Appreciating the Long Run

Every marathoner has a love/hate relationship with the long run.  The long run is essential to your marathon training but can be the most dreaded workout of the week.  The long run can build your confidence or break your spirit. 

With school starting, I had to shift my long run to Mondays.  Since Glenn and I are both training for the NYC marathon in November, it is too much on the family schedule for both of us to do the long run on the weekend.  I am still at home with the boys so I have a lot more flexibility in my schedule.  So every Monday after dropping the boys off at school, I will be heading out for my long run.

Last week I went for a 14 mile run.  Here are a few key components to long run training:

• First, your goal is to run each mile about 60-90 seconds slower than marathon pace.  The thought is that you are building your body to be able to withstand hours of running without pushing it too hard. 
• Second, this is a great time to work on your nutrition for the marathon.  During a long run, your body burns lots of calories.  Replenishing your body with calories is essential to healthy training & successful race.  You can do this through water, gel/gummies and energy drinks. 
• Lastly, the long run trains your brain to continue pushing even when you want to quit. 

Marathon running is both a physical and mental work-out. 

As I was running my 14 miles, I began to think about how the trials and struggles that we face in life are similar to the marathon "long" run.  Everyone of us faces trials whether small or large- our lives are not easy, breezy strolls through a beautiful serene meadow.  Most of the time it is a slow grinding pace that leaves us feeling like we want to quit and give up our race.  But that is when we need to remember the goal of the long run. 

• First, stay slow and steady-  most of life is not a 100 yard dash.  When things are weighing you down and life is tripping you up, keep a slow but steady pace.  Just keep moving forward. 
• Second, work on your life nutrition.  Hydrate and nourish your spirit in the Word of God daily.  His truth will give you the extra energy boost you need to make it through a day.  Keep coming back daily though- each day has its own set of troubles and challenges.  Come to God daily for your manna. 
• Lastly, use God's Word to train your brain to keep pushing even when it's hard and you want to throw it the towel.  Turn your worry into worship by recalling scripture or singing a praise song or recalling God's goodness.  Don't be overcome with your circumstances- let God overcome your circumstances with His presence.  Life is hard but we can be "more than conquerors" through God's presence and power in our lives. 

So here's to you, Long Run...  thank you for

• showing me that I can be strong even when it's hard,
• reminding me that it is important to keep looking forward (I will trip & fall if I run backwards),
• and teaching me that "I can do ALL things through Christ that gives me strength". (Ph. 4:13)

• What your favorite thing about training for a marathon?
• What is your favorite mantra that keeps you going even when you want to quit?

Jenny

Summer Busyness

We have been on the go since my last post.  Usually I am counting the days for school to start but this year I am enjoying the time I get to spend with my boys.  We didn't over commit on camps or sports this summer- we are really just spending time at home- sometimes just not doing much at all.

This has been a nice break from the craziness of school- the kids had challenging years in 2nd & 4th grade.  Homework and testing seemed to cause more stress which led to interesting afternoons before heading off to baseball, soccer, etc.  It seems like the more we push our kids, the less time we have to connect with our kids.  I have a bunch of friends who are taking the homeschooling plunge which seems like it could alleviate the amount of stress & activity.  But I wonder if we are just becoming "wired to do" that we don't know how to not schedule activities, play dates & camps to our lives.  What example are we setting to our kids if we never allow them to just be kids- playing, inventing, creating & relaxing- before they have to head off to a world of 24/7 emails, texts, and calls.  One that rarely sleeps and doesn't expect you to as well!

Enough about that...  here are some pictures of some fun things we have done in July.  We have had good times with friends and looking forward to spending time with family in the next few weeks.  August is just around the corner so watch out- summer will be gone before you know it.




4th of July 5K race



Waiting for the awards after the race

On July 4th we ran the 5K in Lutz.  Matt ran the 5K in 27:40 which was about 3 minutes faster than his time last year.  I ran it is 22:55 which gave me 2nd place in my age group.  Jake ran the 1 mile race with his friend, Will.  After the race, Jake got his picture taken on a tractor by a local newspaper.  His picture ran in the Lutz News the following week!



