The Heart of the Half

Thanks for all the kind comments yesterday after the 5K recap! :) We appreciate the love.

And to address Christina's comment about how we looked after the race, allow me to fully assure you we looked so much better than we smelled. I was vile. Couldn't wait to get home and shower! But the only thing that saved us for decent pictures post-race was the cool morning. Trust me. If it had been the same as some of our training days this summer, we would have been soaked and bedraggled looking. Thankfully the blog doesn't translate smell, so you escaped the worst of it!

In the early weeks of training for this race...back when we thought it was going to be a half marathon, rather than a 5K, I focused so hard on praying my way through each run. Not just praying to survive it, although that too...but praying for the people in Haiti who were the focus of the race.

{If you're late to the race story party, the entry fees for this particular race went to support medical costs in Haiti. That was the main reason I wanted to run this race at all: after my surgery earlier this year, I was convicted at how "easy" it had been for me to receive the care I needed, from emergency rooms to doctors to the hospital for surgery itself. Granted...there were many headaches and blog-worthy stories along the way, but I still didn't have to fight receiving the care...just the details of the process. I wanted to offer something that would allow others to have a chance like I had a chance.}

So on those early training runs...as I went along, I prayed for those people. I prayed for the ones who were sick and hurting like I had hurt back in January. I prayed for those who had to walk 3, 6, 9, 13...even longer...stretches of miles while in pain, just to receive care.

I prayed for those who were planning for babies and in need of care for themselves and their little ones. I prayed verses over these people I don't know. I prayed as my knees ached and I knew they faced aches much more serious.

And I thought when it came time to run the race, the race itself would be labored with prayer in much the same way. I thought I would plod along the path and burden myself with the stories I imagined they lived, and I would spend that race crying out in prayer for them.

I did not. It was the thing that surprised me most about the race.


When I got there that morning, the day felt like celebration. It was, as you saw yesterday, a beautiful day. The sun shone, the air was crisp,  and the sky was clear and blue. Other than being 100% decaffeinated, there was nothing to cast a shadow over that morning. I lined up with the other participants, who were all there for various reasons and chasing various goals...and I had none.

When they yelled start!! I dashed across the line and just ran. I didn't check my phone one single time to see how fast or slow I was going. I didn't think about the path in front of me. I just relied on the volunteers with their arrows to point me in the right direction. I prayed some for the people of Haiti, but for the most part, I didn't really pray at all. I just ran.

I was on my own for the bulk of the race...sometimes passing and sometimes catching up to the same woman who ran about my pace. I thanked her in the last mile for being my inspiration...we panted out introductions while we plodded over asphalt. But other than that woman, I was on my own. On my own enjoying the straight, empty roads, the perfection of the weather, and the promise of a snack at the end of the line. That was it.

The race was a culmination for me. A celebration. I'd put in all the training runs. All the evenings after work when we sweat in the descending sun and ignored our growling tummies. I still bore the scar on my knee from one of the first runs, when I crashed into a set of metal bleachers. I still remembered the few times I pushed the training too hard and came home lightheaded and sick to my stomach. Those were the hard days, when I labored in running as deeply as I labored in prayer.

But on race day, I celebrated. I celebrated one of the best times I had the entire training season. Maybe THE best. I celebrated perfect weather after days of suffocating heat. I celebrated a straight, flat road, after weeks of hills and running down dead end roads and alleys, jumping when the dogs started barking.

I celebrated knowing that somewhere in Haiti, a handful {a BIG handful} of people could celebrate the chance to receive medical attention because somewhere in Indiana, a group of people ran on a Saturday morning.

Sure, I was panting and tired when I reached the finish line. But it was the best run of the whole 16 weeks. It was lovely. It was a celebration. And I am so grateful I chose to do this. I'm grateful for what it taught me, and I'm grateful for what it offered the people of Haiti.

And they've said it will be back next year. The race, I mean.  I hope so. I have more to learn.

