Leading & Loving It :: 2015

Nuggets abounded throughout the entire Re:Treat in Nashville, TN this last week. For women in ministry and pastor's wives, it was so refreshing and engaging. None of us are "just a woman in ministry" nor are we "normal". I'm still astounded by the style that these women had because if you know me you know that I have a "style" however when I'm relaxed it primarily shows as race shirts and jeans. I'm not glitzy or trendy rather I'm simply comfortable. Is it evident yet that I wish I did "style" more? I do, confession made, time to move on.

I won't lie, I cried a lot. When you finally let loose of the chains of rush and life and simply present yourself before Jesus, He moves and He moves BIG.

Below are some of my notes and things that hit me during the sessions:

@LORIWILHITE  @BRANDIANDBOYS
What if our roles were more about God (thankfulness) and less about myself?

Unlock Community :: friendship is built on what we don't have to say
                                 :: vision gives pain a purpose
                                 :: gives thanks to God for His love never quits
Unlock Confidence :: Galatians 1:1 "I am Commissioned"
Unlock Peace :: it surpasses understanding
Unlock Healing :: He'll fix what is broken

~~ Personally: I locked up uncertainty...there's a lot going on in my life on the level of what God is doing, He is giving and taking away.

@LISEHARPER; LISAHARPER.NET
Navigate the High and Low Points
Mark 9 - God redeemed Moses' story (he didn't get to go into the Promise Land; however, he met Jesus on the mountain)
- learnings: we get to commune with God!  Jesus leans down to listen to my prayers! DO NOT forget to Pray!!

"It is helplessness, not holiness that is the first step to access God." ~ Tim Keller

~~ Personally: I see that a valley, a new season is about to come, I'm on a mountain after running the marathon. I'm presented with several options with work and can see clearly that my family needs more of me. Things are becoming clear and choices have to be made.

@NYEATTS; NOELYEATTS.COM
Worldhelp.net - Child Sponsorship - Trips - Various Missions
* Acknowledge the Needs - what gets our own attention?
* Find your place
* Make this a lifestyle - a Culture

When overwhelmed: acknowledge you are a small part of His story
                                : it's not MY story; we are only supporting actors
                                : long for a different world/a new world; embrace the global world

REMEMBER WHO WE ARE AS PEOPLE OF FAITH; Who God Called Us to Be
Get Uncomfortable

~~Personally: I struggle with seeing all the needs because I walk daily in a world of heroin and in the knowledge that infants will be sent home with parents who don't deserve them and who may mistreat them regardless of what I can do. I live in an overwhelming awareness that evil is present BUT I also live in a local world of seeing miracles a lot. I struggled to feel led to address the global needs when I'm entrenched in the local needs. Noel stated to me "I have the opposite place because I see all the global needs and struggle to hear and feel led to address the local needs. It's OK. You are called to the local arena, I am called to the global arena."

@JULIERICHARD; FEARLESSMOM.COM

"Mistakes are only wasted if kept to ourselves."

You can control how to respond and how to act.

Luke 1 - Zechariah and Elizabeth were pregnant with John the Baptist and Mary visited Elizabeth and Elizabeth only had praise and encouragement for Mary (not jealousy, no envy, only love).

Learning: be content with my capacity; stay in your own lane. Be confident in your own CALLING.

LOVE God: LOVE His HOUSE: LOVE His WAYS

{{SHAKE OFF the Nay-Sayers}}

Run your own Race & make sure that it's God that you chase...people are sinners..Galatians 6:9, in the proper time (God's time) you WILL reap a harvest

~~Personally: this speaks volumes to me to encourage other women in my life towards their best in Christ and not envy their success or their perceived success; to remain faithful in my present Calling and stay in my lane

Speaker Q&A

"if it doesn't edify me then don't listen to them"

We live in a Culture of Critique - strive to build others up, be loyal

Receive PLAY :: ease , comfort, safety, laughter

Friendship are either for a: REASON/SEASON/LIFETIME (sometimes we are disappointed when friends end up being in another category than we had thought they were)

[OVERWHELMED] by Linda and Larissa

You can control your schedule

1) Get Healthy (sleep, eating)

2) Reprioritize your Life

3) Create & Develop Margin - space reserved for the unexpected (between success versus stress); a necessity; Isaiah 26 having perfect peace; happen purposefully   

     - identify priorities & non-negotiables (meals together, dates, mom mode, quiet God times)

