taking thoughts captive (52 in 52) and my new kicks!

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God; and we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

My high school/college Sunday school teacher used to talk about this verse a good bit. She was very real in telling us her struggles and weaknesses. Mrs. Rita died after battling breast cancer several years ago, but her legacy still lives on! She once challenged our class in high school to memorize the Fruits of the Spirit during one of our units - I can still say them all for you! (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control -- Thank you, Mrs. Rita!)

This verse has been very real to me lately. However, I never really knew (or paid attention to?) the first part of it, but I love it.

As human beings, our minds are great at justifying our actions and making excuses for ourselves. We argue with God and tell Him that of course we're right in what we're doing. We justify unhealthy friendships, thoughts that spur from low self esteem and limited confidence, damaging behaviors, and anything else in-between. But when we stop arguing and listen to God, we see the truth. We see His leading and His guidance. He starts to break our arguments apart and forces us to view the true problem at hand.

So, when I start thinking that I'm not good enough or pretty enough, I take those thoughts captive and remember Who made me. And why He made me. He didn't make me to marry someone or turn heads. He made me to worship Him and bring praise to His name. Period.

And I think of Mrs. Rita every time it comes to mind. Such a special lady, she was!

2 Corinthians 10:5 was my verse for this week's 52 in 52. I didn't have a chance to post about it earlier in the week because our family had a very exciting, very tiny addition this week! Jennifer, my sister, had her fourth child on Tuesday afternoon! Little Tobias William (Toby for short) is a perfect little man. :) This week was full of baby holding and older children watching for me, and sleepless (but very blessed!) nights for my sister. Please pray that little Mr. Toby learns to sleep in his bassinet very soon!

This week was also exciting because I received my new running shoes! They're Vibram Five Fingers, and I love them!! I ran in them for the first time today, and it went really well. I set my sights pretty low and planned on running only 1.5 miles in case the shoes weren't working out very well for me. However, after running those 1.5 miles, I decided to keep going. I ended up running 3.26 miles in about 34 minutes. This is still not the pace I'm wanting, but I will get there!

I tried on a pair of Five Fingers at a store before Christmas and was warned that they would kill my calves when I first started wearing them. Umm, yeah. Let's just say that I most definitely found that to be very accurate! Ouch! I'm doing lots and lots of stretches for my calves today. :)

And one more Mrs. Rita story to close the post. When we would go on youth trips, we would usually end up "staaaaarving" by the time lights out came around. Of course, we'd tell Mrs. Rita that we needed something to eat, and her response was always the same. "If you're hungry late at night, that means you just need to go on to bed!"

I still try to follow this simple rule to late night snacks, although not always successfully. Mrs. Rita surely was full of wisdom (of many kinds)!



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rambling (what I do best)

I ran my 5k today! I'll be honest and say that it was rather boring. I'm afraid my neighborhood is going to be a boring place to run if I plan on running more than 1 or 2 miles at a time. I'll most likely start running in the Country Club more often again. A friend of mine lets me park at her house, so I just park and then run (my route is about 3 miles, but I can make it longer if I want). There's a good mixture of hills and flat runs.

Anyhoo, so my run. I did a tad over 5k in 34:48. I'd like to think it's a bit longer because there were some pretty fierce hills to scale, and then I had to stop at one point to let someone back out of their driveway. I was afraid they didn't see me, so I waited patiently for them to move on.

Overall, it was a good run. The more I get out there and run, the more I'm reminded of why I enjoy it so much.

Three more weeks until my next 5k race! I think my goal will be to run it in under 32 minutes. That's probably more realistic than shooting for 30 minutes!

After my run today, I decided to pull out my Wii Fit. I think it's literally been a year since I've done anything with it, but I had fun! I've decided to do at least the Yoga part after my runs, and then do everything (Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, and Balance) on my off days. We'll see how long that one lasts though. :)

Oh yeah!!!  I ordered a pair of Vibram FiveFingers shoes! YAY! I'm so very excited. I've wanted a pair for awhile now, but they're so stinking expensive! Well, I got bored earlier and decided to see if I could find a good deal on a pair, and I ended up getting them for $43 shipped from Moosejaw!  WOO! That's like 1/2 off, I think! I can't remember if the pair I got is normally $80 or $90. Either way, I'm super excited!!! (I said that already though...) Can't wait until the come in the mail. :)

Happy running!



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Running: the good, the bad, and ...the stinky

So, there are definitely some things that I love about running, some things I could do without while I run, and also some things that are down right stinky...literally. Let's start with the good first, shall we?