Fishing with Friends

A few days later we took 3 friends (all brothers) out fishing near Honeymoon Island.  We met up with 2 other boats off of 3 Rooker Island and spent the day swimming.  Great day to live in Florida.



Matt & Jake's first swim meet

Matt & Jake competed in their first swim meet this past weekend.  It was a mini-meet so the competition was at their level and everyone received a ribbon for participation.  This was their first meet and they did great- mostly they had lots of fun!  Glenn was fishing in a tournament in Stuart, FL with his dad and uncle.  They received 3rd place in the snapper division.  We got fresh cobia and snapper for dinner this week- YEAH!



Matt at Top 10 Camp

Matt is at our church's overnight camp for 4th-6th graders called Top 10 Camp.  It is a 3 day/2 night camp that runs at the church and the kids have a ton of fun. 



Hebrews 4:12

Lastly I had a great opportunity to speak about something near and dear to my heart, the Bible.  Our church (Van Dyke Church) has been in summer school this summer- a series called God 101.  Each week Pastor Matthew teaches on a different aspect of the Christian faith- this week's message was "What is the Bible? How Does it Reveal God?".  To go along with each weekly message, there is Extra Credit available online at www.vandyke.org.  Each week there is a video that discuss the message's question and a study guide to go deeper with the topic.  I was asked to participate in the video for this week's message.  So if you would like to see my video discussion on the Bible, just go to www.vandyke.org and you will see me with my friend/mentor, Lynne.  Click on the video to watch the clip. 

Marathon training is going well- it's hot & humid. 

Jenny

My new weapon- cute shoes!



Here we go.....

So, today it starts- that's right- training for the New York City Marathon.  Wait, didn't I already do that?  Yes I did but unfortunately we did not get to run it.  There were great issues at hand like Hurricane Sandy and all the damage & destruction she bought to town. 

Recap: 

• April 2012- My husband and I were both accepted into the New York City marathon by the lottery system.  I believe it is a 1/9 chance of being picked so it was awesome that we both were selected the same year.
• July to October 2012- We trained to run and finish the marathon with a respectable time but ultimately the goal was to finish and have fun.
• November 2012- Hurricane Sandy hits the east coast causing havoc to the Northeast and canceling the NYC marathon.  It was the right decision- just made too late by Mayor Bloomberg and crew. 
• After the first of the year, we find out that we can re-enter the marathon in either 2013, 2014 or 2015.  You can also take your money & run.  If it wasn't New York, if we hadn't both got in & if we weren't CRAZY then we would have shouted REFUND.  But we decided to go for it & use our entry for this year- we are officially running the 2013 NYC marathon.

 

 

Fast forward to today- July 1st, 2013.  We have officially started our training.  For the past few months we have just maintained and strengthened our existing running bases plus adopting some cross training.  Our goal for this year's marathon has also changed as well- I say this just as my husband says "This would be a nice little marathon if we weren't trying to run a sub 4 marathon."

That's our goal- to run a sub 4 hour marathon.  Our plan is to train efficiently and eat nutritionally plus mix in cross training like swimming, biking & yoga to ward off injuries.

 

Today's run was an easy 5 mile run which we were able to do together.  Since the boys are getting a little bit older, we might be able to run together close to home.  I am thankful that we can enjoy running together as a couple- it has been a way to stay connected outside the daily grind of household roles- husband/wife, mommy/daddy, housekeeper/bread-winner. 

So stay tuned- I am sure there will be much more to come. 

Long runs = Long talks with God

(gives me something to blog about)

 

 

Meanwhile, pray for us to be of strong body & mind and to run our race that has been marked out for us!

 

 

Jenny



Dunedin Triathlon- Part 2

Well, I did it!  Dunedin Triathlon 2013 was a success and lots of fun.  Of course, God showed up as a key player in this story.