The Haiti Half

I've been telling you about it for weeks...and now it's finally in the books! {Or on the blog. However you want to interpret that.}

We first learned about the Haiti Half back around the time of the fair {July} and committed to run it even though Ryan doesn't like that much distance and I wasn't sure I could survive that much distance. We were about halfway through our training when we learned that they had to postpone the actual half marathon race, due to low registrations. But they carried on with the 5K, which was already scheduled to take place on the same day at the same time, so we decided we would run that instead.

We are so glad we did. I am pretty sure neither of our bodies were made for a half and there is not an ounce of shame in that.

We had a stunning day on Saturday to run the race, and I hoped you might allow me to share some pictures???

Some pre-race fun:

{Yeah that's the elementary school principal - also my parents' neighbor. This is what happens when you turn your back on your phone for a second. Randy leaves selfies.}

 This is my friend Amber {my friend since story hour, even before kindergarten!}. She designed the t-shirts for the race and also stood at one of the turns to direct traffic. She cheered me on along the way!! :)

Ryan's friend Randy...I believe they call this a rose between two thorns. :)

Our dear friend Paula. Her husband is our fabulous eye doctor. {You remember the eye doctor saga from earlier this summer.} Love her!

The race started about 9 a.m., so they took us to the starting line, and that was the last I saw of Ryan for the rest of the race. When we ran the 10K before we got engaged, he ran WITH me because I was too chicken to run alone. But this day was his race, and I wanted him to get the good time he could get without me holding him back!

Took these next few from the Haiti Half Facebook page, so photo credit goes to them. And we're off!!

 See Ryan??? Blue shirt on the left.

 See Bekah? She's the one on her phone. LOL!!!!! {I was NOT texting. I was starting my app to time myself.}

The route, you guys, was stunning. Through town, down a highway, through some back roads of fields and beauty,  back into town, and back to the school. After about the first mile, I ran mostly on my own and just so enjoyed the scenery. And by enjoyed, I mean I took pictures. So here you go!

Ryan KILLED IT and finished in twenty-one minutes!!! I still had about a mile to go then!! {Photo credit goes to my mom for coming to catch our memories for us!}

I am so stinking proud of him!! This is AMAZING!!!!!

And then, you know, ten minutes later, I showed up. I was so focused on getting done, I couldn't hear specifics, but I hear my mother was quite the darling cheerleader!!

 You guys, I was so proud of my time. I know those of you who are real runners could do it in the time Ryan did, but for ME, this is a really good time, and I was so pleased. And even more - I had fun running! I really did have fun!

Our cheerleader and photographer:

And we stayed around for the awards, because SOMEONE won for his age category!!

And then we drank our chocolate milk and went home. Despite all the training runs that taxed me and those that I thought might flat out kill me, I am so glad we did this. This was a good thing for us, and I'm glad we had the chance to do it together. And I am proud, proud, proud of Ryan for his amazing time and winning for our NOT OLD age bracket.

The Shafferland Shuffle

Pausing at the start of today's shuffle to wish my Dad a very happy birthday! :)

* Last Sunday was our 3rd engagementversary...and we started the celebration by helping to serve coffee at the little cafe in our church. It was our first time to help with that and we really enjoyed it! That afternoon, we went for a walk in the park and Ryan taught me to play frisbee; I was terrible, but I got better! And we rounded out the day with frappes and coffee, because our addiction holds fast!. :)

* Monday I helped serve a funeral dinner at our church, and while the circumstance prevents me from saying I enjoyed it, I did enjoy being able to help in a time of need. It was such a beautiful day, and I surprised Ryan with a lemon cake when he got home from work, and we enjoyed our dinner out in the pirogi. It's sad, really, how little time we spent out there this summer. :( And Ryan mowed. It had been something like a month since he had to mow. I guess that made up for the start of the summer when he did it about twice a week!

* Tuesday was my big bad dentist day, so I spent the morning distracting myself with writing projects, and then after I survived the filling, I rewarded myself with a shopping trip to Hobby Lobby, where I bought the fancy pants metal monogram for my Pinterest project. Ryan let me take it easy that  night, as I had a decent amount of jaw pain, and he even made popcorn for us while we watched TV - to be chewed on the opposite side of my mouth, of course.

