, The Marriage Devotional, this balance "is not about disregarding your own thoughts, hopes, and dreams. It is elevating the person in your life to honor them, think well of them, and life them up. It's not diminishing you or tearing both them and yourself down....It's being able to life up someone else without pouring contempt on yourself or thinking of yourself as less-than" (p. 311). Tricky.

I don't think we balance it all well a lot of the time, most of the time, but by God's grace, sometimes we get it right. I think our fall trip to Utah was one of those times. We spent time together. We spent time apart. We both chased some of our goals. I came away feeling full, of love for my husband, love for God, and appreciation for my life. 

Will these times happen often? Maybe. I certainly pray for more of them. In the meantime, I am appreciating this one, treasuring it in my heart, and allowing God to remind me that all things, even seemingly impossible things, are possible in and through Him. To Him be the glory, amen!

Reference:

Lusko, L., & Lusko, J. (2022). The marriage devotional: 52 days to strengthen the soul of your marriage. W Publishing Group.

Eats and Empties (Week 45)

The Eats:

Chicken lettuce wraps (Meal Prep in an Instant)
Kung pao chicken (Meal Prep in an Instant)
Simple sesame rice (Budget Bytes)
Simple tuna salad (Life is But a Dish)
Sourdough coffee cake (Plum Branch Home)

The Empties:

Jar of applesauce
Fresh broccoli
Brown rice
Bag of baby carrots
Two pound bag of cheddar jack cheese
Bag of cheese sticks
Bag of clementines
Half gallon of milk
Fresh ginger
Green onions
Green pepper
Jar of Costco peanut butter
Frozen best sourdough protein pumpkin bread (Unexpected Gardener)
Frozen pumpkin protein muffins (The Clean Eating Couple)
Red pepper
Head of romaine lettuce
Brown rice
Bag of semisweet chocolate chips
Frozen sourdough discard pumpkin bagels (This Jess Cooks)
Frozen sourdough pumpkin muffins (Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
Bag of split peas
Frozen sweet potato lentil soup (From My Bowl)
Can of tuna
Can of water chestnuts

What went to waste:   

I am having a lot of issues with bruised bananas, but doing my best to use what I can of them!

I did forget that I made protein peanut butter (Nadia's Healthy Kitchen) and it molded, so the rest of that got tossed!

Half Marathon #5, State #4

Y'all, I ran my fifth half-marathon, and hit a total of three states I've run in this year. This was more of a run, than a race (more on that later), but I am still so, so, happy and grateful. So let's get into it, shall we?

How I Decided on the Race

My husband wanted to go to Salt Lake City, Utah for a concert with friends. He wasn't sure if he wanted to leave me behind, so I found a reason to go--a race! The Traverse Mountain Half-Marathon looked pretty and more low-key. It wasn't too expensive, so I signed up! I thought this race would be easy, one I could run while training for my next big hurrah. After the Nationwide Columbus Half-Marathon, though, I was not sure. I had some initial soreness and then felt depleted. I had a few good runs prior to this race, though, so I decided to go for it. I also carb-loaded like a boss (or at least I think I did)!

The Days Before the Race

I was really hungry the week of the race, so I just ate and ate and ate. Maybe I overate, but at this point, I just wanted my body to have what it needed for the race. Although I might not have needed a three day carb-load, I did one anyway. I hit way more than 400 grams of carbs a day (but I also ran seven miles Wednesday, eight Thursday, and one with a walk on Friday). I was curious what would happen with only one mile run on Friday (I usually run an easy 5K), but I was not really racing this race, so I still don't think I fully know.

The week of the race was fairly stressful. I tried to get to bed at a reasonable time each time, but struggled with that. I also felt like I had so much to do, and not as much down time, or time with my husband as I would have liked. We made up for that Friday with a bit of a busy morning, but then a complete rest after our flight. Our midday flight to Salt Lake City was only about an hour, and once we got to the hotel, we chilled with a Christmas movie (our Halloween tradition), ate carbs for dinner, and then I sat in the hotel bed scrolling my phone, planning for the race, reading, and eating more carbs.

Race Morning:

We got up at 5 am. I dawdled around the room doing PT, reading, etc. until 6 AM, and we left shortly thereafter. I made coffee and drank that (with my RNWY) in the car. I also ate a strawberry bagel. (Pretty much, I followed my Nationwide Columbus Half-Marathon fuel strategy.) It was dark and cold, but looked like it would be a nice day: with lows in the forties and highs in the sixties, with clear skies overall. The forecast was accurate, but man was a I glad for gloves, arm warmers, and long pants. Since the sun rose at 8 am, I only needed my sunglasses on the way back.

I had to pick up my packet race morning. That was not a bit deal, except that it was dark, and I did not necessarily know where at the park to go to pick up my bib. My husband found a parking lot, and we traipsed up a hill, across a road, and through some grass down into the park, at which we found closer parking spots. I suggested that we move the car, and we did, but it was a bit of a slippery walk to do so, with frost on the ground. 

I got really frustrated trying to clip my bib on my shirt. I couldn't get it even. My fingers did not want to work my bib boards. Thankfully my husband threw the shirt over the steering wheel and managed it for me. That is love right there, and saved me a lot of what would have been wasted stress and energy.

I stayed in the car until about 7:30 am, at which point I went and ran an 0.6 mile warm-up (since 13.1 plus 0.6 equals 13.7, and I am 37.) I went to the bathroom again and went out for the course briefing. Apparently I did not listen as well as I thought I did, which I will go into later.