On Saturday night I went to church with my son, Jake.  Matt was already at a friend's house for the evening and Jake was spending the night with another family.  I was dropping him off after church.  The music was great- very inspiring.  As the announcements were being made, I was flipping through my bulletin, catching up on the news of the church.  Then I saw it- a verse at the bottom of the page called "What's Happening".  The verse said...

Message in the bulletin

What??  I KNOW you can do anything and no one can stop You.  Just what I needed to hear going into Sunday's triathlon especially the swim portion.  I read it a few times, closed my bulletin- started to focus on the sermon but I just kept flipping back to reread the verse.  Never before have I seen a verse in the bulletin.  To verify this I found 2 older bulletins in my bible- yep, no verse.  I wanted to grab the girl's bulletin next to me and look to see if she had the verse as well.  It felt like a message from God- don't worry, You Got It!

The next morning after not much sleep, we left the house at 5 am to pick up my friend Susie.  We arrived at Honeymoon Island with plenty of time to check into transition.  I wrote Job 42:2 and Philippians 4:13 on hands as reminders of God's presence. 

Found on Missional Women Facebook page

After getting set up in transition, we headed to the beach to check out the water conditions.  It was low tide- a very low tide- so low that athletes were able to stand in the deepest part of the course.  It seemed to be chest high on even the smallest people- I am short at 5'2".  So this would not be a challenging swim at all- I don't think you could even call it a swim.  Oh, well- it would be a nice way to ease myself back into open water swimming, right?

My wave was wave 5, Glenn was wave 6 and Susie was wave 7.  I told Glenn to catch up to me and I could just grab on and ride in with him.  My husband is a strong swimmer- he thinks it is funny how stressed I get about the swim. 

So my wave went off at about 7:50 am and it was an interesting swim.  I walked to the first buoy and decide to swim across the course then walk out of the water.  Because of the swallow conditions, it became much easier to swim a little then dolphin dive then swim a little more.  By doing this I was passing a lot of swimmers.  I continued to dolphin my way to shore, standing up to run only when it made sense.  The run from water to transition was a little long but on nice hard sand. 

I left the transition area with my bike to ride a 12 mile course.  The course was two 6 mile loops so when I entered the course the elite athletes were starting their 2nd loop.  It was a little dicey at times with people passing quickly on my left.  I was able to get a good pace going and began feeling confident to pass people as well.  I stuck with a group of women for the first loop and was able to increase my pace, leaving them behind during the 2nd loop.  Glenn passed me during the second loop which I figured would eventually happen.  I was very happy with my biking- I didn't get passed as much by other women as I have in the past.  I don't have a pedometer on my bike yet so I wasn't able to know my average pace.

With the bike portion over, I racked my bike and laced up my running shoes.  I left transition feeling like I had enough left to run a good pace.  After finding my running legs, I settled into a decent pace- spotting other women in my age range (in triathlons they mark the back of your leg with your age)- I set out to pass as much as I could.  I kept looking for Glenn because I knew he was somewhere ahead of me.  Unfortunately the course wasn't marked so I wasn't sure when to pick up my pace- at the last water station I decided to pick it up.  I crossed the finish line, completing the last time I race in my thirties (I am turning 40 this July).  After crossing the line, Glenn comes up behind me and taps me on the shoulder.  He was behind me the whole time- even though he finished the bike ahead of me- I left transition before he did.  We joke about how he takes a long time in transition- at his St Anthony's Race, he took 5 minutes in transition from bike to run because he was looking for his gum.  After finishing the tri, we went to cheer on other competitors and look for Susie. 

Glenn (finish time)- 1:07, Jenny (finish time)- 1:10

So can I get over my love/hate relationship with triathlons? 

• I LOVE the opportunity to challenge myself to work hard at 3 different sports but be disciplined enough to compete well at each one. 
• I LOVE the run and bike- I think I could tolerate the swim with more training and less anxiety.
• I LIKE the atmosphere of the triathlons- you see all types of people who are challenging themselves to complete a race that requires discipline and technique. 
• My husband told me to stop my complaining and suck it up. 