* Wednesday I found a praying mantis on our window! How fun is that! It's the little things that bring a smile. :) I enjoyed my time with Bible study ladies, and am learning so much. It's nice to be a participant! Ryan and I went for our last training run, pre-race, and we both had a good last hurrah.

* I had a special treat on Thursday - my friend Amy came to spend the day with me! She had a day off work and decided to hang out with me! We went to Kokomo and I took her out to lunch, we visited Ryan, we went out for cupcake treats, and she even surprised me with a box of Rise n Rolls! We had a great time! And Ryan's mom came over that night to take our pictures for our Christmas cards. We miss long evenings filled with light! We had to hurry, but we got it done and had fun.

* Friday I hunkered DOWN and did writing projects all day. It's the first time in a long time that I have absolutely exhausted myself from writing. {Yes, it really can happen.} My one break in the day was watching the Little House on the Prairie reunion on TV that I stumbled upon at lunch time. Ohhhhh how I loved that Albert Ingalls. Anyway. After a long day of work, I was so glad that Ryan had plans to bring home ribs for dinner. They are so good. There's a church that makes them for a fundraiser, and he loves them so much, he always gets some!

* Yesterday was RACE DAY!!!! We ran our 5K and I'll give you the full scoop later, but let's just say we had a great race. Ryan KILLED THE THING and I didn't get killed BY the thing, so it was good all the way around. It was fun to be back in our hometown, see friends, and enjoy {yes, I said enjoy!} the run. And a bonus - my mom came to cheer us on! I was glad she came. :)

The Haiti Half: Worst Week Ever

For the past six or so weeks, I've been telling you all the good things I've been learning in the training, and I'm so grateful for each of those weeks. Each of those prayers. Each of those verses God impressed on my heart. This whole thing has been a journey I could not have imagined, and the discipline and personal accomplishments I've experienced have been needed and welcomed.

And then there was last week. It was a turning point of sorts for me, and I want to tell you about it, because I think it's important to recognize and embrace things that are unexpected, and maybe even in some ways, unwelcome.

As you know, when I started this journey, Ryan and I committed to running the half marathon taking place next month. Probably about a month or so into our training, we learned that due to low registrations, the half marathon had been canceled. The 5K happening the same day would still go on as scheduled, and we decided we would run that in place of the now-canceled half.

By that point, I had begun to notice that the discipline of training was really good for me, even though I still despised running, so I told Ryan I planned to continue training for a half marathon, even though the race distance had been cut back. And we did. We got out there four times a week, on some pretty hot days, and we ran. {I would say we ran like the wind, but that's a lie. At least for me.}

And then...last week.

My problem actually began the Saturday before that, when we set out to run in the afternoon, and it was hot. Like crazy, humid, take-your-breath-away hot. That particular day, we ran around the IWU campus, which is not always our route, but that day it was. And that happened to be the day the freshman class moved in. That campus was saturated with teenagers, parents, and cars. Our quiet little campus {which is, obviously, in no way OURS, but you know what I mean} was suddenly loud and busy. My focus was distracted as I dodged cars and tried to suck in while running past skinny students and dazed parents.

And at the end of that run, I had legitimately overheated to the point where my knees were sweating and I felt dizzy and struggled to breathe. As we made our way out of campus, I prayed fervently that I would not collapse to my death in front of the class of 2019 and all their loved ones.

{And I didn't, in case you weren't sure.}

But it messed with my mind, that run. And all week last week, I was a wreck. My times were awful, my mind was fearful, and I felt a thousand kinds of self-conscious in front of all the students who were just enjoying a leisurely week of fun on campus before school began this week. And for the first time, I changed my training schedule. I cut the miles down from what the schedule called for. I walked more than I ran. I didn't care if I was fast. I didn't care if I finished. Something broke in me that week, and not in a good way.

It hasn't gotten any better this week. In fact, last night was the first night we even ran all week. We're a month from the race, and my diligence has been shattered.