Goals:

My training plan said to do a 12-14 mile aerobic run this day. I initially read that as "easy run, which would have been 9:10-10:30/mile. But I misread. It said aerobic, which was 8:40-9:55/mile. Whoops! I still thought I could do that, but it might be a little bit harder.

I had no official A, B, or C goals. My goals were to run the training pace if I could, and somehow run under two hours.

Strategy:

This race had some hills, and I knew those might be hard. Looking at aid stations, I decided to fuel at approximately 4 and 8 miles so that I would have fuel. That meant taking a gel right before the start, which I did.

Course:

Miles 1-2 The first mile was pretty easy. Then we hit a massive downhill. I am a flatlander, so going up or down hills is not my speciality. Lots of people passed me on this hill, but who cared? I was running, not racing (and that is what I repetitively told myself). Mile one came in at 8:31/mile and mile two at 8:40/mile. Right on the money.

Miles 3-4 The race followed the Murdoch Canal Trail and was a little up and down, but overall, a beautiful run. We could see mountains and trees with fall colors. A few people came out to cheer on their loved ones. One mom's kids were in this stretch. That was so sweet to see. I played cat-and-mouse with her the whole race (more on that later), and enjoyed seeing her fan club.

"This is awesome," I thought around mile three. "I should run more races in more places for fun." And then I hit mile four and thought, "Why am I doing this? This is long." I see that I broke down some around this point at Columbus, too, so maybe I need to gel at mile three, like in a marathon, instead of at mile 4 or 4.5, like I did here. Something to ponder. Mile three came in at 8:07/mile and mile four at 8:08/mile. Maybe I was also just going too fast....

Miles 5-10 We switched to the Utah Rail Trail somewhere in here. There was another long hill around mile five. I just told myself I could do it and kept running up it. Thankfully, I was not racing, so I could just go at my own pace. As things flattened out, I could see a hang glider training area. It was pretty awesome to watch the people soaring up, down, and around. We descended a little bit into Shadow Ridge Park, and there did a loop. This is where the catch came in. I heard, "Do a loop." My husband told me he heard that we were supposed to do two loops. Well, I did not see any indication of that, so I just did one and kept going. I felt like my effort was about 4/10 here and felt great!

I have decided that I really like out-and-back races, because of the ability to cheer people on coming the other way. Maybe I am that annoying positive person, but you know what? I like runners, and I think it is a way I can contribute to the community, so I did it.

We went down that big hill, and then up and down a bit more. I gelled again at eight miles. At ten, I passed a gentleman who was struggling at little bit. "Just 5K more," we told ourselves.

Mile five came in at 8:15. Mile six was 8:36/mile. Mile seven was 8:19/mile. Mile eight was 8:07, mile nine, 8:41/mile, and mile 10, 8:23/mile.

Miles 11-12 Things were going pretty well here, I ended up passing the mom who I saw with her kids earlier in the race. She appeared to be cramping up a big, as I saw her stop and stretch a few times. I thought I could pass her, and , I did. I felt a little bit bad, though, as I was not racing, and I wondered if she was. "Should I let her back past me?" I wondered. I yelled back that I was going to pull her along. She said I might need to.

Then came that big hill I had run down. I knew it was coming. I said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and went up it (Phil 4:13). I was not pushing. I didn't want to push. Strong mom passed me, which I expected she would do. I passed her again on the flat, but as we rounded the course into the finish line, so got ahead. I didn't try to keep up. I didn't want to hurt, and I wanted her to beat me, especially if awards were on the line, and I thought they might be. Mile 11 was 8:12, and mile 12, 7:53.

Mile 13-13.1 The race course was short, and I came over the line somewhere around 12.89, if I remember correctly. I threw my hands up as I went through the arch and yelled at my husband that I was going to keep running. I am that runner who wants the full distance. Mile 13 was 8:26/mile and mile 01.0 7:59/mile. My finish time was 1:49:11, 8:20/mile. 

After the race: 

I went back for my medal, which the person graciously gave me. The Happy Trails company makes all of their medals locally, and this was so cool: engraved tile on wood. I asked my husband to take some finish line photos and then went for the goodies. I had forgotten my water bottle, so had several Dixie cups of water, and then grabbed a banana, rice krispie treat, Bobo bar, and Great Harvest bread. I had my husband hold all of it while I checked my finish time. The race website said 1:47:24.

Sure enough, strong mom had placed--first in our age range. I had come in seven seconds behind her which sounded about right. I could see her, but not reach her. I high-fived her afterwards and told her what a great job she did. Hooray! I was stoked for her. I got second for my age range and other wooden medal. So cool! I chugged some more water, and having eaten my banana, I grabbed another one, plus some more snacks I hadn't seen, and we headed out.

I wanted to recover well from this race, since it was just supposed to be for training (but sure enough, I went out faster than that), so I had brought my protein shake powder with me. I asked my husband to stop at a coffee shop to get hot water, and we sat there while he had coffee and I had my shake. Then back to our hotel for stretching, foam rolling, and a shower. (Yes, I packed my small foam roller. It takes up half a carry-on suitcase, but it is so worth it!) We grabbed burgers for lunch (a post-race tradition) and then I napped and otherwise sat in the hotel bed the rest of the day. Rest and recovery make for gains, right?

Final thoughts: This was such a cool experience! I am thankful to God for a body to do it, grateful to have had the time, space, health, and monetary resources to do it, and appreciative of a husband who supports me in my sometimes crazy, off-the-wall ideas and pursuits. Running a race during training cycle, and I think I would like to do it again if we have funds to do so. Utah is also very beautiful and I think I want to come back again to visit! All in all, such a great experience!