     - narrow your focus (invest in one, simplify)

     - schedule times of rest to function at our best (it's ok to do nothing; turn off the noice; morning time/evening time)

4) Saying NO - quickly identify when placed on the spot; Acts 6:1-6 You have to know what your devotion will be to; John 5:19 Be prayerful in the details of life

5) Time-Management - Psalm 90:12; time-inventory/set limits with your phone/find pockets at a time/calendars

    - Don't try to push the river, it will flow by itself. (blooms & catepillars)

    {Enjoy when you are in the moment.}

~~Personally: I know this is an area of constant struggle and although I feel that myself and my family are doing it right...I still find myself in RUSH-MODE so many times and for what? and for whom?

@LISAYOUNGFC; FELLOWSHIPLIVE.COM

Share from the overflow of your Heart

The church is the bride of Christ...building the church

Unlikely people

Unlikely circumstances

Unlikely response - perseverence

Our only role model should be JESUS

Deserts - Jesus time in the desert being tempted by Satan

1) enter the desert : full of the Holy Spirit

    - take time to be in the Holy Spirit

    - drawing away in silence

2) enter the desert : equipped with the Word of God 

    - God Word is meant to transform : Peter's declaration of faith "you are the Son of God"

3) enter the desert : aware of the resources & God's provision

    - God will give resources & people you enjoy  (P-I-E: People I Enjoy)

4) enter the desert : pursuing your purpose (use your pain) 

LET YOUR PAIN HAVE A PURPOSE

~~Personally: WOW, WOW, WOW - I'm about to go into a desert time and what timely wisdom to hold on to!! I LOVE PIE "People I Enjoy". 

@DRTARAJENKINS; TARAJENKINS.ORG

PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN - make a decision today

1) Take a Stand - take the chains off
   - not a feeling, a decision
   - He orders my STEPS and my STOPS
2) Stop Faking a Stand
   - live on the "dash"  (birth date - death date)
3) Life can come & SHAKE your Stand
    - Eph 6:13, when this is done all...STAND
    - enemy tries to distract you
    - shaking - the people you thought were devouted are actually debree
Hab: 3:19 & 2 Samuel 22:34 - He Transforms what you are, where you are.

~~Personally: Take a Stand Kara, live on the dash, this is a short life and loving the local church is not easy. It is hard, people can be hard but keep standing. Keep Standing!

Monumental Marathon :: Going Beyond My Beyond

I am so grateful for my NOTES app on my phone because it was the easiest way to chronicle my struggles and learning through this past training season. Below is the brief story of how Monumental was chosen and the amazing race that it was for me - all glory to God.

Beginning in April-May as I had become faster through that past year (2014-2015) I wondered and dreamed about running another full marathon. With all the hats I wear and the current family dynamics I wasn't sure if it was the right time nor the best idea. I prayed about it occasionally and just let it go. I was having difficulties with remaining purposeful with my long runs through the summer. I did not but it wasn't pretty. It came to the end of June, beginning July that I had "had it". I was negative-thinking, critical of myself and others and just plain "blah". Mid-July, I remembered my hope of running this particular marathon and it just so happened to fall right before a vacation and conference I was already scheduled to attend "Leading & Loving It" in Nashville, TN. Mark and I discussed it and I pulled out a training plan I had held onto since copying it in 2008 (Running a Sub-4:00 hour Marathon by Runner's World). And that week in mid-July I mapped out the entire schedule on my Google Calendar - 16 weeks of pretty intense running including hills, speed work and long runs.

I was excited and wrote a huge blog about expectations and not becoming legalistic about it. Looking back, I believe I was wholely blessed with the process and did fairly well not becoming legalistic. I was determined! God had allowed me to be ready!!

No lie, it was hard. Training while working full-time was hard, being a mom and training was hard, and holy cow being a wife and training was hard especially since I'm a morning-waker and Mark's a night owl. "Good night Elijah, good night Ian, Hi Hon, how was your day Mark?, goodnight hon!" No joke, a new routine developed.

But training also healthily distracted me from disappointments in life, loss of loved ones, emotionally painful work days and ultimately, gave me margin and space to be with God and listen to His book of love. I went from Genesis to Acts (race day was John and Acts) and what perfect books for the race. I can't get over God's timing, His perfect timing. I don't understand His timing nor all of His ways, but He is good.