I'm not giving up. The end of this journey is proving to look very different from its beginning. I would be lying if I said I wasn't discouraged. I am. But I also believe God can teach me things through this shift in my mind. That the time I spent running all summer hasn't been wasted. That the weeks ahead, though perhaps shorter in distance for me, are no less pivotal.

So that's my messy mind for you today. And despite the worst week{s} ever, I am pushing forward. And I hope to learn new things along this well-worn path that I can share with you soon.

Learning in Training #6

I'm currently completing my seventh week of training for the Haiti Half {now Haiti 5K}, and this week we're in right now is my worst one to date. It's terrible in EVERY POSSIBLE WAY, and I'll tell you more about that next week.

But today I wanted to tell you about LAST week...week six. I'm proud of myself for pushing through six straight weeks of physical training, because this is SO not my thing. Six straight weeks of eating or writing or sleeping would be very much my thing. Six straight weeks of running? Not so much. I've been at it long enough now to confirm it's probably never going to be a true love of mine, and I am okay with that. I don't have to be in love with every trendy thing that comes along.

Having said that, I'm excited that I'm completing this discipline, I'm excited that I don't hate my body quite as much as I did before I started, and I'm excited that this new season of life has given me time to even consider training for something like this.

When the week began, I had gotten mixed up in my memory of the training calendar, and I thought this was a week when I had to run five, three, five miles, so when we actually set out on the first run of the week and I knew I "only" had four miles in front of me, I thought it was going to be the best run EVER. After all, it was suddenly a mile shorter!

But my entire body felt like lead, and I wondered if my truly horrid diet in preceding days was coming back to haunt me. The weather was pleasant...there was a nice breeze...and I survived the run, even though I was disappointed it wasn't as amazing as I planned. And of course, the next day, I knocked out the best run of the training so far. That is one good thing about bad running days: they're usually followed by really good running days! The third day started well, and about two miles into the thing, my stomach cramped up and I felt SO SICK. I am, as previously stated, NOT a real runner, so running sick is not my gig. I pushed through - but whooooeeeeeeee!!!! And the last day was a great run, but it was deceivingly hot and humid and by the end, I had overheated to the point where my KNEES were sweating. It scared me to be so hot and not be sure if I would get cooled down.

In all the running, I held on to a familiar verse...one you probably know by heart:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

I really concentrated on that underlined phrase. Usually when I say that verse or when I hear others talking about it, the emphasis is on the first part: "I can do all things." But the power is hidden in the second part: through Christ. When my body feels like lead, I can still run through Christ's strength. When my stomach cramps up with half a journey in front of me, I can push forward through Christ's strength. When I worry about making it back home because my body pours sweat and my mind is foggy from heat, I can get there through Christ's strength.

I prayed it for the people of Haiti, too. That when they tried to make their way from home to whatever medical facility they sought, they would be able to get there through Christ's strength, no matter how sick or worried they felt. That the money raised in this race would bring hope to those who benefit from it...who feel depleted by illness and suddenly learn that a solution lies ahead. That through Christ, some runners and non-runners from Indiana supplied some money and prayed some prayers that change their forever.

Through Christ. 

Other posts on this topic:
The Haiti Half
Learning in Training #1
Learning in Training #2
Learning in Training #3
Learning in Training #4
Learning in Training #5

Learning in Training #5

We are just about six weeks away from the Haiti Half {which is now a Haiti 5K}. If you missed that news last week, the update is that they had to drop the actual half marathon for this year, because they didn't have enough registrations, but they're going forward with the 5K walk/run, so if you've always wanted to try a 5K, it's not too late!! We'd love to have you come hang out with us and be part of the race!

For now, despite the change in race distance, we are still training for the half. I am not sure if we will continue that clear to the end or if we'll decide our bodies are better served to train for the race we'll actually run. But for now we're running as if the half really is in our future. And last week was our fifth week of training.

For the first time in our training, we had to adjust the schedule because of a night of fierce rain. So grateful the training has fallen in the {relatively} dry half of the summer.

