Chicago....HERE WE COME!!!!

Good afternoon to all my readers. I know it has been a long time since I've posted anything but I've learned that the last month of training is very busy!! I had a friend that asked me one day, "Where have you been? I haven't heard from you in forever!" I started thinking about it and my answer was: cleaning, run, cooking, run, laundry, run, homeschool, run, taxi driver, run and run and run! The last couple of weeks I feel like I've run 500 miles! Even my mid week runs were long (12, 10, 8 miles) and those take a while to complete. So needless to say, I haven't had many chances to sit and blog and when I do sit down, I fall asleep! haha! But seriously, Jerod's back went out about a month ago and for about a week he couldn't do anything. I had to help him dress even. Not good for a fellow who is trying to train for a marathon! But we never felt like God was telling us to quit, just wait. In fact that very message came to me one day in a song while I ran. I don't argue anymore, I just say ok. Or else, I've been too tired to argue! Anyway, here we are just 2 1/2 days away from our marathon and Jerod can not only dress himself, but he showed me last night how he could stand and bring one leg all the way up where his knee touched his chest. I know that doesn't seem like much, but it is HUGE. I have some awesome prayer warriors that have been praying for him to be healed before the race, and it is working! It's just like when my ankles hurt, God is answering our prayers. He is also answering my prayers when it comes to having good weather. As you know, I don't run well in heat. So, I've been praying that it won't be hot during the race. Well.....the high for Sunday is in the mid 40's and there is a chance of snow flurries. Is He answering or what?! I wasn't expecting Him to so well but we go back to that arguing thing. Like a fellow runner said, "That will just make the memories even better!" Ok, I'll take your word for it. So, we fly into Chicago tomorrow night, pick up our packets and information Saturday, and the run starts bright and early at 7:30 a.m. Sunday. I'm taking my computer so I hope to write in but if not, I'll write when we get home and post pics. Thanks for reading!! God bless.

If at first you don't succeed...

Good afternoon! Well as some of you may have noticed, I didn't blog about our long run last week. That's because I wasn't ready to write down another failure. I wanted my next blog to be positive, uplifting and successful but last week's run didn't fit any of those characteristics. We started out attempting our 16 mile run and it was hot and windy and we didn't have enough fluid for the both of us, and I cramped up and had to quit. About 6 miles short. Not good. So I had resolved that I was going to work really hard last week to run exactly what I was suppose to and conquer the 16 again this last weekend. So I ran my 4 miles, then 8 miles, and then 5 miles...took Friday and Saturday off (because Jerod played golf with his brother for his birthday) and we ran last night. It was another chamber of commerce evening and I decided to take my own water with me so I could stay good and hydrated. My frame of mind was completely different from the week before because I had succeed in my training during the week and I knew I had to do this in order to stay mentally healthy until the marathon. The funny thing is, Jerod and I were having disagreements about where to run. I did not want to run in the middle of nowhere again and get stuck having to walk four miles to the nearest public place, and he wasn't sure about running around town because it was hard to mark off exactly 16 miles. But I finally won and we ran around town. Our kids stayed with my parents and they agreed to bring us water when we called and said we needed it. (That was another thing that was different...it was the first time we had taken a phone with us on a long run.) So at mile 10 they brought us water and re-marked our last 6 miles for us because we were bored running around and around the city park. I was feeling really good at mile 10 and could tell that I was going to complete this challenge. I was going to succeed! I also was running longer than I had since our 13 mile run a month ago and my legs were feeling okay. Tired, yes, but not cramping or hurting. It was so helpful to have my parents bring us fresh water and to have my daughter hang out the car window saying, "I love you mommy! Good job mommy!" and ask for kisses. That may have been just the mental energy I needed to finish. Remember me saying this was a mental game? Well, I need mental energy just like I need physical energy to finish. It makes me so happy that our kids are going to the marathon with us and my mom has agreed to go also. She is so excited for us and we even bought her a bright orange Team World Vision t-shirt to sport around on the airplane ride over there and during the race. Since we are not able to have a normal team setting during our team runs and it's just me and Jerod, I find myself needing more and more of that mental energy and I couldn't ask for it to come from a better place than my kids. I did find however, that during miles 12-15, you begin to become a little delirious. Jerod started acting like he was playing chicken with the oncoming traffic, we had a water fight right there on the side of the road, and one of my favorite songs came on and I started singing as loud as I could. Yes, all while we were running! If us running didn't make people think we were crazy enough, then the nuts running down the road singing and having a water bottle fight sure would have solidified it. But I don't care because after 3 hrs 20 minutes, and 16 miles we were not fighting anymore and nothing can bond two people like accomplishing that challenge together. I'm so proud to be running for Team World Vision, I'm so proud that my kids and mom are coming all that way to support us, I'm so happy that I'm getting to experience all of this with my husband, and I'm so proud to be doing all of it in the name of the Lord! I'm excited!!!! And...the best news of all....I can actually walk today! Have a great one!

