My Runaversary

One year ago around this time (not sure the exact date, I think it was the 25th of June) I started the Couch to 5K Treadmill training. I ran on the treadmill for 9 weeks. Then I started running outside around September 3. So I thought this would be a good time to look back over the year and see what has changed and what hasn't. 

What started me running? A friend signed up for a 5K. Believe it or not, it sounded delicious, the Hot Chocolate 5K. That was a little less than eight months away and I had not been training at all, or running at all, or even walking. I started the Couch to 5K treadmill and the journey began. It was easy to do because it started me off slowly. I did more walking than running until at the end of the nine weeks I was running the whole time except five minutes warm up and five minutes cool down. I decided I better take it outside since I had heard it was far different than running ON a treadmill. That is the truth. 

For a couple of months I was running in the mornings before 6 a.m. That was really hard on me but I had to be back at home for work by 7. My husband was going with me. He wasn't a runner then, he was mostly walking but started running a little bit here and there each time we went. (He is now a full out runner, runs up to 5 miles at a time.) After that I started going a little later in the morning by myself or in the afternoons. The cooler weather was a challenge because the mornings were cooler than later in the day. But if I covered my ears the cold didn't bother me after I started running. 

My first 5K was in early February. It was pretty cold that day but I didn't feel it until way after I was finished running. The feeling I got during the race was like nothing else I had ever felt. I actually ran faster during the race than I normally do. I managed to keep running the whole way with only two 5-10 seconds where I slowed down to a fast walk for a drink. I felt amazing. There is just something about running with a bunch of people even though a LOT of them were only walking. 

Right after that race I decided I needed to find my next race so that I would not quit. I had to have something to work towards. My older daughter and I signed up for the Color Run in early April. I had two months to keep training, it was still a 5K. I knew I could slack off and not keep running if I wasn't diligent. There were days I didn't run that I was supposed to. When the second race day came I was super excited again and my daughter was even more so. It was so much fun. We enjoyed the before "party" and the after "party". 

My third 5K was one that our family did to support the purchase of Bibles for a mission group. It was in May, Mother's Day weekend. I didn't run as much as I should have in the month between those races and it really showed in my performance. I did finish but I stopped more than I did in other races. And there weren't as many runners as in the big races so I think that had something to do with it. Maybe the big crowds of runners help motivate me. 

I am signed up for the Hot Chocolate 5K again in February. I plan on signing up for a night run in September but haven't yet. I know that I need to sign up for at least two races between now and February. Maybe more. I feel wonderful after a run and after a race. Somewhere along the line I forgot that I WANT to run and got it in my head that I HAVE to run. Sometimes our minds don't allow us to do the things we THINK we HAVE to do. Time to readjust my thinking. I WANT to run because it makes me feel great and because it is good for me; heart, mind and soul. 

After a year where am I physically? I have lost some weight, but mostly I have built muscle that weighs as much as I did before. I am in a little smaller clothes on good days. I managed to NOT be bothered by asthma during my winter runs, which I thought was amazing. My heart palpitations were almost nonexistent. Sadly because I have not been running regularly over the past couple of months I can no longer say that. Another great reason to get back into it. Some of the weight (fat) has come back because of my lack of running. Fat isn't healthy, that is why I want it gone. It isn't about a number on a scale or a number on my clothes. It is about taking care of my body because it is a temple. I am getting rid of my scales (putting them away). I am going to focus on doing things that make me feel good about myself and improve my health. That includes eating even better and working out when I am able. 

I am looking forward to seeing where I am at my next runaversary. I am going to work on a list of goals and will post them this weekend. 

Changing my life one day at a time.  

Summer Break

Our summer break started the beginning of June, with summer camp. We have a great time at camp each year. This was her last year at Children's Camp. We got to spend time with good friends while we were there. (I went to camp with her as a 7th grade leader.) Next year she will be going to youth camp. How can that be? The elementary school years have passed so quickly. She spent so much time in the pool that she got a bit too much sun on her nose. She did the swim test this year so she got to jump off the board. She also did the zipline for the first time. She was so scared. But she LOVED it. I am so proud of her for facing some of her fears. 

Youth camp was directly after Children's Camp. He had a GREAT time, as always. He spends a lot of time doing things on the waterfront and at the pool. He didn't burn much but did get darker. He did some really crazy "boy" things at camp that make a mom say "what?". He came home alive so I suppose that is what matters. While us girls were at camp his dad bought him a bow and arrow set. He has really been wanting to work on those skills. It is a really nice set. We just need to find him a nice quiver to hold the arrows. He will be doing a few home improvement projects with his dad over the summer and the coming year. 

I am working on a list of things I want to teach my kids this coming year and through high school. We are working on his high school plan right now, since he enters 9th grade this fall. I am working on some things for her, as well, since she starts junior high. It is so hard for me to think about there only being 4 and 6 more years to teach my kids the things they need to be healthy, successful adults. 

I am going to try to post some great stuff from summer on here. Also, keep a better blog record of school from now on. We are super excited to start a new curriculum, Easy Peasy All In One Homeschool. The awesome thing is that it's all online and it's all FREE. Yep, you read that right, FREE. Of course, they accept donations and we will donate yearly, sometimes more often, to help keep this great program available to those that want and need it. Please check it out if it is something you might be interested in. It goes all the way from PreK to high school. She is working on the high school classes now. She hopes to be finished with 9th grade by fall, yay. 

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

Our Mission Church: Fuller Street Fellowship

This is our mission church, Fuller Street Fellowship. We started out in an apartment but someone donated this church building, a mission house and a house, since fall of 2012. We now meet here each week, three times a week. The mission house in the middle is used by visiting missionaries. The house on the end is used by the family we have served with for the past 7 years. 

Behind all three buildings is a large play area. We have fellowships out there but the kids also go outside after the lesson when the adults aren't finished yet. The whole thing is fenced off. 

The little girl in the picture has been a part of our mission church since she was about 18 months old. Many of the families from the old apartment church followed us to our church building. It is great to have old families and new families joined together to worship the Lord and learn more about Him. 

This is a view of the mission house and the other house. As you can see, the fence goes around the whole property. 

This is the inside of the big room in the church. We sing songs in Spanish and then the children go into separate rooms for Bible study and then outside to play. 

The younger elementary and older preschoolers go in one room. (There are rooms for the even younger children, too. On Wednesday nights there are more families that come so the amount of children and rooms needed is larger.) Our other co-teacher, Mr. Ed teaches that group. 

John and I are in the room with the older elementary kids. Sometimes we stay in and do puzzles and color but most of the time they kids like to go outside after we are done with the story. 

On Monday nights there is an ESL class that John teaches. It is a big class and they are enjoying it a lot. Jennifer goes and helps with the kids.