I love the feeling of exhilaration right after a good (or even bad at times) run. I think that's what is addicting for me. Such a rush!

I love the fact that Tim Tebow keeps telling me that I had a nice run on my Nike+ GPS app. It's happened three times now! And honestly, that may be the only name I've recognized. (They have a famous person tell you that you did a great job after each of your runs, and I usually have NO clue who the person is!)

I love running a race for a good cause.

I love this one little dog that is in a fenced in yard on one of the roads I run in my neighborhood. He barks his little head off at me, and he jumps so that he's almost above the fence even though he's a little ankle biter. It cracks me up every time I run by. I almost stopped to take a picture of him today, but I'm not fond of stopping while I run.

And of course, I love that my clothes seem to get bigger after I've been running consistently. (Although I'm still waiting for that one to happen right now!)

The bad...

Although I love that one little jumping bean of a dog, I do not enjoy big scary dogs that bark at me while I'm running. Although all of the dogs in my neighborhood are in fences (except one, and he has an electric collar), I have this crazy fear of them jumping the fence (or bounding through the electric fence) and attacking me. I just try to look straight ahead and not make any eye contact. That helps, right?

I do not enjoy people that do not go to the other side of the road while they're driving past a runner. Safety first, people!

And the stinky...

Monday is stinkday around here...otherwise known trash day in my neighborhood. If you know me in person, then you know that I have something called trashcanophobia. I avoid touching them at all costs, and when I must, I use a napkin. So, when I'm running on Mondays and trying to avoid the numerous trashcans lining the road, I have to hold my breath every few cans. Of course, not all trashcans stink, but the ones that do...really do. Yuck!

Another time that I have a hard time breathing is when a car drives by with someone smoking in it. No offense to anyone reading this that may smoke, but I find it rather stinky to inhale a lung full of secondhand smoke while I'm running. Maybe it makes me run a bit faster though!

Car exhaust is up there with cigarette smoke. It seems to linger longer though. I've almost turned around to run away from the stink before!


So, let's end with a love! I loved running 2.15 miles today in about 22 minutes! This is a much better pace than I've had since I started back. I'll run 5k tomorrow, and hopefully it'll be much closer to 30 minutes than it was a week ago! I'll let you know what happens. :)



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psst

I ran again today.

1.51 miles

(that 0.01 counts for something, right?!)



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existing (52 in 52 wk 7)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I life by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Have you ever had a thought, an epiphany so great that it just made you stop dead in your tracks and think? Like, really and truly like about its meaning. And then when you go to explain this epiphany to someone, you have a hard time putting into words what your heart and mind were just conceiving to be absolute truth?

Yeah, that's how I'm feeling right now. I'm having a hard time coming up with the words to explain this great revelation I've had. When I looked at this verse to be my 52 in 52 for week 7 (this week), I was stilled by a note I had jotted down.

In my Bible, I have written in the margins beside this verse, "live = exist!!!" (Yes, there are three exclamation points in there too. :) So, let's look at it with the word "exist" instead of "live" ...

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer exist, but Christ exists in me. The life I live in the body, I life by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Dwell on that for a moment or two.

I no longer exist. Christ exists in me.

No wonder I had three exclamation points there! That's a mind blowing concept. When I think about my day to day life, is Christ truly existing in my life? Am I allowing Him the freedom to live through me?

I'm coming up short with ways to explain what this verse means to me. However, when I've been working on this verse yesterday and today, I can't get the word exist out of my mind. It seems so much more grand than live. I don't know why, but it does.

If I find that I've come up with better words for my thoughts, I'll share them with you. I'm sure you'll be anxiously awaiting another post! ;)

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In other, totally unrelated news, I ran 2.5 miles today. Well, it was actually 2.65 miles, but we don't have to be that technical, right? ;) I'm just proud that I was able to get through it with little troubles! I had a few "Oh gravy! There goes my knee!" moments, but I think they're mainly due to me figuring out my form again.

Tomorrow is a 1.5 mile run. Gotta keep myself moving!! :) I'm signed up for the Get Your Rear in Gear 5k on March 10th, and I'm also running the Cooper River Bridge Run again this year on the 31st! Yay!! It feels great to be at it again. I've missed it.

Happy Monday, my friends.

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Cupid's Cup & my inspiration (aka my grandma)

Do you ever do something simply because it makes you think of someone you love?

Maybe you go to a particular restaurant or sit in a certain pew at church - all because that special someone liked going there or used to sit there. Maybe it's something that honors that person and helps you remember them in a special way.