So Yes, I will compete again- I have another triathlon scheduled for August with a couple of friends.  It is another sprint which is manageable training especially since my husband and I are starting our marathon training in July for the NYC marathon. 

Susie and I are ready to our next tri!

But as Pastor Matthew reminded me on Saturday night that "for physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for ALL things, holding promises for both the present life and the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:7-9)  So though God has blessed me with the body to run, bike and swim (slowly), I need to remember that the most important way to spend my time is on my spiritual training.  This training leads to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control which can be beneficial to those around me.

Jenny

Dunedin Triathlon- Part 1

This Sunday I am competing in a sprint triathlon in Dunedin, Florida.  I haven't competed in a tri since Labor Day weekend 2011.  I am a little nervous to get back out there.
 I am still not sure if I really like tris!



1st triathlon in Orlando 2010

 

 

School ended today which meant a week of school activities and hair appointments- on top of that Tropical Storm Andrea decided to make this week a wash-out.  Needless to say I have not gotten to train as much as I would like to going into Sunday's race.  It's just a sprint so I know physically I can do all 3 and probably all 3 parts consecutively.  I just don't know if I am mentally in it. 

For one thing I really do not enjoy the swim-  I am trying.  But I am not a good swimmer- I am slow & slow.  Mostly I am over thinking the whole thing- I started going to a Master's Swim class at Cheval AC.  This has been great- I have met some great people and have swam more yards in one class than I would on my own.  It's just I don't enjoy it.  But I also don't want to give up, just because it is hard- I just had this conversation with my 4th grader about not quitting when a task is challenging.  Also I have this problem called "perfectionism" and I really struggle with not being able to do something well. 

The other 2 disciplines of the triathlon I really enjoy.  I like my road bike and think my spin classes have helped me become stronger on my bike.  I am still a little cautious when I ride but I hope to beat my bike times from my last triathlon.  Running is my bread & butter so I hope I can come off the bike with strong, fast legs.  My run times have been falling in the last year- I think it is due to my cross training plus changing my gait from a heel to a mid-foot strike.  This has allowed me to remain healthier longer which has played a part in being able to run each mile a little faster. 

Mostly I want to swim smoothly, bike safely & run fast!  I'll let you know....

I like this slogan!

Any good tri advice for a wanna-be tri-er?
Jenny

Ok, God- I'm listening

I truly believe that God has a sense of humor.  Or I am just so dense sometimes I need to hear something multiple times for it to sink in. 

As I thought about what to write this week, I flipped through my prayer journal.  A common theme began to emerge- not sure if I am ready for it but I know God is!

So here's a peek at some of my journal entries for this week:

5/20/13    
"The Christian life is one of spiritual courage and determination lived out in our flesh." Oswald Chambers

5/21/13
I want to seek you and your ways first then act on those ways.  My life is worth nothing if I am not focused on you and giving you the glory.

• Seek first God's kingdom
• Boast in nothing but God
• Circumcision of the heart is what God is after (true repentance, sanctification)

5/24/13
I don't want to be bored or busy just to be busy- I want to be faithful.

5/26/13
"Be aware of anything that stops the offering up of prayer."  Oswald Chambers

• Asking self- What areas in my life block my prayer life?
• Help me, God, to be ready to live a Romans 12:1-2 life.

Romans 12:1-2 "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

5/26/13     Sermon Message from Todd Leet
Todd spoke about the crippled woman in Luke 13:10-17 who had been bent over for 18 years.  He shared a personal story about how fear had been crippling him for years and one day Jesus released him- he was no longer "bounded".  You can listen to the message by going to www.vandyke.org.

Ok, God- I'm listening.  You desire for me to seek you first always.  To be willing to daily sacrifice my will and schedule to You so that I can grow closer to You and give You glory.  You want me to break up anything in my life that is hindering my relationship with You and others.  You want nothing to tied up our prayer life- I need to keep the channel clear though a repentant spirit and uncluttered heart & mind. 