Donations, donations....

7 days off training due to helping friends move to Houston + 5 days off for being sick = ONE TOUGH LONG RUN! Let's get down to the meat of the situation. The bad news is...my feet hurt, my calves hurt, I feel like I've been run over and I still have a house to clean before Jaxen's baptism party tomorrow. The good news is...I am back training and meeting my goals. I think getting sick really slowed down my progress but I am determined to continue to make it in Chicago. I am discouraged about one thing though. While we have talked this and shared with people WHY we are putting our bodies and families through this, we have had only 2 people donate to our cause. It makes it really hard to want to keep going when raising money for people in Africa is our reason for doing this and we haven't had many donations. It is going to cost us personally a lot to get to Chicago to run this and I'd really like it if we had more in donations then what we are putting into it to get there. Please...if you are reading this and feel led to donate we would appreciate anything. $5, $10...no amount is to small to help further the kingdom of God! We are officially half way through our training and I think we have proven ourselves to others that we are actually going to do this. Anyway, back to our run today. We actually ran in the morning which hasn't happened in awhile but needs to happen more because it will help us see what we need to change to make it easier on our bodies. There was a funny point during the run...my nose would not quit draining. I was sniffling and snorting through but I begged Jerod to run ahead of me and grab me some napkins or tp out of one of the convience stores coming up so I could blow my nose. He of course looked at me like I was crazy but he loves me enough that he did it for me. I'm sure I looked pretty funny blowing my nose while running down the street! I did walk more (a lot more) during this run but I was determined I was going to finish either way. I'm going to rest tomorrow and get a massage on Monday and get back to our training schedule so next weekends run won't be so hard. It ended up that I did 13.5 miles and Jerod did 15. I finished in 2 hours and 45 minutes which shows that I can still finish the 26 in the right amount of time. Even after being sick. Jerod finished pretty much right behind me and now we are on to the next thing! One more week down, one more week closer, and two people still as dedicated as we were in the beginning. God bless you today!!

Ups and Downs

I am sick. Not the "just not feeling well" kind of sick but the congestion, chest hurts, headache, fever, aches and chills kind of sick. How can one train when they can't breathe? How can I catch up from missing scheduled runs from being in Houston and now being sick? Does every marathon trainee go through this or is this Satan's attempt to bring me down? Maybe, but will I let it? Certainly not!! I will not let this bring me down and I will not let this make me want to give up. I will rest and give my body a chance to heal and get healthy however. I think running right now would only further delay my recovery. So please pray for me now that I recover quickly and get back to my training asap!! Now if you excuse me, I'm going to eat some soup that my amazing hubby fixed for me and take a nap. :)

Numbers....it's all in the perception

13. That number conjures up many images. Silly teenagers caught between kids and adults trying to act cool but just not able to let go of having childhood fun. Jerod's number in baseball and the many games I watched over our first year of dating. A baker's dozen...now there's a good image! : ) Or miles....wait, WHAT? Miles? Yes, my dears, mileage that was run last night by Jerod and me. You will officially think I have lost my mind now but it was actually fun! Well at least the first 10 miles. Let's rabbit chase for a moment...I knew it was going to be a good day yesterday when my son announced that he had chosen to invite Jesus into his heart. He is now not only my son, but my brother in Christ! Yeah!! I have yet to even find the words that describe my joy. Okay so back to the run. Yesterday was what the weather man called a "chamber of commerce" day. At about 5:00pm, it was 78 degrees and the wind was very low. It was cloudy and the sun came and went. We started and I was nervous! Remember the 10 mile letdown? Yeah...I was nervous! But I can say I did it! I ran 4 songs and walked less than 1 (if you have no idea what I'm talking about please see "Mathematical Running") and kept up with Jerod pretty well. He would look behind him and I'd either wave or give him the thumbs up to let him know I was okay and in between runs, we would talk, laugh, and encourage each other. Our fearless leader, Robin, drove by, honked, waved, and cheered us on. I found myself smiling for awhile after that. Why wasn't she with us you ask? Well, she was loading her moving van getting ready for the long move to Houston and I'm sure I'll have to cry out that blog next week but not today. Nope, today is a good day. One that reminds me that I can do anything, ANYTHING, ANY thing, through Christ who strengthens me. One that shows me that through this chaotic and emotional roller coaster of a week, He is still here. He is still with us and He is our biggest cheerleader. Yep, a good day, no...a great day....one that followed the BEST day. We arrived back home 2 1/2 hours later and that really shocked me! I thought it had taken me a lot longer than that but if I continue at this pace, I can finish the marathon well within the allotted time. And I can honestly say that I've run a half marathon. Pretty cool huh? : ) Okay, here's wishing you a great day too and God Bless!!