It was a more pleasing weather week, which made for "easier" running...though this is still far from easy for me. And on the very last day, with the longest run, I struggled with acid reflux, which something I never have, but it is not fun on the run, let me tell you!

As I ran, I focused on this verse:

On hearing this, Jesus said,

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor,

but the sick."
Matthew 9:12

Kind of a random verse, but it kept coming to mind as I ran that week...that the point of this race is to raise money for the sick. And I tried to envision them as I ran. In fact, as I ran the longest, hardest run on Saturday, I got a text from one of my friends...her brother-in-law had been taken to the hospital. They discovered a brain tumor, and as I ran, I prayed for this friend here, stateside, and knew he represented so many more seeking treatment in Haiti.

I wondered what it would have looked like if he would have had to walk to the hospital, his side numb from the tumor pressing in, his eyes squinting from the brightness of the sun. I wondered what would have happened if he made it there, finally, and they told him he needed a bigger, better hospital {like they told him at the hospital here}. Is there even a bigger, better hospital there? Is there a way to get there? 

I ran with his face in my mind, that last run, knowing he represented a nation of people I've never met. People who deserve the same chance he received. 

The sick need a doctor, yes. And their sick need them as much as our sick. So I pushed through my run, even as my throat burned and my legs screamed. I ran thankful to have a chance to run for this group that reaches out to the sick to help them find doctors. 

Other posts on this subject:

The Haiti Half

Learning in Training #1

Learning in Training #2

Learning in Training #3

Learning in Training #4

Learning in Training #4

Four weeks of training for the Haiti Half are now under my belt. {So to speak. Please rest assured I do not actually WEAR a belt while training - or at any other time in life.}

It was during this fourth week of training that I learned the news that the half marathon won't actually happen this year. The event organizers said the registrations were too low to make the half happen. There will still be a 5K race on the appointed day, and Ryan and I are still going to run - and we'll be done SO much sooner than we would have been! {And my body will be so grateful.}

I was sad when I first read the news, because I had been so committed to pushing toward this goal. But even in the sadness, I turned to Ryan and said, "I'm still going to train for the half."

He raised an eyebrow and said "Even on the day you have to run ten miles to train?"

I hesitated and said, "I think so." {Keepin' it real.}

The week was a strange one for me in the land of training. The first day was crazy sticky humid, and I struggled to keep my mind in the game. I was exhausted, mentally speaking, and the run seemed to stretch longer than the appointed mileage. The second day, I had run into a situation that left me so angry, I couldn't even eat all day. Running angry and running on empty {literally} seemed to work against me while working in my favor. The third day was the day I actually learned about the cancellation of the the half, and I wondered if knowing I didn't have to improve would affect me negatively. And when that fourth day rolled around, the sun blazed so hot during our run that we both felt physically ill from the second mile forward. My knee hurt, my stomach rolled, and my head was everywhere by in the game.

So in all of that, it wasn't a training week to be proud of. My moments weren't textbook and my mind didn't stay focused on prayer nearly like it should have. {Other than the prayers of Jesus, please don't let me die out here.} But even in that, one set of verses came back to me over and over:

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

Isaiah 40:29-31a 

In the moments when I did rally the strength to pray for the people of Haiti, I prayed for their strength. I prayed for the moments in which they tried to find the medical help they needed, tried to physically make their way toward it, and got tired. The moments when they were weak, stumbling, and falling. The moments the sun sapped their strength and they poured sweat and had no idea how they would make it the rest of the way.

I know God sees them in those moments and offers them strength as He offered it to me in a week of weariness.

Pressing forward with the training and looking forward to a lighter run on race day!

{Previous Posts on this Topic}

The Haiti Half

Learning in Training #1

Learning in Training #2

Learning in Training #3

Learning in Training #3

When I ran the 10K in 2012, I accomplished something I truly never thought I could do. I was not a runner. I was not athletic. I was not everything that a race of 6.2 miles seemed to require. I hung up my medal, smiled at my accomplishment and moved on to wedding planning. I did not figure running toward a goal, toward a finish line, would ever be something I did again.