After the two-20 milers and then the 22 miler I knew I was ready but of course the two weeks before the race I fret. I get anxious, I lament and I text my closest friends for advice and confidence. I lean on their confidence and lean on their prayers. I speak with God but find it hard to trust Him. Will you really allow me to beat my goal or will it be a learning lesson of dependence? Will you keep me from injury? What if I dehydrate and don't meet my goal? What if my boys don't see me finish for whatever reason? What if Mark and I get mad at each other during race weekend? What if, what if what if?

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Alas, race weekend comes and I'm nervous but holding it in mostly. Royally distracted by the 3 year old screaming from the back seat as we make our way to Indianapolis. Yes, distracted and trying to keep the peace or at least the 3 of us ok while Elijah just has his tantrums. Emergency bathroom stop, have to get cash, what about supper? Oy!!

Finally at the hotel and boys are crazy. I head down to pick up my packet with my dad (love my daddy!) and look at the race course on screen as it's driven. Yes flat but kind of boring?! Anxious!

I laid everything out and knew it'd be ok. I didn't sleep much and heard my boys breathing and coughing and tossing and turning. I prayed and talking with Jesus about all kinds of things. Eventually it was time and by then my stomach was flipping. REALLY?!! Why is it flipping? I'm thinking. I want to maintain pace soooo badly, it's been a wild ride training already. Can I do this? What if I don't...blah...blah..blah. I received texts from several people and reply back. Slightly freaking out, ok freaking out. But luckily one of the key points to running a full marathon is to be able to empty your body out before running. And my body emptied, as nervous as it was. (A.k.a. I went to the restroom well.) I know TMI, but it's true!

Met my parents and went to the start. So many people! I find my coral and decide to stay towards the front. And then the 3:45 hour pacer stood in front of me and I said "I think I'm gonna back up." That's WAY too fast!
As the crowd moved forward after the gun shot, I slowly crept back to make sure I wasn't in over my head and then began. The first 8-14 miles I had to back myself off considerably and run a 9:00 pace (teatering between 8:30-9:15) and let everyone pass me. I wasn't slow nor did I walk but just kept listening to the book of John. Jesus talked to the Pharisees at one point and said (my paraphrase) you know the book of the Law but you are idiots and do not know me. You must know me and live in LOVE. It means nothing to simply know Scripture. Can you say: conviction! Yes I'm listening to Scripture but it means nothing if I don't talk with Jesus and seek Him.

My pace was on target by mid-way and I felt like God was simply stating to me, keep listening and just do 8 more miles (miles 12-20) so I thought this way and knew that at mile 20 I would think 3 more miles to get to mile 23 and then 3 more miles to get to 26.

Mile 15 came and the book of John was done. I basically talked with Jesus the entire mile and praised Him, thanking Him for this opportunity to run, move and be present with Him. What peace this mile was!! I prayed about the next miles and that I hoped I wouldn't have to stop to restart the book of Acts. I asked Siri to start the book of Acts on my iphone and she did! :) Simple joys.

What happened next is not something I could have anticipated. I listened to Acts and saw how God grew His church. How love spread the Word and how people persecuted the disciples for their witness. I kept thinking about water stops and gel stops but otherwise listened and tried to run straight (like a race car driver by the corners). I didn't really walk except to put water down my mouth and then would throw it on me to cool my muscles. Praise God for Biofreeze!!! No muscle aches.

Again what happened next was awesome...I felt myself going faster! 8:30-8:45 pace for that matter. I arrived at mile 20 and knew that if I just maintained the comfortable pace - NOTE COMFORTABLE pace!! I was totally like "WHAT?!" It was comfortable. By mile 20 I did not expect to feel comfortable but it was.

By miles 22-23 I began to hit a wall and my muscles were getting tight so I made sure to walk intentionally during the water stop and then just ramped it up again. The last 8 miles of the race I was literlly passing EVERYBODY. There was one young lady that did pass me and her pace was awesome 8:00-8:15 and I let her go. Run in my lane, run my own race I told myself.

Miles 24-25 were nothing but grit and consistency, still surprised that my pace was good and not slowing down. Mile 25 came and I quickened and laid it all down - 8:00 minute pace! What a race?! What an adventure?! I want my boys to see!! I voice texted Mark at 24.2 just to make sure. ;) So sue me, this was important to me.