Did I get it?  Is that all?  Just kidding- on my own there is no way that I could even come close to checking anything off that list.  But with your help and guiding spirit, I know I can move closer to being the woman you have created me to be- even if it's just a baby step. 

"Be serious in your commitment to God, and gladly leave everything else alone.  Literally put God first in your life."  Oswald Chambers

Jenny

Proud to be his Mom!

This weekend not only marked the celebration of Mother's Day but the start of Little League baseball play-offs.  My son, Matt, plays for Lutz Little League (Minor A).  This season he was on the Yankees.  His team finished the season in 6th place and was selected to play the 3rd place team- the Red Sox.  The first play-off games were to take place on Saturday, May 9th and Matt's game was scheduled for 2:30 pm. 

The game started out well for both teams.  Each team scoring runs in the first few innings- the defense was working together and the pitchers were throwing strikes.  Matt usually positions are first base, center field, and pitcher.  By the final inning, the Yankees were leading the Red Sox 17-9. 

The Yankees took the field in the bottom of the 6th- needing to hold this generous lead.  Coach Erick called Matt to pitch for the final inning.  The adrenaline was pumping, the fans were plenty and the game had taken a few hours.  The Red Sox were hoping to come back in their final bat. 

Photo by Maria Ortiz

Needless to say, Matt did not start out pitching well- he allowed the first 3 batters on base.  With 9 runs needed to win, Matt continued to persevere on the mound.  With the help of his team, 1 out was needed to win.  Quickly the Red Sox's scored 5 runs to tighten the Yankee's lead to 3.  With potential runs on the bases, Matt went to face his good friend, Ty.  On a pass ball, Matt charged from the mound to tag out the stealing runner who slide into his side as he was trying to block the plate.  The player was safe and Matt was down on the ground due to injury.  After being tended to by multiple coaches, Matt gingerly went back on the mound to continue pitching.  He threw a few pitches to warm-up and Ty got back in the box.  A few pitches later, Ty hit a line drive back to Matt which he caught to win the game.  Yankees win 17-15. 

After the celebration of our victory, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.  As I watched Matt battle on the mound for his team, I was proud of his determination to not allow the circumstances of the game to change his attitude.  He kept his head in the game and was able to shake off the runs that were adding up against him.  Even though it was not one of his best pitching efforts, I was very proud of the maturity I witnessed in my son as he focused on the task at hand.  He never wavered even when he was injured- he got right back out there to finish the job his coach had asked him to do.

It was nerve racking to watch the last half inning take place that Saturday.  I knew Matt wasn't pitching his best- I kept looking at his coach in the dug-out, sending subliminal messages to "take him out".  Little did I know that he was it- Matt was the final pitcher for the Yankees.  If we won, we were set to play the following day and needed to hold off a couple of pitchers.  Thankfully Matt was able to finish up the inning and secure the win for his team.

Unfortunately, the Yankees went on to play on Sunday losing 28-22 to the Dodgers. 

Matt has always been competitive and driven to win which at times has been caused tears and bad sportsmanship on his part.  My husband and I have persevered in our parenting, always encouraging and expecting our children to do their best including having a good attitude.  At times we were both utterly embarrassed at the behaviors that Matt exhibited in the dug-out or on the field due to disappointment in his own success at the plate or on the field. 

Photo by Maria Ortiz

BUT.... God is good- though much prayer (on my part) and car ride home talks (on my husband's part), Matt has matured emotionally on the baseball field.  He was able to gain control over his emotions and play with determination and drive- keeping his cool even in the hardest times.

If you have a child who struggles with his or her emotions especially in any competitive arena, let me encourage you to

• continue to talk to your child about how you expect them to act on or off the field,
• hold your child accountable for their behavior, and
• pray for strength and help for yourself and your child.

The baseball field is one place that children begin to experience life and its challenges.  If we teach our children to compete with integrity, good sportsmanship and humility, these character traits will follow them into adulthood and training them to compete in life.

Photo by Maria Ortiz

Proud to be your mom, Matt!

Jenny