That's what the Cupid's Cup 5k race is for me. This race benefits heart conditions. My grandma died [partly] due to congestive heart failure in December of 2009. In February of 2010, my cousin Cindy and I ran our first 5k together - The Cupid's Cup. I ran it again in 2011 (Cindy couldn't because she had a broken tail bone. Ouch!). Today, I ran it with Cindy.

All for my grandma.

She was such an amazing lady. Her love for my grandpa was so obvious and loud. She loved him and love him for years. When Grandpa was put in a nursing home in the summer of 2005, she didn't let it stop her from spending everyday with him and taking care of him as best as she could. She drove herself to the nursing home every single day for 4 years. She sat with him, made sure the nurses were taking care of him as best they could, and of course, there were often some times that she nagged him. The nagging was most definitely out of love though.

Even when Grandpa's mind started to slip and he didn't act like himself, still she drove to be with him everyday. Even when Grandma started getting sick herself, she insisted that we drive her to see Grandpa each day. She loved him with a strong love. Through the good and the bad, she loved him. And he loved her.

When it was obvious we were not able to care for Grandma the way she needed cared for anymore, she went to stay in the same nursing home as Grandpa. On the day Grandma died, Grandpa was taken to see her. He knew she wasn't doing well. So they sat together in the quiet. In the silence of what they knew was happening.

That night, Grandma went to see her Creator. She was also reunited with her oldest son, my Uncle Mike. Oh what a great day of rejoicing that was for her. Grandma was in the presence of her Savior, she no longer felt pain from missing her son, and she was able to walk without growing tired again. 

This morning, I may not have ran my fastest 5k. However, I did run beside a great friend and cousin, and together we ran for Grandma. 

It was a great race. Can't wait until next year!

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52 in 52

"Everything is permissible," but not everything is beneficial; "Everything is permissible," but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

1 Corinthians 10:23-24

I'm about to fall asleep sitting here, so I'm off to bed. I wanted to at least share this week's 52 in 52 verse!

Happy Wednesday!



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international readers

I was just fiddling around on blogger, and I figured out how to see where people are that read my blog.  People from China, Russia, Germany, Australia, Canada, Guatemala (hey, Darby!!), and umm...a couple other places...have read my blog!  WOW!!  That's so cool. Of course, most of the readers are from the United States, and most of those page views probably include my momma (hi, Mom!).  It's still neat to see where people are though!

So, hi everyone!!!  Happy Saturday. :)

PS - I've changed the name of my blog, and the layout will change soon as well!  I'm now at itsahootofalife.blogspot.com (no more roadrunnerwannabe). I figured since I've been posting more about life in general instead of specifically about running, I should change things up a bit. :)




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God or gods? (52 in 52)

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.  Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in His sanctuary. 

Psalms 96:4-6

So, what is a god? With a little g, not a big G.  I know who God is.  He's my Father, my Creator, my Lord. He is my Hope.

But a god? What is that? Or who is that? Of course, I know the context in which it was used in this Biblical setting.  They were the gods of the nations - the idols the people worshiped. But God's scripture is alive, right? So, in today's context, what is a god?

That question could be answered different ways depending on who you asked. Some people may treat their job as a god; it's an idol that they worship and honor above all else. Some people may treat their spouse as a god, someone who they idolize in an unhealthy manner. And the answers continue: money, children, beauty, possessions, houses, etc. Is it wrong to like these things and enjoy them?  Most definitely not! I like money and the things that it allows me to have. However, if I put money (and making money) before everything else in my life, it would be my god, right?  These gods are only idols. When we idolize these things, they can quickly ruin our lives on so many levels.

Let's think about the big G now - our God, our Maker, our Lord. He made the heavens. I love that part of the verse! It's such a kick in the face to the little g gods. It's like, "Those gods, they're just idols made my men! But my God, my Father - HE MADE THE HEAVENS!!!" Amazing.

That was my verse for this week of 52 in 52. And although I've been working on memorizing this verse all week, it's taken on a whole new meaning today. It's so easy to let our lives get wrapped up in gods, in idols. But we must take a moment and realize the great reality of our lives. We were created by our God, and He's the same one that made the heavens. He is great and most worthy of praise!!!


You have a choice. You either worship gods, or you worship God.  Which do you choose?



(In other, very unrelated, news...I went running today! 2 miles. I was pretty slow (blah!), but my knees feel fine. Tomorrow will be a 1 mile run. Loving this spring-like weather!)



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