Mathematical running

So several weeks ago, I talked about my run right after my ankles were getting better. It was in our neighborhood and I remember being proud of running through 1 song and then walking through 1 song. Well...last night I ran the same route but was amazed at my progress since my last run in that direction. I have been running between now and then obviously, but it's mainly been on a treadmill. So I challenged myself to run through as many songs as possible and walk in less time than through one song. Am I making sense? Okay this may help...I started and ran through 3 songs and found myself about 3 times further away than I expected. I was at least a good mile away from our house and I had run the whole time...no walking! I know that is such a small thing but I was really proud of myself. See, if you average a song's time, they each last about 4 minutes. So through 3 songs and 1 mile later, I ran it in approximately 12 minutes. And, I didn't walk through a whole song and was able to get started running a lot quicker than I ever imagined I would. I truly felt like I am making progress in my journey! After failing at last weeks run, I was very discouraged and frustrated. But this is a very good example that I am getting better and stronger. We still have more than 1/2 of our training to do and I am feeling good about it. Chicago here I come!!! Oh and my overall miles?... 7. Thank you very much!

Big failures vs. small victories

Today's conclusion: my body does not like to run in the heat. Period. I don't have any other way of saying it or any other way of making it not true. Jerod and I headed out for our 10 mile run this evening and we got about 1.5 into it and I could tell that I was not going to make it. My head was already throbbing, my throat was extremely dry and I was getting that knot in it that comes right before you vomit. Not good. We had 8.5 left and we had just started. I felt like I could do this because we ran 8 miles last week and I felt good after that run. I remember thinking, "Good! We run 10 miles next week and I feel like I could do it now!" Well, last week wasn't quite so hot. It was 99 degrees when we left the house today. We did have water handy but I think I needed most of it poured on me rather than drinking it. I ended up walking about another 2 miles before I caved in and admitted that I needed to turn around and come home. So that's what we did. Let me tell you something, when you feel like you've failed at something, walking 3 miles back, knowing that every car that passes you knows you're a failure...it's not pleasant! But while I was fighting the urge to say that I wanted to just become lazy and fat and quit, I was trying to find my small victory in this experience. See God has been giving me small victories throughout this entire process and I feel like He will continue to do so if I'm just open to seeing it. As we were about 3 streets away from home, Jerod asked me why I thought I shut down like that. Here's my theories: 1. Even while I don't mind the heat, my body doesn't like to exercise in the heat. Plain and simple. 2. Being out in 100+ degree weather the last 3 days has zapped any extra resources that my body had. 3. The fact that I had briefly had the same symptoms earlier in the day meant my body was NOT ready for this run. 4. Running in any weather hotter than 90 degrees with hurricane force winds blowing against you is never a good idea.

I haven't claimed a theory yet for my reason but I do know now that I need to be better prepared next time because while becoming fat and lazy sounds really appealing right now, I know I would be miserable at it. Oh and my small victory that God gave me? Well it didn't come til I was in a cool shower, but we walked 6 miles in just under 1 hr. That is still within my time limit to finish the marathon and it count. See? He is so good! Quitting is not an option....you just have to look for the small victories to want to keep going.

No More Excuses...

Hi! We are back from a very wonderful vacation and training is moving right along! Yes, we did run while we were gone but now that we are home, we plan on not missing one day. Hitting it hard from now til the end is our motto. After I finished running yesterday, I was thinking how hard it had been and needed some encouragement from our leader. She said, "Remember when you had a hard time running 1 minute and walking 2? Well, you just ran 4.7 miles! You've come a long way!" That is so true. I remember when we first started our training, we were to run 1 minute and walk 2 minutes for a total of 30 minutes. And it was hard! Now, I can run without stopping for 2 full miles and am getting stronger EVERYDAY. That kinda makes me think of my walk with Christ. When you first become a Christian, trying to fit in time for daily Bible study and prayer can be overwhelming and scary. Especially when you don't know where to start. But if you take a few minutes each day to be in the Word and spend time talking to the Savior, then you get stronger, and it gets easier. Now, granted...not everyday is easy. There are days where you have so much to do and don't think you can get it in, but the more you practice making that apart of your life, then you find that you're praying ALL the time and continually thinking about the things of God. It's just like with running, you can get great benefits from it, but you have to put in the effort to get up and go. God has promised to fulfill us with His love and salvation, but we have to put in the effort for Him. We have to get up and go! And when we do, the results are uncompromising! I pray that you "get up and go" today as you continue with your walk with Christ. Put the effort into Him, and stand back and watch the blessings fall.

What to do....

So I have a problem. I know this is a total surprise! NOT! I did really good last week (for me) and ran 3 miles 3 times and was feeling really good. Then I ran again on Sunday and was thinking how great it was because I'm leaving for vacation Wednesday and I was going to get in at least 3 runs before I left. Well my body has different ideas I guess because I woke up yesterday nauseated and not feeling good at all. So I finally decided that it would be okay if I didn't run and I would just catch up today. Run for as long as I could and call it good. Well, I'm still not feeling very well. What is the deal?! I NEED to run so I don't get further behind but I don't know if I could run without throwing up. I'm about to do a lot of sitting and relaxing, so should I push myself and just see what I can do? Or do I just ignore the fact that I need to run and concentrate hard on it when I get back? Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated!

