Born to Run

I just finished reading this book, which my fitness trainer, Alex Beeding, recommended. The book is about a hidden tribe, superathletes and ulramarathons, culminating in a race in which superathletes and the Tarahumari tribe ran an ultramarathon together. The book talks about barefoot running and how Nike created the Free Run Shoes and other shoes like it that help the body stay in alignment. It makes sense too... Our foot was designed with an arch...why do we try to support it with a shoe all the time? Do you see the St. Louis Arch being supported by anything? Nope. Because it doesn't need it. That is not how it was designed. The author, Christoper McDougall explores many different aspects of being an ultramarathoner athlete, what it takes to get in shape, how to avoid many injuries that runners often experience and nutrition.  To me the book was very inspirational and motivational.

The Bible talks a lot about running races - endurance and persistence - One might think, if God even wrote about running the race...maybe we were born to run?

2 Timothy 4:17 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (NKJV)

 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12:1

 After reading this book it was easy to see how life can be like an ultramarathon. Right now - losing this weight and getting fit is my ultramarathon. It is taking a lot of endurance and persistence and faith...but slowly and steadily, keeping my eyes on the goal it's working!

Yesterday, I ran around the basketball court. I ran! That is huge. I never run! I think sometimes I might be allergic to running. It makes my lungs burn and my legs hurt. The only difference between other days and yesterday was I so badly wanted to keep going. By the time, I got back around the bball court to where my fitness trainer was standing, I wanted to keep going...but I didn't know if I could...so I stopped.

But I felt INVIGORATED!!!

Alex said I did a good job and deep down inside I was thinking... Yeah! It really was a good job and I really liked it and maybe I haven't been giving my all to my workouts...so get ready cuz I'm going all out now! I'm going to do this! And by December I will be under 200 pounds!!!!

I think...no, I know now...I have reached a turning point. That adrenaline has now been shot into every aspect of my life. I no longer want to be a human being...I want to be a human doing. I don't know what is in store for my future. Will I get a teaching job? Will I ever run a marathon or at least a 5K? I don't know! But I know, I no longer want to sit on the sidelines.

So onward to new challenges - just like life
Onward to sometimes feeling like giving up, and sometimes wanting to quit and sometimes wondering whats it all about - just like life
Onward to feeling tired and exhausted and full of pain - just like life


Onward to achieving success and victory - Just Like Life

It Looks So Hard!!!

I read an article recently which prompted me to do some more research and I found out that it is, in fact, indeed true that most people perceive a hill to be steeper than it really is...whether you are looking up the incline or down. In one article, Perceiving Geographical Slant, the authors stated that "slant overestimation becomes increasingly exaggerated with fatigue". Test participants, during various research experiments, were asked to estimate the slope of a hill after a period of intense exercise. The participants consistently misjudged the slope, thinking a 5 degree slope was almost 20 degrees. The more tired, scared, frail or burdened a person is makes climbing the hill seem even more daunting.

Manitou Springs, Colorado has an Incline that the public uses for exercise. Once a one mile cable tram used to support the construction of a hydroeletric plant and a waterline, then turned into a tourist attraction was finally dismantled and what remained were the tracks that formed a crude, rugged stairway that ascends for 2000 feet. First timers to the Incline are often heard to groan and mumble, "You want me to climb that"?

I climbed this Incline recently. About 2/3 of the way to the top is a Bailout Pass and I actually made it! But boy was that the hardest climb I have ever done and made me a firm believer in the above research. I shed tears. I wanted to give up. I needed a lot of encouragement and motivation to make it up this incline. I remember looking up and thinking that the way kept getting steeper and steeper. If it wasn't for my cheering section, which included my fitness trainer, Alex Beeding, his fiancee, Jackie and a friend from the gym, waiting for me at the Pass and a husband behind me pushing me onward, I don't think I would've made it.

Life can be a hard climb sometimes. Sometimes we get burned out and exhausted and even a trivial problem can seem to big for us to handle. It is so much easier to just sit at the base of a difficult hill and stay there, convinced that the grade is too steep...but then we never achieve success. Life's difficulties are so easy to misjudge. We need courage to keep going when we are tempted to quit.

This weight loss journey I am on is a steep hill to climb. I can feel myself getting burned out from eating one more dinner of chicken and veggies. I can feel the soreness in my legs and the exhaustion from one more trip to the gym. I am tired. I feel frail. But I can't sit at the base of Weight Loss Mountain or I will never achieve the victory. So I draw strength and encouragment from those around me, from my fitness trainer, my family, my friends who all say, "Come on Debbie, you can do better. You're next goal is just around the corner. You may not see it, the way looks steep, but we're here in front of you and behind you. You can do it. You can conquer this difficult hill."