I came around the corner and had a quarter mile left and sprinted. Who has a sprint after 26 miles?! (let me rephrase who has a sprint who is not an elite runner?) and I did and I sprinted and I saw the time. My goal time was crushed - PRAISE GOD. Only He can orchestrate such a race where I was steady and faster at the end. What a great prayer for my own life, to pursue Him quicker as my life moves forward. And even better than the goal time - MY BOYS GOT TO SEE ME FINISH!! yes, tear in my eye.

Monumental Marathon #5, best yet. Want to stay on cloud 9 for a while. Mapped out the post-race recovery plan and it's pretty sweet. Muscles doing well except for the ill-equipped massage I received Friday but that's another blog post. So bad that I just laughed. I can't wait to run with friends who are doing their first half-marathons this upcoming Spring!!

Permission to...REFLECT, the creative path...

Permission granted to....REFLECT

Having a creative path…my mother showed me how to express through crafts and making gifts for other people. I thoroughly enjoyed creating things around the holidays with my mom, my aunts and cousins and making things with my hands. I loved color and whimsical patterns. I began to fall in love with writing in my creative writing class and placing down my thoughts through pen. I was drawn to deep thinking and abstract mindfulness.

In middle school, I excelled at most anything I touched including art. I found myself consumed by learning about it, almost perfectionistically but it directed me towards thinking about art therapy and helping others express their grief, their pain through art. I obtained awards and when I was doing a painting or a drawing, that is all that I was thinking about and was not distracted.

Unfortunately or fortunately as it may be, my path in art went elsewhere when I chose the road known and went into music with band and my older brother being a Senior. I chose band over art and I believe that is what my family desired and I did so mostly but I also experienced a lot of anxiety with performance. My sophomore year, I then chose again (out of familiarity and desires) to go into band again instead of art and this time it was because of a boy. The regret I have or at least the do-differently I would have done is I would have chosen art…if I would have had the courage and been able to let go of expectations and familiarity. I did not give myself permission.

My writing was my main mode of artistic expression for years and doing various projects until while in graduate school in Louisville, KY I met up with one of Mark’s coworkers, Cheryl and she introduced me to card making and from card-making I went into my own version of scrapbooking with my friend Candy in Jasper, IN and from making gifts then I felt led to give towards desiring to paint. I felt inspired by Ali Edward’s version of scrapbooking and documenting life. I used to read her blog almost every day for at least 4 years and from there I was introduced to Kelly Rae Roberts and her paintings. Her mantras on her paintings resonated with me so strongly. They were thoughts I had a lot and felt while doing therapy with others but I could never pin-point how to make my thoughts manifested into real life as she was able to do so.

I’m one who wants to go against the rules and not for the purpose of rebellion but for the simple truth that I enjoy adventure and I long to feel joy and not failure or disappointment. I want to experience life in the present moment and experiment with things. My small group at church went through Chazown and grew through writing out our Core Values, Spiritual Gifts and Past Experiences. I formed a purpose statement that has helped to direct me (nie push me) into some new directions. Hence, in April 2014, I took a risk and committed to Kelly Rae’s e-course Hello Soul, Hello Mantra with courage and seeking a change in mindset. Then almost one year ago today, I accepted a new position and transitioned into a NICU role very different from my previous medical social worker role at the hospital.

Since the e-course, I have created paintings and projects of love and purpose for people in my life that I felt led to do. The Lord has shown me parts of myself and some passions I did not know existed through the NICU role. AND I want to be creative with running and making it not just about myself but about others and about viewing oneself with grace and with respect and thwarting the darkness and negativity that pulls us all down at some point.

What I really desire is a tribe, a community of like-minded women to be encouraging to and to be encouraged by. I want to be surrounded by those who don’t know what they are doing creatively and yet they are doing it.

One Article: Sub-4:00

Running a marathon in under 4 hours is a hallmark achievement for many runners out there and it should be.  Recently I wrote an article onRunnersGoal.com about what an achievement a sub-4:00 marathon is.  Running a marathon in under 4 hours will essentially put you in the top quartile of marathon finishers out there.  Naturally, that begs the question of how does one train to run a marathon in under 4 hours.

Experience with Sub-4:00 Marathons

I have run a number of marathons and as I previously noted my first marathon was over 4 hours.  Granted there were some extenuating circumstances associated with that marathon but over time I have been able to lower my personal best marathon time to 3:03:27 at Leavenworth in 2012.