God is good...ALL the time!

It is going to be a very busy week and last week was very busy and next week is going to be busy. Do you see a pattern here? While all this busyness is good and helping to further the kingdom of God, it's still busy and hard to get in all the runs we need to. But every time I take the time to do a run, God blesses me. Whether it's by giving me really good conversations with my friend Robin, or showing my parents just how dedicated we are to this purpose, I am blessed by it. I am going to be completely honest though...I don't always enjoy the run. AHHH! Did I say that out loud? While I enjoy the benefits from the run, the actual run itself is not my favorite right now. My knee is very sore right now and making it hard to run without pain. Do you think Satan is at work again? I think so! So I do not allow him to win and I run through the pain because I am doing this for my Lord and Savior and to help further his kingdom. I run for the people who have donated to our cause and believe in us. I run for the kids in Africa who will benefit from this in the long run. I run because running is a sacrifice and I WANT to sacrifice my body and time. Yesterday started our official training and I got an email from Michael Chitwood who is the president of Team World Vision. In his email, there was a video from him and it talked about how this is going to change our lives. That excites me! I want it to change my life and I want it to change my heart. And that is a big challenge from him...to allow this experience to change our hearts. I'm ready Lord! Change me, mold me and break me! I believe that the pain I feel when I run is just a distraction (and nothing compared to the pain Jesus bore) and I need to start focusing on God and not my pain. But speaking of pain...I did run this last week without my ankle brace and feel no pain AT ALL in my ankle. Yee-haw!! See...God is good and answers prayers! Thanks for reading and I hope God blesses you today and I hope you find a way to sacrifice because it brings blessings like you could never imagine!

Sneaky, sneaky...

We had a wonderful weekend (a fast one but wonderful none the less). We went to a family wedding in Eastland, TX and got home last night just in time to enjoy some rain. Anyway, it was our first challenge to fit in a run while trying to be good family members and enjoy our time with them. Jerod had missed two days before we left and I was on a good schedule of run one day, rest one day and we really needed to fit in a run. Especially after spending a lot of time in the car on Friday and Sunday driving back and forth. So my hubby went out and measured 1.5 miles along the access road and then off we went. Let me explain something about Eastland. While it is not Corpus Christi or Houston, it definitely is NOT Amarillo. It is hot (not something too different for me) and humid (VERY different for me). It was about 11:30am and I was hot and sweaty in about the first 5 steps. Oh well...I was running with Jerod and it was going to be great to show him how much better I've gotten in the last week. See, we hadn't run together since he had to lift me up a week earlier but I had run three times since then and just knew I had advanced. He did really well and ran with me and walked with me when I needed to. He told me how good I was doing and tried to push me when he could tell he could get away with it. So we got to our 1.5 mile mark and I'm beginning to think I'm not going to make it. It's hot, I'm sweaty, I have no water and my throat is dry (not easy to run with a dry throat just in case you were wondering) and it is a LONG way back to the hotel. But we turned around and started back and I was determined to finish. Jerod keep looking at me and smiling and asking if I was okay. Very sweet this man is! By the time we finished, I looked pretty scary (just ask any of my family members who saw me) and as we were walking into the hotel Jerod looks at me with this funny grin and says, "Congratulations, you just ran 3.5 miles". WHAT! He tricked me! I didn't believe him at first but I thought how cool that was and just let myself believe him. "Why did you do that?" I asked him. His answer was priceless..."It was an easier place to turn around." And that was it. Driving another 0.2 miles to turn around was easier than just saying 1.5 miles is to the auto store. No let's run to where we can turn the car around even though we aren't in the car, we're on foot! But, he knew what he was doing. It allowed me to know that I can now say that I can run 3.5 miles and that does a lot for me mentally. If I know I have conquered little steps like that, I know I can conquer the BIG ones. Thanks baby for being sneaky...you lift my spirits and make my heart happy...but I will never trust you again when you go out and measure a run for us! : )

GOOD MORNING!

