What next?

For the past year and a half I have always had something to physically train for; triathlons, half-marathons and marathons. This is the first time I have finished a race and not had another on my plate. I thought it would be refreshing. It's not. I'm bored. I need to find a race to train for. I like goals. They motivate me to push myself. I look forward to the challenge of improving my time and willing my body to go on. The journey is the best part. Where you learn a lot about your character, have time to think or void your mind of all thought, and it's where I spend quality time with God. That's why I need a new race. I can't deny myself the journey, and although the race is extremely demanding the reward of finishing well covers all the pain.

Where's the magenta?

Sometimes I feel like a 64-color box of crayons in a world full of 8-color boxes too.

"Life is like a box of crayons. Most people are the 8-color boxes, but what you're really looking for are the 64-color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. I fancy myself to be a 64-color box, though I've got a few missing. It's ok though, because I've got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. I have a bit of a problem though in that I can only meet the 8-color boxes. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean there are so many different colors of life, of feeling, of articulation.. so when I meet someone who's an 8-color type.. I'm like, "hey girl, magenta!" and she's like, "oh, you mean purple!" and she goes off on her purple thing, and I'm like, "no - I want magenta!" - John Mayer

Thought for the day

Robert McKee said, "A Character is revealed by the decisions they make under pressure."

What does your character say about you?

Many the miles

Quads killing. IT band tightening. Feet on fire. People yelling, "You're almost there!" ...at mile 20. Fair enough, 6.2 miles is not as far as the past 20. BUT they are the longest 6.2 of your life. The marathon really begins at mile 20. That's when it truly becomes mind over matter. Everything hurts at that point, but the will to move forward and push through the pain is greater than the pain itself.

I've been asked, "what do you think about when you're running for that long?" Well, everything and nothing at all. During a marathon I like to dedicate each mile to someone special in my life and think about them and pray for them. It puts purpose behind my miles and gives me something to look forward to every mile.

The only hiccup I had during the Chicago Marathon happened at mile 22. I had been ahead of the 4:30 pacers until that point. I grabbed a banana took two steps and two bites and the pace group passed me by. Determined to not let this happen my internal thought was, "Heck NO!" I threw the banana to the side and ran. I caught up with them and was feeling as good as I could at that point. Then at mile 23 my hips locked up and I had half the stride I had before. I watched as the pace group continued on. My heart wanted to go so bad, but my body just wouldn't go. I knew that I would still be close to them so I didn't let that dishearten me. From mile 23 until the end I kept repeating in my head and my heart, "The joy if the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength." I knew that nothing was impossible and I would finish this. That I would set a new personal record for myself. That the joy of the Lord was my strength.

At mile 25 I let out everything I had left in me and I ran. I ran as fast as I could. I ran with determination. I ran with purpose. It felt great. Okay, it hurt, but through the pain God gave me joy and strength. I finished with no regrets. It was incredible. After crossing the line my thoughts were. Praise the Lord! I did it. Where's the water? Where are my friends? When's the next marathon because I think I can go faster?

It's bizarre that with your body so exhausted your thoughts go to when can I do this to myself again? A marathon is probably some kind of modern day torture in other countries, and I choose to put myself through it. It's the sickest addiction ever. I LOVE IT!

It's a spiritual journey. Learning endurance, perseverance, and joy through pain. Thousands of people gathered to encourage the runners. Thousands of runners beating their bodies and silently driving others forward. Friendships are formed when you have hours together to run. I love the first timers. I remember how special that was for me in January and I'm so proud of them for doing it!

This was a really special marathon because I ran with Sammy Wanjiru, 2008 Bejing Olympic Gold Medalist in the marathon. He set a new course record by one second. I have now officially ran a race with an olympian! How cool is that?! At the end of the race I feel kind of like a champion as I make the medal holders place mine around my neck. I love it ;) I could write about running and what the journey, both physically and spiritually, mean to me forever. But, I'll spare you and just say one more thing. I encourage you all to do something that scares you and seems impossible. There's joy in the journey and ultimate reward and satisfaction at the finish line.

I all to often hear people talk about how they would love to do a marathon, but they never could. YES YOU CAN! Take it one mile at a time. One of the ladies who ran with us said one year ago that she could never do this. It was hard for her to run around the block. And, now she's a marathoner. The only one telling those people no is the person in the mirror. Don't worry about everyone else's pace. Run YOUR race and enjoy the journey.

Running is the classical road to self-consciousness, self-awareness and self-reliance. Independence is the outstanding characteristic of a runner. He learns the harsh reality of his physical and spiritual limitations when he runs. He learns that personal commitment, sacrifice and determination are his only means to betterment. Runners get promoted only through self-conquest.

Noel Coward, English playwright, composer, and actor

A different breed

My friends and I are different. I think we always knew this, but around Halloween it really becomes obvious. Mean Girls says it best, "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it."

When you look for costumes online there is no denying that they are trying to be slutty. For example, Snow White is Naughty White Snow. This is where my friends are different. Sadly, the majority of American girls are dressed as sluts disguised as cops, firefighters, nurses, nuns, or disney princesses. My friends and I dress as Richard Simons, a box of Quaker Oats, a person from the Blue Man Group, Jared from Subway, the Golden Girls, Rafiki from The Lion King...

In conversations about what people are going to be for Halloween we tend to forget that most people don't think like us. We like the challenge of being creative. It would be funny if we went as a slutty cop one year because no one would expect it...at least if they knew us.

My challenge to people is to be creative this year! Be covered! And be safe!