Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Cinderella Mom

If you think Jesus would have come into your home that day and not issued a strong rebuke to the head of household, you are mistaken. These words of condemnation have been haunting me for days now. They aren’t all that different than the soundtrack I play in my head on an almost-daily basis. It’s…

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This is 40

I am nesting. On Saturday I emptied the refrigerator. Last summer’s homemade pickles in their jars. The bread ends that seem to multiply on every shelf. The eggs. The milk. The fruit and veggies. All of it sat on the floor or the counter as I carefully removed the shelves and wiped them down with…

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Beauty on the Backroads {or Why I Changed the Name of my Blog}

I’ve heard that life is like a highway. And it definitely seems like that sometimes. The pace of life swirls around me at dizzying speeds. We’re all so busy. In such a hurry. Always somewhere to be, something else to do. I’m a get-to-the-point, get-there-quick kind of girl. I don’t like to waste time on…

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Looking ahead

Week 3, Day 3. One-third of the way to our 5K. We ran a new route today, which took us past the seminary and our church’s denominational headquarters, which means we saw lots of people we know as we ran today. Even though we’ve been talking about it, and I’ve been blogging about it, having our friends see us running or walking with the jogging stroller was different. Like we finally went public with our new sport/hobby.

My legs are feeling it more today. Stretching was, well, a stretch today. The kids were a bit cranky and needed some attention just before we left and after we got back. We ran around lunch time again today, not something we’re planning to make a habit of, but we’re being flexible to make sure we get three runs in a week with some rest times in between. So, I feel like I could have had better quality stretching. But I can’t complain too much. I can still walk.

Two days till our next run, the start of another new week. So, we looked ahead to see what we’ll be doing next. It’s starting to get serious. In less than two weeks, we’ll be running two miles. What????!!!!!  One day at a time. I don’t think I’ve ever run two miles. I’m a little freaked out but excited at the same time.

Do you remember your first mile or two miles of all running and no walking? How did you prepare yourself mentally for it, and what did you feel when you were finished?

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor hail, nor dark of night …

Week 3, Day 2. Rain again today. And cold. Not sure it was even 50 degrees when we set out today. The kids were cozy in the stroller and had fun playing with the raindrops that landed on the outside of the windows. We didn’t think twice about canceling today’s training. We couldn’t. We had to adjust our schedule this week to get three runs in because of some early morning commitments later in the week, and if we waited for a clear, non-rainy day, we’d lose our opportunity. As we walked for our warm-up (which by the way is inaccurate terminology on a day like today; I don’t think I ever actually warmed up.) and were pelted with cold rain drops, I thought of a friend of ours who is known for her walks around town. Cold, rain, snow, heat, whatever the element, since we’ve lived here, we would see her pass our house on her daily walk. Some days, days like today, I’d think, “She’s crazy.” Today, we were the crazy ones. My husband agreed. And we passed our friend’s house. If she had seen us, I wonder if she would have said the same thing.

This running thing, it’s kind of a crazy thing, and I’m glad to be called such. We had a great training session. My only complaint was that my legs and knees didn’t appreciate the cold, or the downhill that we usually run uphill. I’m still tinkering with the running wardrobe. Today, I wore a long-sleeve tee under a regular tee and shorts. I might have been OK with the pants today. I added a hat for the first time, which was a big benefit to being able to see in the rain. The last time we ran in the rain, I was blind by the time we finished. Today, I still had sight when we were cooling down.

I’m amazed at how determined I am to do this, even in the rain and the cold. I think having a goal at the end helps. Or maybe it’s more than that. Maybe I’m getting this discipline thing. Or the commitment thing. That you stick with a plan no matter the obstacles you face. You tough it out for the reward at the end. Applies to running. Applies to marriage. Applies to life.

For those of you reading, you inspire me with your stories and advice and encouragement. You’ve been there, and I see that I can get there. I can’t wait.