What a refreshing day! And it's not even 8:00am yet! Okay well barely by the time I finish this. I took my first morning run this morning and it was awesome. We decided that in order for me and Jerod to be able to run on busy days like today, I needed to run in the morning and that way he could run at night. He really doesn't like me running at night or real early in the morning but we compromised that if the sun was up, it was okay. So 7am came, and off I went. It is a cool morning with very little wind which was an answered prayer for me. I ran the 3 miles that we have measured out and was back home within 40 minutes. Not bad right? I can't run the whole 3 miles without stopping so don't begin to think too high of me. Jerod can though so feel free to think of him as a superhuman...I'm beginning too. : ) No, I ran for one song, and then walked until I caught my breath and then ran again. I know I probably didn't run as much as I am suppose to right now, but after being off the schedule for a month, this is just what I need. Robin and I have thrown the schedule out the window and decided that we are just going to run 3 miles a day until our official training starts. That gives us 2 weeks to strengthen our bodies and push ourselves a little harder every day. With my injury and with her being sick, we've both missed a lot of our "pre-training" schedule and so this works really well for us. Then our official training schedule starts and we run 3 miles a day for the first 2 weeks except for our "big" runs on the weekend so I think it will work out well. We are still in there trying and doing the best we can for us right now. I truly believe that is all God wants from us...our best. And as we push ourselves a little more every time we run, our best will get better. We are still 4 months away from our 26.2 goal...I know we can do it. That is a lot of training days. Will they all be easy? Absolutely not, but as long as we do our best, then we are succeeding. God Bless You on this wonderful day!

Take two advil and call me in the morning....

I am not completely healed. That is frustrating! Jerod and I went to run our 5min 1 min X 5 schedule last night and I made my first run pretty well but during my second run I started feeling a very familiar pain in my ankle. And this is with my brace on. So half way through my 3rd run, I had to quit because of the pain. AHHH! I grabbed my water bottle and started walking determined that I was going to finish even if I had to walk the rest of the way. After walking two laps I thought I could handle one more run. So I ran one more 5 minute section and then stopped completely deflated and sad. I decided to walk one more lap just to cool down and cry it out on the track. I figured that would be better than showing my husband my failure. Well, that plan didn't work. He saw me crying and told me that I am NOT a failure. He reassured me that for someone who was running just a month after spraining both ankles, I was doing really well. And he also reminded me that we haven't even started our "official" training yet. He convinced me that ANY thing I could do was successful. Wow...God really knew what He was doing when He gave me Jerod. Talk about saying the exact right things at the exact right moment. And knowing that I would take it better from him than anyone else...well, I just have to say, he's awesome. So I know that I'm not a failure and I am doing the best I can and that's all that counts right now. At least I'm doing it. But one thing has occurred to me more than anything...Advil is going to be one of my best friends! : )

A New Revelation

Okay most of you are going to think this is really gross but I have to share in my latest revelation...real women SWEAT! I think I lost 5 pounds yesterday during my run just from the sweat that was pouring out from my body. But the sad thing is when Jerod runs and is that sweaty, it is totally disguisting and wrong and when I'm sweating that bad, it's awesome! It makes me feel like I've accomplished something fantastic! It reminds me that I'm not sitting at home doing nothing physical anymore and I'm out there improving my mind and body. Some might call me selfish, but I love the time I take to be active and my kids do benefit from it. I once thought that if I did anything for myself after having kids that I was neglecting them in some way. Well...my thoughts have changed. I am a firm believer that if you take time out of your day to help better yourself, you are doing them a favor! I'm happier, more energetic, and all around better to be around. I think God expects that from us too. He wants us to take care of our temple and not neglect ourselves. And, it's a huge example for them to understand how important it is to exercise and how there is more to life than T.V. and video games. I understand there are video games out there that are promoting exercise, but let's face it...there is still more that only require a good seat and a "zone out" mode for their brains. Exercise is very important to their developing bodies and it's up to me to show them that! So to everyone out there who says, "I don't have time to put that in my daily schedule"...YES YOU DO! That's what I thought 6 months ago and I was wrong! It's just like anything, if you make it a priority, then it can happen. And it's very much worth it. Oh, and if you're worried about that 5 pounds I lost...don't worry, I replaced it with a brownie last night! : )

confessions of a un-superwoman

Confession time...I am SORE this morning! My legs are very sore but my ankles are more tight than sore...thank goodness! I am soaking them right now and then will stretch them and then ice them down. A regular PT treatment at home! I'm so glad that all we have left in school is reading history because I think I'll be sitting with my legs propped for awhile! : ) So that's all I wanted to write...is how I am NOT superwoman and I am sore. Darn! I sure thought I was....

I did it! Okay, technically, WE did it.