And certainly not a goal of 13.1 miles. Thirteen miles were made to be driven in an air conditioned car, not pounded out on pavement one footstep at a time.

I never meant to run a half. And Ryan told me the other day one thing he said he would NEVER do was run a half marathon.

And so of course, we've both registered for the Haiti Half, because this is how our life works. {I know I haven't said much about Ryan doing this with me, mostly because the focus of these posts has been about what God has done in my heart. But yes, Ryan is running too, at his own pace this time, but taking on the challenge with me, and doing a magnificent job, I might add.}

So week 3 of my training is done now.

I ran a total of 14 miles that week, which means if I could only have a week to complete the race, I could do it. Oh wait. I don't get a week, do I?

Summer marched on, with the first day of running bringing hot {stifling, I wrote} temperatures, and my legs and lungs and head felt like lead. I pushed through, miserable with a time to match, but I did it. And then I went out the next day and did it again. And the day after that...the run that felt the best of any I'd done so far. Things were looking up. And then came the day I started out in a crowded frame of mind. We had much to do that day, and it was hard to keep focused. The weather shifted from pleasant to just HOT while we ran, and I struggled to finish well.

But on each day, I did it. I got through to the assigned finish line for that day.

And ironically, finish lines were the lesson for me that week. God kept my mind focused on the same verse as last week: Hebrews 12:1 - "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

But this time, the emphasis was on the last phrase: the race marked out for us.

We've established that I am not a runner. I'm still not a runner. Making a crazy good time on the clock is not my gig and won't be. It's not how I'm crafted. My body doesn't glide with good form, and my face doesn't relax into a smile like that viral picture of the happy runner at whatever marathon a couple of years ago. I probably look like I'm about to give birth, and I know I feel like it. Ryan can run almost twice as fast as I can. His times always surpass mine by embarrassing levels.

And if I set all those things in the front of my mind and thought about them while I ran, I would be so discouraged. SO discouraged. I'd be trying to run the race of the real athletes that sprint by while I huff and puff and grasp my water bottle. I'd be trying to match Ryan's pace, which is not even Bekah-ly possible. My job, on each day of training and on the day of the race, is to run the race marked out FOR ME. The route might match that of all the other runners, but the pace and the journey will be mine. And my job is to run THAT race.

The first week I trained, Ryan and I ran one day at the lake, and there was a 5K happening in that town that morning. As we came home from a rather lackluster and frustrating run, I snapped a selfie with the finish line of the 5K behind me. I joked that I should take that picture because I might never make it to the finish line of the half. A funny joke, but the truth is, that wasn't my finish line. That picture is meaningless {even if funny} because that wasn't my race. It holds no value because it wasn't mine. My job is to run the race set out for me. 

 I have to run my race in honor of all those in Haiti who have to run their races...which also don't look like mine. Mine might not be the prettiest or the fastest, but it's mine, and I'm called to it.

{** For those of you who have registered, and I know there have been some, and others of you pondering it, I read on the event Facebook page yesterday that due to low registration numbers, they're postponing the half portion of this event until next year, but the 5K will go on as scheduled. Ryan and I still plan to run the 5K and would love for any of you to join us. If running a half is daunting but a 5K seems feasible, think about it!!**}

{Previous posts on this topic.}
The Haiti Half
Learning in Training #1
Learning in Training #2

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was our 32nd monthiversary, and while it was in many ways, an ordinary day, it was extra special, because I love any chance for a little celebration. For hiding a card on a pillow or taking a nap or fixing a new Pinterest-inspired meal. And when so many monthiversaries fall on weekdays, it's an extra treat to have the entire day WITH HIM to celebrate.

* Monday was stunning and gorgeous outside, and I was grateful because some storms had passed through during the night. I loved running errands in blue skies and clouds!! We went for a run, and it was TERRIBLE {for me...Ryan did well}, but he's such a good encourager when I want to quit. He had just enough energy to mow the yard when he got home - this running will take the stuffing right out of a person!!