The sub-4:00 marathon will come easier for some than others.  For some it will not come naturally and will take some structure and dedication to achieve your goal.  That said, the bottom line is that it is very possible to run a marathon in under 4 hours but you are going to have to work for it.

First a word of caution; while a sub-4:00 marathon is an laudable accomplishment, it cannot and should not define who you are as a runner.  The love of running is much more than achieving an arbitrary time standard.  I know several people who will likely never be in a position to run a marathon in under 4 hours and they are some of the most dedicated, passionate, and praiseworthy runners I have ever encountered.  If you run a marathon in 6 or 7 hours you deserve every bit of the same respect and accolades as someone who runs the same race in under 3 hours.

Elements of Successful Training

To run a sub 4-hour marathon you are going to need to be able to run 26.2 miles at a pace that is equivalent to a 9:10 per mile or faster.  To be able to run that pace for that far you are going to need a structured plan.  You are going to need to build your running endurance and get used to running at an intensity around the pace you plan to running on marathon day.  You are going to need to build yourself up and start getting used to changing speeds while you are running.

To successfully run a sub 4-hour marathon you are going to want to have a training program that is based on consistency and involves four primary elements: speedwork, marathon pace tempo runs, long runs and recovery.

A lot of times when one prepares for a marathon there is a lot of focus on the long run and there should be since this is the element that will help you simulate the experience of your marathon.  Without a doubt the long run remains the single most important element of a marathon training program but if you want to run a marathon fast, you need to get used to running fast and that is where speedwork and marathon pace tempo running comes in.

A final element that I would recommend as part of any marathon training program is some elements of strength training.  Strength training will help you to avoid injury as well as develop the muscle fibers that give you an extra boost out on the race course.

Here is what I would recommend for each one of these elements:

Long Run – Like I noted the long run is the most important element of any marathon training program.  There are a lot of philosophies out there about how fast one should run their long runs.  There are those that suggest that the benefit of the long run is really time on your feet and pace is not important while others will tell you that it is necessary to run your long runs not tangibly slower than your anticipated marathon pace.  To me the answer is in the middle.  The time of your feet aspect of the long run is important as that is the way you are going to build yourself up to a point of being able to take the beating of marathon day.  That said, if you want to run fast you have got to get your body used to running fast.  What I have found that has worked for myself is that if I run my long runs around 45 seconds t0 1:30 minutes per mile slower than my anticipated marathon pace, I have been successful.  If you are shooting for a sub-4 hour marathon I would recommend trying to hit a pace right at or slightly faster than 10:00 per mile.

Marathon Pace Tempo Runs – Aside from the long run, the marathon pace tempo run is really the next most important workout for marathon success.  In a tempo run of this nature one would warm up for a mile or two and then run at slightly faster than anticipated marathon pace (9:10 mile pace for a 4-hour marathon but I would recommend one target a 9:00 mile pace) for a specified distance.  This get your body used to running at marathon pace by helping you work on your lactate threshold (i.e., pace or intensity at which you body can remove lactate from your bloodstream).  This is the most important workout for being able to run and sustain your pace over the long haul.

Speedwork – Speedwork can take many forms but every variant is focused on helping your body learn how to run at a fast pace, faster than the lactate threshold pace.  This in turn helps you improve your VO2max (or body’s oxygen utilization efficiency) and speeds you up.  The importance of VO2max or speedwork in your training is directly proportional to distance so the shorter the distance of your race.  Since the marathon is a long race, speedwork is important but not as important as the other elements of a successful training program.  In other words, if your week is going to pot, drop the speed workout from your training plan first so you can still get your tempo and long runs in.  Like I noted, speedwork can take lot of different forms but for me, in the context of a marathon training program, I have found that 1 kilometer and 1 mile repeats at around 5k to 10k race pace work best.  For a 4-hour marathon an equivalent 5k pace would be 7:56 mile pace and 10K pace is 8:14 mile pace.    These “intervals” can be run as part of a fartlek-type workout or on a track or treadmill with some rest in between.  Unless you are like me and actually enjoy getting out to the local track for speedwork, I would recommend just incorporating your speedwork into a standard distance run as fartlek-type workout.  In such a workout, one would warm up for a mile and then alternate running at 5k-10k race pace for either 1k or 1 miles before settling into a jog for an equivalent distance as the interval (i.e., 1k to 1 mile) before starting the process again.  You would repeat this until you completed the number of intervals that your plan calls for.