Today has loomed over my head for about a week now. Our team was scheduled to run our first 5K Saturday but with conflicting schedules and rain, we had to postpone. I was a little disappointed because I have hit my two week mark of staying off my feet and not running, and I have been anxious to get back out there. But I was also a little relieved. I have found myself nervous about my first time back out there and this gave me at least one more day of rest. Now granted, I haven't been taking it completely easy. I did swim for a week, rode a stationary bike, and Friday, I finally got back on my elliptical, but nothing compares to getting outside and running. So we rescheduled to run today but unfortunately, Robin woke up sick and we knew we weren't going to be able to run as a team this week. That really stinks because I was very ready to see my teammates and run with them. But, alas, not meant for today. So Jerod and I decided to go run just the two of us at a local high school track. On the way, I couldn't believe that I actually had butterflies in my tummy just like I did before a competitive run in middle school. It just was still so clear to me how bad it hurt last time I ran outside on the payment. But I was prepared with my brace on and my ipod, so there was no backing out. Let's just get this straight...my expectations for myself were WAY too high. I knew that I probably wouldn't make the whole 3 miles without stopping but I did expect to make it at least a few laps before I had to walk. Well....I did make it 2 laps without stopping but realized very quickly how not running for these few weeks was going to affect my progress. My ankles were not hurting and the first two times Jerod lapped me didn't bother me but I was having trouble getting into a rhythm trying to keep up with him. So after about half way through, I knew keeping up with him had to go out the window and I just had to do the best I could do. I got into the rhythm where I ran about 3/4 of the way around and then walked the straight away that was against the wind. Jerod lapped me one more time and finished when I had 3 more laps to go. I almost caved then and quit 3 laps short but he came and started running with me. THAT is why I love team runs. If I had tried to do this all by myself, I would have talked myself into quitting a lot sooner but when I had my teammate next to me cheering me on, it gave me the extra boost I needed. It was in those last 3 laps that I quit thinking about how many laps I had left and how hard it was and I started thinking about the people I was doing this for. I thought about those African people who would benefit, and I thought about my dear friend, Joni, who physically can't run. Oh how she would love to be with us, but right now, a fierce disease has made many physical things incapable for her. But she tells me all the time how she believes in me and hearing her voice in my head was all I needed to keep going. Then God blessed me. I was one lap away from finishing and my all time favorite song came on my ipod. "I Am Free" by Newsboys. For those who don't know the song, the chorus goes a little like this, "I am free to run, I am free to dance, I am free to live for you, I am free!" As it played the last lap, ringing in my ears, I was reminded how wonderful it is to be able to be free. Truly free. Not held down by sin or the world, but truly free to live this life for my Savior. And then I finished. All 12 laps...3 miles. And I had conquered it. I can say that I did it. I didn't let fear win, and I allowed God to show himself to me in a way that I would have missed had I not been out there.

I am beginning to get the feeling that this training experience will really grow me in ways I never thought possible. Physically, yes (well, maybe not...Jerod did buy me a surprise Reese's peanut butter cup as a congratulations...glad my goal isn't to lose weight) but spiritually as well. As long as I get out there and allow Him to speak to me. My friend Karen, an experienced marathoner, had told us that this marathon was very mental as well as physical and I think she definitely knows what she's talking about. But if it's going to be game that's in my head, I'm so glad I have God in there with me. : )

Orange is definitely your color...

I'm so loving watching my husband leave to go run with his Team World Vision shirt on. It is bright orange and you can see it from a mile off. Can't miss it. I LOVE IT! I hope my enthusiasm is that bright and clear when people ask me about our purpose or want to listen to me talk about it. I am so honored to be able to do this to help children half way around the world. I love that this organization is not only sending money over, but that it is being used for such an awesome cause. I don't think I've explained this very clearly to many people, but the money we raise is not just to feed people. It is to buy supplies and give to people that are caregivers. These caregivers are native to this land just like those suffering but they are in a position where they can help those who are sick and hungry. Our money helps them have the resources they need, the supplies they need, and the education they need to help others. They are our hands and feet of this ministry. So this is why I run. (Or swim or ride a bike as I did today.) God is so good and I'm so blessed. Not only because I have everything I need and more, but because I felt the tug. I felt God's hand upon my heart telling me that this is His will. And I am blessed because I get to do this for them. For our Saumu and for Samuel and all the others who are in no condition to help themselves. And I'm blessed because God has taught me a love that reaches over the oceans and across the miles to children and people that I've never met and will never meet. A love that knows no boundaries, no color, no circumstance. HIS kind of love and I am blessed to experience just a little of it. Yes, I think orange is DEFINITELY our color.

If you would like to give to our cause please go to http://www.firstgiving.com/aprilreep or http://www.firstgiving.com/jerodreep

No, this is NOT all in your head...

