My JourKNEE Back

 I was discussing this week with my running friend (whom we will call "J") how when I run with her, I am a full minute and a half to two minutes faster per mile than when I run on my own. I can go out for a solo run with every intention to keep a certain pace or even not care about pace but try to run/walk at specific intervals. Once the miles get harder or uncomfortable, my thoughts tell me "You know you'll have a harder run with J tomorrow, so you can take it easy today." Sometimes I will then only run for two miles and end up walking the last one. I was wondering on Thursday how long I'm going to keep going at this 5K distance. Since the only goal I set was to run or walk a 5K distance three to four times a week, there is nothing set in place to challenge myself to go further. I have become comfortable with ending right around three miles and there is no motivation to run or even walk on my "off" days. With this mindset, I don't believe ther...

Usually, one week out of the month I hit a running slump. Sometimes it can even be a few weeks in a row. These are weeks where I am either not feeling good or I don't feel like waking up to run because work is tiring me out, family weighs heavily on my mind or my heart just isn't in it. What do I do? Well, for me, it helps to have a friend that checks in. We meet once or twice throughout the week which guarantees at least two runs a week. Also, when I make a goal, I am one to stick with it to see that goal get accomplished. I made a goal at the beginning of the year to run (or walk) at least a 5K distance three to four times a week. Putting that in writing has helped me get it done. Some weeks I attack that goal with strong determination and other weeks I just go through the motions. It's okay to have slumps. It's okay to have setbacks but we cannot stay stuck there.  We have all heard the overused quote "You don't fail until you stop trying." We may roll ...

I have a lot of thoughts floating around in my head this week and actually had a specific topic in mind that I was going to discuss, but there are two reasons why I will choose to wait until next week.  1. We currently have no wi-fi connection as there is an outage in our area. I am not going to try to organize my thoughts by spelling them out on my phone.  2. Today would have been the 20th birthday of our first son, Daniel Paul (see previous blog from 3/16/24). In the solemnity of the day, I'm going to keep quiet to simply remember that day and all the days since then. God is so, so good. All my life He has been faithful. "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the  Lord  forever." Psalm 23:6 (CSB) https://youtu.be/n0FBb6hnwTo?si=pzq-0W0yzJMr5TwX

We had a tease of spring weather this past week. I knew the morning would be warmer and my running friend was unable to meet me for our Saturday run so I took advantage of the opportunity to set my own pace on a longer run. I have been sticking to my 5K distance but decided to double it to a 10K. The first mile started out pretty good, feeling almost effortless. Mile 2 did not feel quite that easy, but Mile 3 was the best out of the entire run. Mile 4 had me a bit worried when I began to feel calf and hip pain in my right leg. As I made a left turn from one country road on to the next, I was met with some rolling hills. I was concerned that I wouldn't make it the whole way. I went back and forth between thinking, "Only two more miles" and "Oh my goodness, two whole miles left (deep sigh)." My husband was on call in case I needed to be picked up. I told myself to take it easy, walk the hills and run the downhills. The pain didn't simply disappear on the down...

As I was out for my morning miles, I was thinking about the progress I've made but, at the same time, the days behind me that hold some of my best runs. We are told "don't look back - you're not going that way." "Don't judge yourself by your past. You don't live there anymore." "The life in front of you is far more important than the life behind you." I do think it's important to look back on your past every now and then. After all, could you imagine driving without ever looking in your rearview mirror? You could miss things that are necessary to stay safe. I think it's important, however, to not get stuck in the past. Don't long for a time that has come and gone, for a version of you that no longer exists. Each experience molds you into the person you are today, the future version of you that you are becoming.  I also don't think it's great to focus too long on the future, longing for days yet to come. Of course it ...

I debated all day about what I would write and decided that I wouldn't. With it being Valentine's weekend, I spent time loving on my family today, instead, with a special meal made by my daughter and me. However, as I browse Facebook this evening, I see such division and disagreement, definitely not love. We know that an opposite of disagreement is peace, and we know that God is the God of peace. Therefore, we know that disagreement must come from Satan. So, in order not to add my two cents to a friend's Facebook post, I will just leave this verse to ponder for the week: " Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them,   because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words." Romans 16:17-18 (CSB) Why read every other book that tries to interpret the Bible when...

  I'm keeping this short for today, but I was thinking "Wouldn't it be easy if every decision we had to make could be made by the flip of a coin?". Imagine there was no choice in the matter and there were no negative consequences with either outcome. You just had to do as the coin says. Heads, you go for a run or tails, you sleep in. Heads, you have a cup of Greek yogurt garnished with berries for breakfast or tails, you have a doughnut. While that may be easy, would it really be satisfying? God, in His wisdom, gave us free will. We can decide to follow biblical teaching or worldly guiding. Deuteronomy 30:19 (CSB) says, "I  call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live."  Every choice has a reward as well as a consequence, whether it be immediate or long-term. We can decide which is the most beneficial at the moment, considering the lon...