Jogging With Jesus

"Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him and He will help you!" Psalm 37:5 Filled with nerves and anticipation, I put my earphones on and waited for the sound of the cannon. This was it! After starting my jogging journey seven months before and five months of half marathon training, the moment was here. My very first half marathon in Pensacola, Florida! The cannon went off and the crowds of people around me slowly started to move forward. As my music began to play, my nervousness slipped away and I picked up my pace. We looped through a street and suddenly, there was the sunrise over Pensacola Bay in front of me. As I hit the first half mile, "Revelation Song" by Kari Jobe began to play. It was so perfect! I started this journey as a way to grow closer to the Lord and I couldn't wait to spend 13.1 miles praising His Name! "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. Who was and is and is to come. With all creation I sing praise to th...

"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 I know, I know, it's been a month and a half since my last post. The big day of my first half marathon is tomorrow, but instead of focusing on my nervousness and excitement, I want to share the most wonderful news a parent ever gets to share. On October 23, 2013, our sweet son asked Jesus into his heart!  It was after church and AWANA on a Wednesday night. Jack and I were laying in his bed reading stories and had just finished a Bible chapter in the Jesus Storybook Bible . (If you haven't seen or read this children's Bible, look it up! It's amazing and I think it directly affected Jack's understanding of salvation!) After reading about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the next chapter was about Jesus dying on the cross. Jack flipped over and saw a picture of Jesus carrying the cross and he told me, "Mom, Jesus died to ta...

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 Well, I realize I've been somewhat slacking on the blog front. I can barely find the time to run, let alone blog about it! But I'm going to really try to make it a habit again. Our schedule has been packed since school started, but we're finally getting into a routine and adjusting to this new way of life.  I won't lie, I've slacked just a little on my training. The weekend before last, I was supposed to do a 9.5 mile long run. I attempted it mid-morning, outside, and I barely made it two and a half miles before I had to walk home. The heat was unbearable. I am anxiously awaiting the day when our temperatures drop below 80 degrees! I think I'm over the heat and humidity! The week after my failed long run, I didn't run at all. I know,...

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11 Again, it's been awhile since I've last posted, but I've been mentally preparing myself for the beginning of school. My son just started preschool and it's a big adjustment for everyone. But, I know we are just moving forward to a new stage of life and God has a plan for him! A lot has happened with my running over the past couple of weeks. I broke my mile record, twice! My latest record is 8:59, but I won't be running a 9-minute mile in any half-marathons. It's just exciting to know that I can do it, especially since I couldn't run a mile in less than 14 minutes just five months ago!  I also added two miles to my longest distance. The Saturday before last, I ran seven miles in the pouring rain! It actually wasn't quite as m...

"But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears." Psalm 18:6 We had a fun, busy weekend. It was so busy that I didn't get a chance to run on Saturday. But, I did have the chance to spend quality time with my kids and husband, and sometimes I need that more than a jog! Even in the middle of half-marathon training!  After dinner tonight, I went for a 30-minute "maintenance" run. I usually try to do around 2 or 2.5 miles on my weekday runs, but I did 3.2 tonight. It wasn't nearly as hot, so I enjoyed going a little further than usual. Maybe this means I'm slowly making progress! As I jogged, I reflected a little on how far I've come in the last four months. To be honest, I'm pretty excited that I haven't quit by now. Usually when I take a "week off" from something, I end up giving it up completely. Although my upcoming 5k and t...

"But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles." Isaiah 40:31 I know it has been a good long while since I've posted, but there are both good and bad reasons for that. The good reason is that my husband and I were chaperones for our youth group as they spent a week at Student Life camp. I didn't have much time to sleep, let alone write a blog post, but the Lord worked in wonderful ways and the entire week was such a huge blessing. It was wonderful to see our youth group grow and to experience growth ourselves! I went jogging one morning while I was there and on another morning, I took a walk with one of the girls in our group. It was well worth slowing down. I got a chance to get to know her better and she was such a blessing! Now for the bad reason. When we got home from camp, I took a break. I took an entire week off. At first, it was just supposed to be a few days to catch up on sleep, but it quickly tur...