And I look up...and it does look steep. Very steep. Insurmountably steep...but then I catch a glimpse of the vision of being healthy again. I look at where I have been and where I am going and I say to myself....Onward then!!!

Isaiah 40:29 - He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength.

Because I Care

One of my favorite Stamp Sets from Stampin Up is the one that has the phrase Because I Care...useful for so many cards and so many circumstances. Just these three little words next to I Love You and I'm Sorry are probably the most meaningful, inspirational and motivational words that somebody may need to hear...Imagine getting a thoughtful, homemade card from somebody on one of your deepest, darkest days that says...Because I Care. I know my day has just then become a whole lot brighter knowing that somebody cares...I am not alone in my struggles...whate'er they be.

Charlotte Mason, whom I think of as the mother of homeschooling, who started a parent institute to teach parents how to teach and train their children, (imagine how well that would go over today), once said, and I am paraphrasing,

                The question is not how much does the student know...but how much does the student care?

How much does the student care about their education? How much does the student care about learning to read? How much does the student care about graduating from high school, going on to college? How much will the student care about being responsible in order to become the best person, parent, provider, proclaimer, etc. that he or she can be? How much does the person care about giving their very best?

Teaching the student to care should be the priority of every instructor and every coach (even fitness trainers)

I think back to just before Christmas when I was in TEAM weight loss class at the gym and there were only three of us on the Octane machines. My fitness trainer (extraordinaire) was skimming through my journal again and noticed that I had been eating out a lot....12 times in one week... I could see the look  of disappointment in his eyes.

I remember him sitting across from us... and asking us students what he could do to help us...to really help us in this weight loss journey. I don't remember the words he said but I remember the look on his face. And for the first time since I had started exercising and taking this class, I realized that this is someone who cares, who really cares, and from that moment my outlook on fitness and nutrition changed.

If you show the student that you care...you teach the student to care

 Its not so much the words Because I Care but the actions behind it...the taking time out to go the extra mile, to make the card, to ask what can I do to help that really matters. The work is still mine to do - but knowing that someone cares - how can I not do my best? My best may fluctuate with health and circumstances and the excuses I can think of... but because someone cares my work seems easier...

I like the saying....Sure life may give you lemons. but if somebody doesn't give you water and sugar your lemonade is going to suck (pucker up...who likes sour lemonade?)

I care about my fitness training a lot more now... I don't take it lightly...and its because of fitness trainers and nutritionists that show they care that I am able to do my best... I can do no other.

I can also teach and show my SPED students that they can do no other also...

Thanks for the life lesson Alex...  

Thinking About Dad

Almost a year has gone by since Dad left earth to go to his eternal home. Happy 1st eternal birthday Dad. They say that time heals all things...and in some cases it may...although, I am beginning to wonder if I will ever feel less sad or less weepy when I think about Dad passing away. Him not being here on earth has sure left a great big empty spot in my heart. But it is also making me look even more forward to continuing on this journey and doing my best cuz someday, I know I will see him again.

On March 27th 2011... after a battle with congestive heart failure, Dad made a right turn and took the exit ramp from the Kings Highway. His destination was heaven and the direction he had been given for the Journey was Jesus saying, "I AM THE WAY."

 Dad had traveled many miles before he made it to this destination. Sometimes his journey was slow, sometimes he was tempted by the many billboards and rest stops that enticed him to pull off for awhile. But always, Dad got back on the highway, never taking his foot from the accelerator, continuing to move forward, never looking back.

Dad also had the privilege, while driving on this highway, to be a driving instructor. He taught his five students to stay between the lines, when to shift gears, how to manage the clutch, the gas pedal and the brake, how to make minor repairs, change the oil, and change a flat tire. He taught us when to go, when to slow down, when to speed up and to never, never give up even when it seems to tough to go on.

Dad taught me well, because I too am now driving on this journey with my GPS set for the Kings Highway. Sometimes, I wish I was back in in the passenger seat with Dad in the drivers seat, especially, when this vehicle of mine needs repair. I know what Dad would say though, the same thing he always said when his vehicle was in need of repair.

"Needs a tune-up, check the oil, change the spark plugs and don't worry daughter the Master Mechanic will keep your engine runing smoothly if you submit to His vehicle inspection."

It's a highway to heaven, none can go up there but the pure in heart. It's a highway to heaven...driving up the Kings Highway...

"And an Highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness..." Isaiah 35:8

I'm on my way Dad...Thanks for the lessons

See ya later alligator...

After while crocodile



Love you and miss you Dad...

