Falling Down

Week 2- Day 1 & Day 2 complete, Day 3- incomplete. I was so looking forward to running this morning, but alas I came down with cold yesterday. At first I felt like a failure. I had been doing so well, and the thought of skipping a day felt like defeat. I didn’t want to be a failure, so I thought I should just suck it up and go running. But, I knew that was a foolish idea. And it was a foolish way to look at my situation. I can’t help that I got sick, that is beyond my control. But I can still choose to make wise decisions. I could have gone running, but I probably would have felt a lot worse, thus slowing my recovery time. I decided it was better to rest, and hope that I will feel ready for next week!

In the past, when roadblocks would come across my path, I would easily get discouraged and use it as an excuse to quit. This roadblock will be a good test for me. So instead of viewing this cold with disdain, I am choosing to view it as a challenge to my character. As soon as I feel better, I WILL get back on the road, and I will NOT give up! I love this quote by Basilea Schlink:

“Do not be lazy. Run each day’s race with all your might, so that at the end you will receive the victory wreath from God. Keep on running even when you have had a fall. The victory wreath is won by him who does not stay down, but always gets up again, grasps the banner of faith and keeps on running in the assurance that Jesus is Victor.”

Besides this cold, I have had a good week. On Monday I decided to ride my bike before going on my run. That was not the best idea because my legs felt like cement during my run, lol. Wednesday was great, I could really feel my endurance building! On Thursday, I made some calls and it looks like I’ll be able to put together a 5K event for my sister! I got in touch with a woman who has been hoping to put a 5K together for the special needs community for quite some time. She told me I was a God send, and I told her the same! It never ceases to amaze me how God works in our lives. He already had this orchestrated before it came to my mind! God is good! I want to thank everyone who encouraged me to look into this. It’s only at the beginning stages, but I’m excited to start working on it! To God be the glory!

Through Tears of Sorrow ~ Come Tears of Joy

Week 1, Day 3 - Done! Booyah!! Lol. I ran on my own this morning! There is nothing like getting up with the dawn, and watching the sun touch all of creation. Psalm 57 says it beautifully;

"Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; 

Let Your glory be over all the earth."vs 5

"Awake, my soul!....

                I will awaken the dawn."vs 8

My run this morning was a little emotional. I decided to play some tunes from Nicole's music library, High School Musical, lol. My sister was obsessed with this track! I used to tease her about it, and now I want to listen to it all the time. One of the songs, titled 'The Start of Something New', really hit me today. One line goes, "It's the start of something new, it feels so right to be here with you." I started thinking about Nicole, and how wonderful it feels to be starting something new that was inspired by her. I really felt like she was there with me this morning.

Looking back on this week, it's been rough. Between my husband being gone, our work schedules, and additional commitments, I completely fell apart last night. I do not handle stress well. And it seems that ever since my sister died, it doesn’t take much for me to have emotional meltdowns without warning. Again, I got angry over something small, and the tears just started flowing. Sitting on our kitchen floor sobbing, I wondered what I was so stressed about. There was just too much going on. I concluded it was probably a bad week for me to pick up running. But I’m not going to let poor judgment keep me from sticking to my new goals, I just need to de-clutter my life. Getting in shape takes a lot of time and effort for me.

Ever since my car accident, I had to become serious about my health, if I wanted to live without pain. It’s been over two years now, and I still need to do my physical therapy to keep up my strength. That was the most challenging year of my life. But through it, I learned a lot. I came to understand that I had never really been ‘in-shape’.
Therapy showed me how to work through pain, and how strong I could be. That experience helped me gain the confidence I needed to start running. I learned how to protect myself from injury, and how to stay strong. And so, after I run I have to do many stretches, strength training, etc. so that I am able to keep running. It can take up half my day to accomplish all these things. And while I love how I feel, it can be very time consuming.

This week has reminded me that taking on new things, means giving up other things. I always want to be superwoman and take on too much. Last night I hit a brick wall. I want to keep running, so I need to rethink my route. Now I just need to spend some time with the Lord, and pray about what I need to let go of. First and foremost, I need to be better about unloading my burdens. I carry so much on my shoulders, and Christ is more than willing to bear it on His shoulders so we don’t have to.

        “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’ ” Matthew 11:28

          “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31