"As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength." Psalm 138:3 We've had a busy week, getting ready for youth camp next week. But, I've stayed on target with my training. While I haven't been walking at least a mile every day like I've intended to, I've kept up with my half-marathon training. For the last week or so, I've been taking the kids to the track to run. My son plays on the playground and I push my daughter in the jogging stroller. Although the heat is miserable, I've wanted my body to adjust to running in warmer temperatures. Plus, the track gives my knees and ankles a break! Lately, the subject of God's strength has been brought to my attention on several different occasions. I've heard of His strength in the stories of Joshua, Gideon, and King Hezekiah. It has taken some time, but I've realized that there are many things I attempt, and fail, to do in my own strength. Sometimes I try to run...

"This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 It's been about a week since I've posted, but our computer had a virus and was being held hostage at Best Buy. I think it was a nice break, though. My hip is feeling much better now. I took two full days off from running and walking, but I picked back up last Saturday. I did three miles instead of four, but I didn't want to push myself too hard and hurt myself again! On Sunday and Monday, I just went on leisurely one mile walks. I went alone on Sunday and really just enjoyed being in the presence of the Lord. There was a nice breeze and I listened to praise music, letting my heart converse with God. It was wonderful and I could feel myself beginning to rest again in His arms.  On Monday, I went on walks with the kids. Jack walked right alongside me in the morning and rode his bicycle in the afternoon. W...

“Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 8:14 To be honest, I debated on whether or not I wanted to publish this blog post at all. It is my heart’s desire that my jogging journey be an encouragement to others in their walk with the Lord, but I know that no one can take me seriously if I only publish the “good” parts and leave out the times when I fail spiritually. So while this post may not be encouraging, I can only pray that the Lord will help me on the path to humbleness. After a long weekend of walking and jogging with my dad, I skipped my maintenance run on Tuesday because I was worn out. I intended to run on Wednesday morning, but the rain and storms had arrived and kept me inside. But, by Wednesday evening, the rain had temporarily cleared and I was ready to lace up my running shoes. According to my running plan, I’m only supposed to run two 30-minute maintenance runs during the...

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 It has been nearly a week since I posted last, but I haven’t been skipping my workouts. In fact, I walked more this last weekend than I have in a long time! Last Thursday, I met up with a friend for an early 30 minute maintenance run. We met around 5:45 a.m. but it was already in the 80's and extremely humid! I can’t help it though. It’s too beautiful here to workout inside! On Friday, my parents arrived for Charlotte’s birthday party. I had previously asked my dad if he wanted to run a 5k with me on Saturday morning, but we decided against it because Charlotte’s party was also in the morning. Instead, we decided to jog my usual path together. We made a trip to the local running store on Friday afternoon and my dad got himself some good running sh...

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 I started my second week of half marathon training this morning and it went pretty well! My Tuesday and Thursday runs are just maintenance runs in preparation for my long jogs on Saturday. So I’m able to take it easy and really spend some time with the Lord.  I set out a little earlier today than usual. I was out of the house right before 5:30 and it made such a difference with the heat. Getting up 30 minutes earlier was definitely worth it! I’ve been struggling lately with some serious frustration. I feel like I keep praying and praying for God to take something away for me, but at the same time, I try to find solutions and take care of it myself. Yesterday, a good friend pointed out to me that God is...

"Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath." Deuteronomy 8:18 It was just 3 months ago that I had a moment of extreme conviction from the Holy Spirit. I wasn't taking care of my body the way that I should and the Lord let me know that He wanted me to fix it. With His help, I began a journey to better myself physically and though it has been hard, the Lord has been with me every step of the way. This week, I faced another moment of extreme conviction from the Holy Spirit. I've started a new Bible study and on the very first day of homework, the author, Priscilla Shirer, pretty much asked if there was anything in my life hindering my relationship with God. I know it might sound crazy, but the answer is yes. The one thing that hinders my relationship with God the most is social media. To be more specific, Facebook! Facebook can be a positive t...

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 So, it's official. I'm registered for the Disney Princess Half-Marathon in February 2014! I'm pretty anxious about it, since I've never walked/ran over about four miles, ever. But, I'm determined to do it! I'm technically not supposed to start training until the first week of October, but I started this week. My hope is that I can run the Pensacola Half-Marathon in November and prove to myself that I can make it 13.1 miles!  I'm using the Jeff Galloway run/walk method and training program. Every Tuesday and Thursday I run maintenance runs and on Saturday, I do my long runs. Right now, a 5k is a long run to me! So I'm interested to see how this is going to go! I have faith that I can do it, though! As long as I keep God as my focus while I'm running, I believe I could make it through a full marathon, if I ever decided to do it...