* Tuesday we had a fun before-work date going out to breakfast!! What a treat! I actually had a double treat that day, because I met up with my friend Lynn for lunch as well...haven't seen her in way too long. So essentially on Tuesday...I was well fed. :) And it's a good thing since we spent the entire evening cleaning out our attic...which was stuffed full to the brim and now looks like a respectable space. {And the rummage pile groweth.}

* I was so inspired by all the cleaning on Tuesday, that I marched right on Wednesday, finding new areas of the house to rip apart and purge. I hadn't meant to, but I couldn't help myself. I found HILARIOUS things that I will have to tell you more about...but it was certainly a great walk down memory lane. Ryan's work had a little memorial ceremony for a coworker who passed away a few weeks ago. They planted a tree in his memory and took time to honor his life.

* Thursday's big project was ALMOST thwarted by rain, but it stayed away, and I finished the project: painting the front porch. When I moved in here, the porch had that green indoor/outdoor carpet, but it was old and rotting and ripped itself up in a windstorm one night. I've been painting the porch boards ever since, and after a couple of winters of shoveling the snow, they were worn and chipped. I went with gray this time instead of red, and we love it!! The rest of the day was filled with reading, writing, and more sorting and organizing - including folding our spare grocery sacks into triangles. {Don't judge.}

* Friday I scurried to beat a deadline to finish a scrapbook before one of my coupons expired, so that was a fun way to start the day! Braeya apparently couldn't hack the madness and hid under the covers of our bed for her nap. LOL!! That afternoon, I had to run some errands, so I treated myself to a stroll through Hobby Lobby, drooling over the fall decorations and finding more signs Ryan and I need in our home. :) And my grand total for shopping? 32 cents, thankyouverymuch.

* I still have not recovered from yesterday.  We started with a 5 mile run early in the morning and never sat down the rest of the day. Ryan cleaned {and I mean CLEANED} the garage from top to bottom, and we tagged so much more stuff for rummage! We cleaned the house - even the windows!! {Braeya was excited about that because she got to play in the water.} In the middle of it all, we took a break for Starbucks - of course - and by the time I finally quit working at 10:30 last night, I barely had the energy to drag myself to bed. I am not made for that much busyness in one day!!

Learning in Training #2

My second week of race training is complete...and in truth, the third week is almost done, as I write to you now. I've decided to do a weekly update about this adventure, because it's teaching me so much, and I want to share with you the lessons I'm learning.

These tales are from last week...week two.

We are finally experiencing summer here in the Midwest. After weeks of wearing jackets instead of swimsuits, real summer has finally descended, with all its humidity, all its heat...all its unrelenting full sun. It doesn't bother me...except when I run. I've learned that I'm such a fair weather runner. I keep track of all the conditions of each day's run, and I'm learning that I'm partial to 70 and sunny with a good breeze and a decent cloud passing over that sun ray now and then.

And last week? According to my notes, the first day was "super hot and humid." Second day was "87 but feels like 91 with full sun and no breeze." The third day was true Indiana all the way. In the space of three miles, I ran in "hot, humid, rain, sun, breeze, and no breeze." FINALLY on the fourth day, I got my perfect conditions.

It was no wonder to me, then, that the verse God kept laying on my heart was the end of Hebrews 12:1 - "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with preseverance the race marked out for us."

It came to me during the first run of the week, on day "super hot and humid" as I clopped along gripping a full water bottle in my hand. My fingers ached and slipped on the sweating bottle, and I felt like I paid more attention to it than the run. I came to an area where I passed a set of aluminum bleachers, and the words "throw off everything that hinders...and run" came to mind. I smacked the bottle down on the bleachers and took off {think more in terms of a pig to the trough rather than a gazelle through a field} as fast as my lead-feeling legs would carry  me.

I ran and ran, feeling the truth of this lesson settling over me, and then I circled back toward the bleachers to retrieve the water and take a sip while running forward toward that last mile.

Alas, as I ran past the bleachers and leaned in to grab the bottle, my knee bent and my body inched in more than I realized...and my knee crashed into aluminum. I grabbed the bottle and kept running, glancing down to see fresh blood and the sweat rolling down my leg stinging sharply when it hit the open wound.