So I bet you are wondering, if this woman is a self-proclaimed busy mother of two, how does she have the time to write all of this? Well, I don't blame you for wondering but there is a very reasonable explanation. Once Satan realized that negativity from others was not deterring us away from this, he started attacking our bodies. As of right now, there is not one person on our team that isn't physically hurt right now. We have everything wrong from asthma to sore knees but my reason is my own fault. About 3 weeks ago, my kids and I went to my family's ranch for a homeschool ranch day. I insisted that I run there so I didn't get behind on my training. Well, I didn't have many options. It was either a highway that didn't have any room on the sides or on the ranch itself on the smoothest road possible. So I choose the latter and went on my 2.5 run with my dad on his 4-wheeler behind me. It was a great run. The sun was going down, the cattle ran along with me at times and I truly enjoyed being away from the city. But it was very uneven terrain and it wasn't until 2 days later when I was back at home running with my husband that I realized that my ankles were hurting...REALLY hurting. I couldn't run the whole thing and by the time I went to bed that night, I could barely walk. Just ignore it and run on the elliptical and it will get better soon. That was my mindset. Not to be a baby and quit but just run through the pain and get on with my life. It wasn't until about a week later that I watched my husband leave to run without me that I realized I couldn't truly train on an elliptical. I had to go to the doctor and see what was wrong with me. My ankles were about the size of grapefruits and I literally couldn't walk across my house in less than 5 minutes. Like an 80 year old woman is how I was described. So I caved and went to the doctor and found out that I severely sprained both ankles. Wear this brace, stay off your feet and don't run for 2 weeks. What!? I'm training for a marathon and I can't be on my feet! This isn't good. Here I wasn't wanting to miss one day of training and now I'm missing 2 weeks! AGH! Well through this time, I start to learn that one team member has asthma real bad, one hurt her knee and can't run, Robin's knees started hurting pretty severely, Jerod's knee was hurting, etc. Can you see a pattern here?

So here I was, "grounded" as I call it and not able to train. And it was getting to me. I missed the pounding of my heart and the exercise. I was getting depressed and needed to do something. I knew I was still going to run the marathon but I was very afraid that I would fall too far behind to do these kids that I'm running for justice. Thankfully, Jerod's employer has a gym that spouses can use for free that has a pool. Yeah! I talked him into letting me go and the first time I finished, I left that pool with my spirits lifted. With God's help, this was going to get me through til I can train again. So I'm trying to swim at least 3 days a week and do my abs and arm strengthening in between. But the good news is that I can see my ankle bones, I can walk without much pain and I'm actually feeling better. Still grounded but better. And hence the blog. So here I sit on the couch with my feet elevated, computer in lap, rambling about my body. Sorry. But God is good and will see me and the others through because we can do this THROUGH him. I'm including an email I sent Robin after watching "The Biggest Loser" run their marathon that inspired me to the core.

Oh how God is good. Satan is attacking but God is helping us fight back. After I talked to you tonight, I realized how you helped me when I was down and now I had a good day, and I'm able to try my best to help you. I love how we as a team can lean on each other and love each other, support each other and push each other through each temptation. And I guess that's what has hit me watching these people do their marathon was that each hurt, each day of busyness, each frustration is temptation. Tempting us to quit, tempting us to give in or quit trying so hard. BUT...no one ever said it wouldn't hurt, no one ever said that it would be easy, but a whole lot of people have said we can't do it, we are crazy. I KNOW that this is such an awesome opportunity and we are lucky to be able to do it. I just watched a 48 yr old woman who 4 months ago weighed 100 lbs heavier run a marathon (ran the whole thing) in just under 6 hours. I watched a 50-something man walk a marathon with a cane, a cyst on his knee and while it took him a while, he did it. I watched a kid who trained to run it but injured his hip and couldn't run it, walk the entire thing in the same time limit that we have. WE CAN DO THIS!!! Even if we walk the whole way, or 1/2 way, we are going to do this! And we don't have just a few supporters like they did, we have 1.2 million people who are going to give up sleep on a Sunday morning to come out and cheer us on. I guess I'm just saying, keep your head up, keep on going.


Don't worry, not every entry will be this long so please keep checking back for updates and I hope God blesses you as you read this, inspiring you to conquer your "Chicago."

Words from our leader

I copying some words from our team leader, Robin, as she shared with us right after we became "Team Amarillo South". We choose Philippians 4:13 to own as our motto and that will lead to other things for my husband and I later...Here's from Robin:


I shared with Michelle last night that many will think we have lost our minds... we have! But remember, most folks run this for themselves and their own athleticism. We will be doing it for a much greater cause... Jesus and those precious hurting people in Africa. I have chosen the very simple, but profound scripture of Phil 4:13 as our claimed running club motto. "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." Paige said to me earlier today, "that is a LOT of miles... a lot of prayer miles." I loved that last part... PRAYER miles. You can bet God will be listening as we sacrificially give of our time, energies, and bodies to His greater calling in ministry to the least of these. I simply cannot wait to see what He does in each of us through this journey. I have to say, though it is a slow, slow process, already my body is starting to accept that I am once again asking it to run. My mind and body are partnering back up and starting to re-ignite that old love of the run and slowly... very slowly... improving how much of it we can accomplish at a time. My body is older and needs a little more... or a lot more... tlc along the way, but I can't tell you how exciting it is to me each time I finish my run for the day to feel those endorphins flowing. I may be gasping for air along the way, but my body is saying in the end... "this is good." I have wasted several years not caring for my body. I have let stress and the busy schedules be my excuse to neglect the temple of God. How wonderful it feels to slowly begin to reclaim health, while looking forward to the finish line.. not for myself but for those precious kids in Africa.