"So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do." 2 Thessalonians 1:11 Since I started this blog, I've tried to post every time that I run. After completing my first 5k last weekend, I took a few days to rest and to be honest, I wasn't all that excited about getting back to it. Although I've grown to love jogging, it was a little nice not having to go out in the heat and run! But, I fought the urge to  be lazy and got out on Wednesday night. I knew I had another race coming up and I was hoping to at least do a little better than the week before! Even though I was tired, we ran pretty well on Wednesday night. We finished 3 miles in 32:25, with a pace of 10:46. But, it was painful! Even after dark, the humidity and heat were intense. It left me the tiniest bit discouraged because my next race was going to be a night race...

"Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 Well, today was the day. I ran my first 5k! I unfortunately had to walk part of it, due to the heat and humidity, but I finished strong with a time of 34:33 and a mile pace of 11:07.  This was the first time I've ever run/jogged/walked over 2.5 miles. So just completing 3.1 miles in itself was an accomplishment! Even though I had to walk part of the way, I'm proud of myself for listening to my body's cues and not pushing myself too hard and getting injured.  Most of all, I'm so thankful for the close relationship I've developed with the Lord throughout this journey. While I was at first tempted to quote Philippians 4:13 on this triumphant day, I felt led by the Holy Spirit instead to reflect on 2 Corinthians 12:9.  In the last ten weeks...

"For the Lord has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7 We were very excited last night, thinking we were going to get to run in the rain, but no such luck. It rained for maybe half of a lap and that was all! But, a tropical storm by the name of Andrea is headed this direction. I am officially registered for a 5k this weekend and although I think it would be hard to run in serious rain, I also think it could be quite fun! How many people can say they ran their first race in a tropical storm? :) Yesterday was somewhat of a traumatic day for my son and I. My four year old suffers from food allergies and for the first time in his life, I had to take him to the emergency room because of a peanut reaction. I think I was in a state of shock for most of the day, but by bed time I was a nervous wreck. I was consumed by fear and guilt. For as long as I've known about his allergies, I've taken every precaution to prote...

"The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." Exodus 14:14 So for a bit of disappointing news, the 5k I intended to run this Friday was cancelled due to a lack of volunteers. There is another 5k on Saturday, but I still haven't decided if I should go ahead and run or wait for the free 5k I'm signed up for next Friday.  I'm really anxious to get through my first race, so I may just sign up for the one this weekend! I feel like I'm just full of disappointing news today. On top of a cancelled 5k, I had the bright idea to run an hour after eating six chocolate chip cookies and drinking a Coke. Can you say bad idea? I don't usually drink caffeine after lunchtime, but for some reason, I lost my mind tonight. I was only able to jog for 18 minutes before the pain under my ribs became too much for me. Luckily, I didn't beat myself up too  much for quitting. I learned my lesson and won't be making that mistake again! A friend and I re...

"And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak." Matthew 12:36 I'm just 6 days away from (hopefully) running my first 5k! I'm praying that enough people volunteer to help so that it doesn't get cancelled. I'm becoming less nervous and more excited as the day draws closer.  First of all, I faced my fear of running in front of other people. In fact, I ran with two people tonight! Besides running alongside them, there were several other people on and around the track. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be! Also, I'm confident that I can make the full distance! I've been so afraid I wouldn't be able to run the entire way, but tonight we finished 2.8 miles in 26:45 minutes, with a pace of 9:38! I couldn't believe it! My personal record was 11:07 and I ran nearly 2 minutes faster than that tonight! I'm still giddy with excitement! I seriously never thought I'd see the d...

"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10 I enjoyed a new experience on my jog last night: jogging with a friend! I typically jog alone because it's my quiet time with the Lord, but I think spending time encouraging and being encouraged by others is important as well. We actually did quite well in our run. We ran 2.5 miles in 30:51, with an average pace of 12:19. We were both excited! The night was cool, our run was enjoyable, but most of all, we shared some great conversation. (The fact that we could talk while we were running still amazes me!) I think we as women often forget how important we are to the Lord. We get so caught up in our feelings of insecurity that we forget that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14) God created us just the way we are for a purpose. He wants to use us if we will just let Him! I love r...