I wanted to stop, but the verse came back again...throw off everything that hinders - including a skinned knee - and run.

As I told you last week, I'm trying to pray for the people of Haiti as I run. Pray for the patients who have to walk to medical care. My leg throbbed a bit as I pounded across the last mile, and with each pain, I thought of people walking with broken limbs...with injuries far worse than a skinned knee. I prayed and I ran.

The weather wasn't the only thing against me last week. I caught a cold at the lake and had issues with a clogged ear and a stuffy nose. And then, of course, the knee.

There's always something to throw off. Injury, illness, bad attitudes, lack of focus...always something to use as a reason to quit. But I believe I'm encouraged to keep going. Keep running. Keep praying for these people who endure far more for the sake of their immediate health. They press on through illness, through injury, through humidity, through heat, through rain, through wind, through stillness. And I will do the same.

{Previous Posts on this Topic...}
The Haiti Half
Learning in Training #1

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, we woke up at the lake for the last time, packed up our car, helped clean up the cottage, and were home by lunch time. We stopped by the pizza place on the way home and got ourselves some lunch, came home, had the car unpacked and Mo pulled out in about 20 minutes flat. We took a lonnnnnnnnnnnnng post-vacation nap and then got the suitcases unpacked and the house whipped into shape before going to bed. Not a fully restful Sunday, but a good day, nonetheless.

* Monday morning, I met my best friend Lynnette for breakfast. She lives wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy too many hours away, but she was in town for a reunion, so we were able to catch up for a couple of hours, and I loved it! I took my office on the road for a bit that afternoon, spending some time in the coffee shop at IWU. And that night, Ryan and I went for a run, where I crashed into some bleachers, leaving me with a bruised and bloody knee. BOO for injuries.

* Tuesday I made a big batch of cookies for a carry-in at Ryan's work on Wednesday. Though we did sneak a sample later in the day, I was QUITE proud of myself for not sneaking any as I baked! One point for willpower! After work, Ryan went to his co-worker Diane's house to get a SNAKE out of her garage!! Oh. My. Word. I'd have to move. We went for an exhausting run - not because of a far distance, but because it was crazy HOT outside! And then we rounded out the day purging a closet and playing a few rounds of Dutch Blitz to practice for our upcoming game night.

* Wednesday I cleaned and cleaned - going through every single cabinet in our kitchen and in some storage closets, majorly purging stuff we don't need and tagging it for sale. I also got to use my label maker for some storage containers, and that made me SO HAPPY. I ran across a big stack of prayer journals that hold a lot of cries for a husband...looking forward to making my way through the pages and learning from my former self! Ryan and I braved the HOT again for another run. My legs felt like lead, but I actually didn't have too bad of a time!

* Thursday {among other things} I worked on a dessert to take to a funeral dinner on Friday. Batter bowls are my FAVORITE. It's possible I leave just a tad more than I have to IN the bowl so I can lick it! I went to the viewing for the gentleman who passed away, and saw all kinds of people from the church where I grew up. It was a big reunion! After I came home from that and Ryan came home from work, we had our friends Matt and Angela over again. They brought pizza and games and we had a great time laughing and telling stories and hanging out in the pirogi. A lovely  night.

* Friday I had the opportunity to help serve at a funeral dinner at the church where I grew up. I've never done that before, because I've always had work to dictate my schedule, and it was nice to be able to do something good for a family who invested a lot in me in my early years. SO many memories flooded from being back in that church!! Friday was also the last day for one of Ryan's co-workers, so they did a group picture, and I'm sure you'll all be shocked to see where he landed. :) We had a date night at home on Friday - eating Chinese food and taking a leisurely walk on a beautiful evening.

* Last night we hosted a game night at our house with my high school buddies. We even had a new friend from the high school days join us, and we had a great time. We ate tacos and cookies and played games - sometimes without even keeping score! I was grateful to see them all after TOO LONG a time apart!! {And in case you were wondering, no we didn't win. At least when we were keeping score. Great. We probably won when we didn't.}