How I thank God for giving me the motivation to begin again. It is the most exhilarating feeling every step I take to know that I am sacrificing my efforts, my prayers, and my focus to make a difference in the lives of those so deeply hurting. People I will never probably meet on this earth, my efforts may bring hope to. I was thinking today, how great it will be in heaven to have a beautiful brother or sister walk up to me and say, "because you ran, I was touched.... and then I was saved." So wherever you are in this journey... whether running or partnering with us in praying for those of us that are... that is what we are doing for the Kingdom. We ARE going to make a difference. Every prayer, every step, and every dime will not go unnoticed by our Father and He will take it all and use it to changes lives for eternity! WHOO HOO HOO!


Do you see why I love her? Her wisdom and connection with God is something I pray one day I can be a glimpse of. Thanks for reading and I'll write more as our journey goes from, "I know God is listening but I didn't realize how closely the enemy was following us too!"

Why Blog?

Okay, I'm going to be honest. I have been fighting the urge to start a blog for months now because I just didn't feel like my life had anything worth sharing with the World Wide Web. Now don't get me wrong, my kids and family are my life but that's just it, they are MY life and I just wasn't sure I wanted to share them with everyone else on the planet. So, why am I blogging now? Well, let me tell you my story:

Back in March, I attended a children's ministry conference in Chicago with a dear friend that God has so graciously blessed me with. While we were there, we were challenged to consider running a marathon or half-marathon on behalf of children in Africa. Well that's is wonderful! For someone else! I already have two children from Africa that my family supports and that is good enough, right? Besides, I ran in school but SHORT distances. And, I had just discovered that I have 3 bulging discs in my lower back that has been causing me pain for months. I homeschool my children which means I am NEVER without them and I can't train for something like this with them. These people challenging us were very obviously NOT talking to me.

Well, my friend, Robin, decided that they were talking to her. And she asked if I would go to the informational meeting with her later that day to find out more. Sure, it was a free meal, and I never miss an opportunity to hang out with this woman. Well, even though the meeting was very motivational and exciting, I still was not feeling the tug on my heart to do this. But Robin was. Do you see where this is going? We watched a mother of 2 stand in front of us telling her story of how she ran the 26.2 mile marathon. 26.2 miles?! You people are nuts! But, she is a mother of 2 little ones...how did she do that? Well I asked her and it was really simple. Get a babysitter. Well okay but...Well we left the meeting and Robin informed me that I was doing this and we were going to do the 26.2 marathon. Well I understood her reasoning on that. Why go all the way back to Chicago if you aren't going to go all out? I texted my husband, Jerod, on the way out and said, "Me and Robin are going to come back in October to run a marathon for children in Africa. Wanna join us?" He's one of those crazy people that ran cross country in school so he might be interested. Well his reply was, "have fun." Okay so he's not in, and I'm not totally, but I'm now beginning to feel this small pull at my heart. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime April. And it will get you in shape! You need more energy and you'll be running for kids who need help!" It was the kids part that kept getting me. I know how bad their situation is and if I could raise money for them while getting in shape...

Well fast forward a few days. We came home pumped up about this telling everyone in the church about it that weekend. Well let's just say, we didn't get the BEST response ever. But something good was happening...while I was excitedly telling people (and partly still convincing myself) about this opportunity and how they needed to join us on this journey, my husband was watching me carefully. We did get 4 people to agree to join us that weekend but that number would not stay...

Monday morning I get an email from my husband, "I've decided that if you are really going to do this, I think it would be great for us if I joined you." WHAT? Did he just agree to join me in this journey? I couldn't even respond because I really thought he might be kidding. But he wasn't. He came home, we discussed it and decided that it was important for us as a couple and individuals to put ourselves back on the priority list and do this together. All knowing that while there was talk about "us" it was for "them" and ultimately for "Him."

Well, once we committed, Satan started his attack. I can't tell you how many people told us, "People die running marathons." " You are crazy!" Even our own families weren't entirely on board with us. The original 5 we had gotten to agree to join us quickly became 2. For different reasons that are there own, but we were losing team members instead of gaining them. Well we continued on our journey. Our official "pre-training" hadn't started yet so those of us who were "in" started doing a little this and that on our own. I went to the doctor to make sure it was okay...just start on the elliptical he said. It will strengthen my back and knees and with my pain pill, I should be fine.

So here we go...Team Amarillo South...against all odds as first time runners and Satan following us every step of the way...training for "run." That's what we call it now, our "run" or as my kids like to say, "Chicago." And as we start, there are things that happen that are a little mind-blowing and frustrating. And that's why I'm blogging. To tell you the story of Jerod, April, Robin, Amy, Kyla, and a few more that I haven't meet yet and how we will do this. For those precious children in Africa but ultimately for our Lord who will give us the strength we need and because through Him, we can do anything! Future posts to come...