Finishing up Januarys Joy Dares (Counting 1,000 Gifts in 2012)

Whew! Slow down... I need a rest. Last week we made a whirlwind trip to AZ so we could help with Marks apartment and David could spend time with his Mom. I got the chance to spend a few days and nights with my Mom and Sister. Had lunch with my oldest brother and went to the mall with my third oldest brother. So good to see them. Then the whirlwind trip back home and the Suburban's transmission goes bad. Very grateful for the prayers that got us home without a major breakdown on the road. David babied the Burban all the way home...took FOREVER but we made it. Brought home a bunch of memories from Marks estate...hard to go through it all and see the pictures he drew and painted from times long ago or the words he wrote and to think that this...his work is now priceless...We will heal from the loss, but we will never forget the memories. I think God gives them to us as something to look forward to...

Don't know if it was all the stress, lack of sleep, allergy factors, or what, but I wound up in the ER. Apparently, I had low sodium. Hmmmmmm...guess I will find out more when I get in to see my Primary Care Physician. All I know is I have an extremely twitchy eye that started the day we left for the trip and has not stopped.

Low sodium? Theres a topic for a good devotional. Reminds me how God tells us we are/should be salty Christians. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost its savor, how will it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on by the feet of men." Matthew 5:13

Amazing how God brings spiritual truths home to us...just one of His many graces.

Day 29 - A song heard, a soft word, where you saw the light

85 - The song "I'm free from the fear of tomorrow. I'm free from the guilt of the past. I've traded my shackles for a glorious song. I'm free. Praise the Lord, free at last." Makes me think of Mark
86 - Davids mom gently admonishing me, when I was complaining at my Mom's that there was nothing to eat and hearing her say, "Sounds like she just gave you a lot of choices" Ouch...grateful that God does supply our daily bread.
87 - The full moon that looked blood orange...beautiful

Day 30 - 3 old things seen new

88 - seeing an old Lifetime Fitness Center for the first time and grateful that even though I have a single-club membership they let me in anyway so I could do my workout
89 - seeing the old Surburban sitting in the driveway...that car may be old...but we got it for a good price and it is carried us many miles.
90 - seeing my mom and mother-in-law, they are old, but they are strong women and my inspiration.

Day 31 - a gift found on paper, in a person, in a picture

91 - Found an entry in one of Marks notebooks that talked about his struggles in beleiving in God and ended with him asking...how could he not beleive? Grateful for God grace of a blessed hope.
92 - Sabrina - she really did care for my brother-in-law...she is a precious gift...and has a beautiful smile.
93 - looking at Marks pictures that he drew and painted...what a gift...what a priceless treasure.

I will catch up on Februarys Joy Dares...later this week

Week Four of Joy Dares (Counting 1,000 Gifts in 2012)

What a week! What a month! What a year! And its only just begun. Eating wise, I made it up to the Day 14 of my 30 days of no eating out and then I yielded to the stress and pressure that the news of a dearly departed loved one had brought and I ate out...along with husband and son. Was it a sign of weakness? I don't think so...our hearts were torn up with sadness at the news that Davids brother, who had been missing for 28 days, had passed away from a massive heart attack, and had finally been located at a morgue in El Paso, TX. Nobody ate much of anything on Saturday or Sunday...tears, anger, sadness does not create a healthy appetite..but by 8:00 at night we knew we needed to fuel our bodies...we must carry on a memory now of a friend, father, son, brother, cousin, uncle who will be treasured in our hearts and missed so very, very much.

It's hard to lose a loved one...what is about death that gets us so depressed and despondent? Is it the fact that we begin to reflect on the brevity of life, or how I spent my years? How will someone remember me? I can let the news of someone dying bring me down...it has tried to this week...the sadness and grief sometimes feels so overwhelming... or I can be grateful...Grateful that I had a chance to know this person, thankful for their influence in my life that helped to make me who I am today. A person passing leaves a big empty space in our hearts, which will remain void, until we too pass beyond the gates of earthly life into our spiritual life... I will miss my brother-in-law...his wit, his humour, his artistic renderings and writings, and his statuses on Facebook explaining to everyone how he made KartoffelSuppen...you could practically smell the aroma of it slowly simmering in the slow cooker. And until then Mark, I will remain grateful... and I will keep looking for those daily graces...cuz that's what its all about...

Day 22: one grace wrinkled, one grace smoothed, one grace unfolded

64: I look at David and notice the wrinkles around his eyes, his hair that is turning gray and I realize how much I love this man who has made my life complete.

65: I love the feel of clean sheets...the smoothness and the crispiness of getting between the top sheet and the fitted sheet right before bed...makes me thankful

66: I fluff out and unfold the blanket, straight from the dryer, the smell of Downy wafts upon the air as it settles over the bed... drawing me into a warm, restful, peaceful slumber...for this I am grateful.