Recovery Runs – These are what they sound like they are.  One should never do two hard workouts back-to-back.  You are going to want to break those up with a recovery run where you are just going out for a run and doing what your body allows you to do.  On these sort of runs just do what you can as the objective is to get out and run for the enjoyment of running and while you are at it working out the residual effects of your harder efforts.

Strength Training – You do not need to go crazy here.  Keep it simple.  All you are trying to do here is to strengthen your core and joints to increase your power and make your body more resistant to the wear and tear of a marathon training program.  No need to get a gym membership and really all you need to do is what you learned in gym class.  I am talking push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, lunges, squats, etc.  What I have found that works for me is to do these sort of exercise 2-3 times as week for the biggest bang for your buck.

 Recommended Training Plan

Ok, so now you know the elements, how do we put that together into an overall plan?  There are a lot of plans out there on the internet – some good and some not so good.  In reality the best way to develop a plan is to know yourself – your strengths, your weaknesses, your ability to recover, etc. to make a solid plan.

That said, if a friend of mine came to me and asked what plan should they should follow if they wanted to break a 4:00 marathon, I would recommend a 16 week plan that incorporates all of the elements that we have previously discussed.  Some may be able to get away with a 12 week plan depending on what your mileage base has been but to be successful a 16 week plan gives you the best opportunity.

Going into any such plan, you have to have some running experience and I would recommend that you follow these guidelines when determining when to jump into a marathon training program.  In reality, the outlined plan below considers that one has already had the experience of training for and running a marathon but now wants to see if they can break the elusive 4-hour mark.

Everyone has a different schedule so some days are more convenient than others for certain types to runs.  The days on this schedule can be flipped around to some degree but what you want to do is make sure you do not have two hard days (i.e., speed, tempo, or long) on two consecutive days and you want to try to be as consistent as you can on day of the week of your hard days (for example long runs on Saturdays, Speedwork on Tuesdays, etc.).

	Day #1 (Recovery)	Day #2 (Speed)	Day #3 (Recovery)	Day #4 (MP Tempo)	Day #5 (Recovery)	Day #6 (Long)	Day #7 (Rest)
1	6 Miles	3 x 1k	4 Miles	4 Miles	4 Miles	8 Miles	Off
2	6 Miles	2 x 1 Mile	5 Miles	5 Miles	4 Miles	12 Miles	Off
3	6 Miles	4 x 1k	4 Miles	6 Miles	5 Miles	14 Miles	Off
4	6 Miles	3 x 1 Mile	5 Miles	7 Miles	6 Miles	12 Miles	Off
5	6 Miles	5 x 1k	6 Miles	5 Miles	5 Miles	16 Miles	Off
6	6 Miles	3 x 1 Mile	5 Miles	7 Miles	6 Miles	14 Miles	Off
7	6 Miles	6 x 1k	6 Miles	8 Miles	7 Miles	18 Miles	Off
8	6 Miles	3 x 1 Mile	5 Miles	8 Miles	6 Miles	16 Miles	Off
9	6 Miles	6 x 1k	6 Miles	8 Miles	8 Miles	20 Miles	Off
10	6 Miles	4 x 1 Mile	5 Miles	9 Miles	8 Miles	16 Miles	Off
11	6 Miles	6 x 1k	6 Miles	9 Miles	6 Miles	22 Miles	Off
12	6 Miles	4 x 1 Mile	5 Miles	9 Miles	8 Miles	16 Miles	Off
13	6 Miles	6 x 1k	6 Miles	10 Miles	6 Miles	20 Miles	Off
14	6 Miles	3 x 1 Mile	5 Miles	10 Miles	8 Miles	12 Miles	Off
15	6 Miles	4 x 1k	6 Miles	10 Miles	6 Miles	8 Miles	Off
16	6 Miles	4 Miles	4 Miles	Off	2 Miles	Race	Off

MP = Marathon Pace Tempo Run

There are many other plans out there and many of them might get you to your race goals.  Nonetheless, if you completed the  recommended plan previously outlined and did so at the recommended paces, I am confident that you will be fully prepared to break the 4-hour mark. 

http://www.runnersgoal.com/how-to-run-a-marathon-in-under-4-hours/

Monumental Marathon: #5

I haven't written in a while and I have SSOOOOOOO much to write about!!

