Friday, September 14, 2012

Desires Of Your Heart

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4




Do you know the verse? What do you think it means? What has it come to mean to you? I would love to share the insight the Lord gave me this morning on my daily run in the park. I have said many times that running has never been my thing. Whenever anyone mentioned running my automatic response has always been "I can't run". I honestly believed I couldn't. I was terrible at it in school and never realized that I could take it slowly and get better at it or even want to run.

Here is where this verse comes in. The Lord has created in me a desire to run. He has shown me that it is something I want to do and can get better at. Eleven weeks ago, God placed a new desire in my heart. It started as a little glimmer of an idea from a friend who said she was going to run in a 5K in February. All of a sudden, it sounded like an awesome idea. I wanted to do that. I looked up the Couch to 5K and found a treadmill version. I spend the next 9 weeks running on that treadmill at the pace they set forth for each of the three days a week. I even added a day or two each week from time to time. I didn't JUST run the three days a week that I had to on the plan but I even chose to run MORE than required. ME. Running. WOW! 

I have to say that running outside has really changed things in another way. I don't just want to run because it is what I am supposed to do because I signed up for the 5K already. It is something I get up extra early to do and even WANT to do. I have even added to the amount of time and distance that I am running. I use a new app that helps me keep up with it and I push myself because I know I can do it and feel wonderful afterwards. I have been running outside for two weeks now. 

Can I picture myself running a 10K? Before today, I couldn't. But since I ran 4 miles today, who says I can't up that and actually run 6 miles at some point? I CAN do it! I know if I keep running each week and increase my time little by little I can also add to my distance in the hour that I have to run. It has become a desire of my heart. 

As I was running this morning, a joy filled my heart as I listened to my worship music (I spend my run time worshiping the Lord every step of the way). I realized that HE put the joy in my heart to run, the desire. And I realized that when I decide ahead of time what I am going to do, I do it. On Wednesday, I decided before my run that I would run the whole 3 miles without stopping. Today, I decided before my run that I could run the extra two laps and run the 4 miles. I didn't let myself quit because I made the choice before I got out there. I even got up five minutes earlier so I would have extra time to run if I ran at a slower pace. I actually ran at a faster pace than the other times so I was able to complete the 4 miles in under an hour. 

It is my desire to become stronger and healthier so I can live a longer and better life with my family. I have changed the way I eat and changed the way I move. I am making small but long term changes in the way I live and how my body looks. I can't wait to get to the weight I am going to stay at. But that will not be the end of the road on this running journey. It will only be the beginning. Thanks for coming along on the ride with me and cheering me on. It means a lot. 

Changing my life, one day at a time. 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

First Day of School 2012

We started back to school on September 4 after a wonderful family getaway with a group from church. It was great to get away before we started back full force. Our curriculum has not changed for the new school year. We LOVE the stuff we have used the last two years and plan on using it through High School. The kids will be doing school pictures later this week but we managed to get in the "first day of school" picture on the second day of school. 

We got the kids new laptops this year so that they can look up the things our curriculum tells them to but they can do it at the table with me and we can share the information learned right then. Also, I wanted them to be able to do their math (they have a video at the beginning of each lesson) when they were ready and not have to wait for someone to get off the computer. So far, so good. We have been able to do many things for school on them and they enjoy using them in their free time, as well. 

We started reading through the Little House books and are almost finished with book two, Farmer Boy. We have some great books that we will be reading this school year and I look forward to sharing them with you. 


That is our progress report for today. Thanks for stopping by.


Friday, September 7, 2012

Couch to 5K Update

I thought I should update my progress since I started my Couch to 5K treadmill workout ten weeks ago. The workout itself was a nine week program. I was able to work up to running for 3 miles by week 9. The time it took for my workout was 50 minutes with 5 minute warm up and cool down, so 40 minutes of running. After I completed that, a friend recommended that I run outside if I was going to run in a 5K race since running outside is so different. I really didn't understand how it could be so different.

Running outside is VERY different than running on a treadmill. 

My usual running days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday (with an added run in the evenings one or two nights a week if I feel up to it). But we went on a family getaway for the Labor Day weekend and returned on Monday afternoon. We didn't get up and run (I didn't anyway) because I didn't bring running clothes. But I did spend an hour in the pool two days in a row and did exercises while I was swimming. We also went for walks most days. I took my little blender and made my breakfast smoothies instead of eating the wonderful smelling pancakes they made each morning. I did eat candy that weekend which is why I only lost .2 pounds this week. But I did loose thanks to the small things I did and the running I did when I got home.  

We have figured out that in order to get our run in and be back home for the first daycare kids to arrive at 7 I have to get up before 6 a.m. and head out as quickly as possible. Those who KNOW me KNOW I am not an early riser. I am usually a night owl. But I have had to change that in order to make my life work and not be running on empty (and I mean that figuratively not literally). But you also have to remember what I said about NOT being a runner either. So this is totally out of character for me. But it is becoming me. 

This week we ran Tuesday and Thursday mornings. My husband figured out approximately how many laps around the park it is for one mile. I have to run eight laps to reach three miles. I have not been able to run the whole eight laps yet without walking but I do keep going and start running again as soon as I can make myself. I usually run the whole first and last laps with minimal walking on the other six. It is my hope that I can run the whole things in a few weeks and even run more laps in the hour I have to run each day. 

I am thirty-six pounds away from my goal weight now (I had about 56 pounds to loose when I started this blog last December). Some important dates ahead are goals for major accomplishment. There are eleven and a half weeks until my birthday, twenty-one weeks until the Hot Chocolate 5K and twenty-eight weeks until my 30th wedding anniversary. I am doing well with my Weight Watchers. I have lost weight each week since I got serious about it. My goal is to become a "Lifetimer" and not have to pay to weigh in each month but to have that accountability that I so need. I need to keep it in front of my mind so that I won't go down this road again and have to take the weight off AGAIN!   

I will measure again at the end of the nine weeks of outside running, which is in eight weeks. It is my hope that I will be down another jean size! I was in a size 14 when I started this blog. I am now in size 10's. That alone makes me smile. I have lost 10 inches so far. At the end of the eight weeks I think my reward for completing it will be to buy myself some new running clothes and shoes. I have walking shoes and would love a nice pair of running shoes. I think that is a good goal reward. 

Changing my life, one day at a time.