Day 23: 3 Gifts Found in Christ

67: Salvation - John 3:16 - which gives us
68: that Blessed Hope of
69: Eternal Life

Day 24: 3 things blue

70: Smurfs
71: the blue sky which means a warm day
72: my new Ellie Blue Vera Bradley duffel bag

Day 25: one grace borrowed, one grace found, one grace inherited

73: Cricut cartridges that my dear friend has let me borrow and Cricut cartridges that I have let my friend borrow...it is good to have a friend like that
74: happened a long time ago...but I still remember it clearly...the time when I lost my keys and my dear friend helped me tear the house apart trying to find them...we finally prayed about it and the next day, I found them, in the closet, in the hood of my daughters coat...How did they get there?
75: my love for music, passed on to me by dear, precious Dad...

Day 26: a gift before 9 am, a gift before noon, a gift after dark

76: the sunrise

77: a phone call to my mother

78: the promise of dinner, cooked by a dear loving husband, of grilled chicken and veggies, becuase he knows how hungry I am after a workout and he's giving me such great support in this weight loss and getting in shape venture...

Day 27: 3 gifts that might never have been

79: Marks art



80: me - a survivor of bacterial meningitis for almost 10 years now



81: the free lunch we got at Chick-Fil-A because I made these cows using my Cricut machine

Day 28: 3 graces found in your friends

82: compassion

83: support

84: inspiration and motivation (oh well that was four)...I love my friends dearly

Third Week of Joy Dare (Counting 1,000 Gifts in 2012)

I made it through 8 days of no eating out! Thanks to the support of family and friends who have helped get dinner done, helped do the shopping and didn't ask me to go anywhere. It hasn't been easy and it has been a stressful week of teaching at a middle school. I have gone through a few withdrawals, felt angry at times, felt sad at times, but always in the back of my head, knew that this is for my good. Heading into my second week of no eating out. The menu has been made, the shopping list written and the recipe cards filled out for whoever is cooking that night. Looking forward to a zucchini lasagna this week, where the zuchinni replaces the noodle.

Day 15 - one thing you wore, one thing you gave away, one thing you shared.

43. I wore a pair of underwear this week that went south...first day of sub teaching at a middle school, right in the middle of class, whoop! There they go! Made me grateful though... cuz I AM LOSING THIS WEIGHT!
44. I gave away some stuff for the thrift store. Thank you God for the ability to let stuff and junk go.
45. I shared a Cutie Orange with one of my students. I had already had one and had one left and I gave it to one of the students who doesn't get much time to eat lunch.

Day 16 - 3 ways you witnessed happiness today.

46. Seeing the scales go down another 2.8 pounds
47. Watching my dogs chase each other around as if they haven't a care in the world.
48. Watching the mom at the store interacting with her child...they were so wrapped up in each others love.

Day 17 - one gift that made you laugh, one gift that made you pray, one gift that made you quiet.

49. Jelly, Kims chihuahua, made me laugh, she went to jump on Kim's leg and totally missed and kept going.
50. When two of the students in the class I was teaching got into a fight. I prayed hard. These students are a gift...show them Dear Lord...your paths...the path of truth and peace...keep them safe.
51. Giving my all during a workout...

Day 18 - 3 Gifts from Gods Word

52. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep...for Thou Lord, only, makes me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8
53. I will never leave you nor forsake you...
54.  Stop with those shouldas, woulda's and coulda's...you know where they come from and the devil will not win...He will not get the victory! Thanks Laurie for that reminder

Day 19 - A grace in the kitchen, a grace in the weather, a grace that might never have been.

55. My daughter cooking a great dinner of Pork Loin, with apples and onions, long grain wild rice and pan fried green beans.
56. The weather warmed up so nice this weekend...it gave the promise of spring.
57. If David had never gone to Germany, I never would have become good friends with Dani, I never would of heard about Lifetime Fitness, I never would have gotten the best fitness trainer ever....Alex Beeding

Day 20 - 3 gifts you saw only when you got close up

58. Dog noses
59. The price of a supplement I have been wanting to get...doesn't cost so much as I thought
60. My students were doing their work!

Day 21 - one thing in the sky, one thing from your memory, one thing thats ugly-beautiful

61. The three Air Force planes, I saw flying in the sky in formation, fascinating!
62. my dad... I miss him...oh, how I miss him
63. Me..."If there ever were dreams that were broken and shattered...those were my dreams at the start, and the hopes for lifes best, were the hopes that I harbored down deep in my heart...but my dreams turned to ashes, my castles all crumbled, my fortune fell to dust...so I wrapped it all in the rags of my life and I laid it at the cross... and now.... AND NOW....there's something beautiful...."