I had been thinking about running another FULL marathon this year simply because I've been really consistent and have a great base from this past year. I had been getting my best times while simply enjoying the running during the week on a flexible time-frame while working full-time and little kids at home and my awesome husband.

The Monumental Marathon in Indy has just stuck on my radar for awhile but simply because I ran the half two years ago and enjoyed it. At that time I was just trying to stay motivate to run at all and just signed up to do it. So much has changed since then both mentally, spiritually and emotionally.

My last full marathon was St. Louis in 2011 where I became so dehydrated from the hot day that I ended up in the ER on the way home; thus, I have a race shirt now that is worth $3,000 and you better believe I still wear it now!!!

So I've sat with this desire to do another one just not knowing when and where. I'd had thought I'd do a BIG one like in DC or in New York but in the end I'd rather spend more time with my family and less money on a race (especially with running so many halves this past year).

But what I don't want to happen to me while I train is to be overcome with expectations and what I want to remember is:

* it's ok to be flexible...modify the training schedule and it-will-be-ok
* don't make this journey as idol - your family is more important than the miles
* do persevere through the hard weeks when you don't want to get up - it will be worth it
* do ask friends to ride their bike while you run a long run
* do ask for prayer, it's not just a physical challenge but a spiritual one as well
* keep consistent with your sleep times
* utilize your run time as prayer time for others and for listening to Scripture
* think of others, think of others, think of others

It's way too easy to get consumed with training and to focus on yourself and whether training is going well or not. It's too easy to feel overwhelmed and let fear set in. Be brave and be bold.

The Goal: Sub-4:00 hour marathon = 9:09 pace over 26.2 miles.

The Drive: Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual health - gaining wisdom + distraction from adoption wait.

The Hope: become more like who God desires for me to be & help others along the way; have my sons seem me accomplish this goal - be more prepared to tackle other big goals set before me
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Next posts to reflect my readings and articles regarding marathon.

One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon - PR!!

OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathon - MINI

RUNNER

25228

 

KARA MESSMORE

TROY, OH

Female / 34

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Overall
2242

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Finish Time
Finish Net	1:48:53
Finish Gun	2:01:53

Location	Net Time	Clock Time	Time of Day	Pace	Pace Between
Start	00:00	13:01	8:01:07
5K	25:28	38:28	8:26:35	8:11 /mi
					8:17 /mi
Brickyard	1:03:31	1:16:32	9:04:38	8:14 /mi
					8:35 /mi
11M	1:31:53	1:44:53	9:33:00	8:21 /mi
					8:03 /mi
Finish	1:48:53	2:01:53	9:50:00	8:18 /mi

The last 3 days....

Here is what I've discovered in the last 48 hours. I'm restless...I'm restless right now because of the questions I have for God regarding particular parts of my life...and He has not answered them yet.

It wasn't until I was texting with my friend that I realized that we were both feeling this way and it got me wondering...if you aren't feeling this way too? Restless...having a hard time resting, wanting to know more answers, almost or rather not almost but just mad at God that some things are not yet revealed to you about:

your purpose

your family direction

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Here are some of my areas (ironically or not they are some of the same ones I had a year ago)...

my purpose covering: my job to my church community amongst other areas

family direction with activities 

ADOPTION

God taught me something else yesterday morning. BEING VULNERABLE with another person (besides your spouse) IS SO HARD AND HE WILL CALL YOU TO THIS. He wants you to share the struggle so that another can come beside you and help lift the burden. Someone physical as well that you might not yet have a trust with....oh it's scary. 

But through vulnerability you receive courage and energy to keep moving forward.  It's ok not to be ok.

A Great Reminder...

In this world will be many troubles....but...

“One day… God will make everything right.” - @LysaTerKeurst pic.twitter.com/Ln8CloDwm7
— Proverbs 31 (@Proverbs31org) January 27, 2015

Taking the Time to Rest...but do I really?

It's a valid question, do I really take the time to rest?

Rest come in several different forms in my life including painting, reading and occasionally running can be counted. But the full on rest that my body and mind probably need is not something that I intentionally practice. Being still...resting.

Sickness is often the only way I have to stop. My mind is a restless mind of many thoughts, intentions, ideals, compassions and wonderings. It doesn't stay silent very long at all and possibly this is why God led me into motherhood with two boys because I feel that they are very much the same way. But rest and not feeling obligated to do, do, do is also needed.