Three reasons why you should consider running on Thanksgiving next year!

Some call it a turkey trot while others refer to it as a gobble jog.  Whatever the name, it is the same thing: a race to help assuage the anticipated guilt that will wash over you after overeating on Thanksgiving.

At least, that is one of many reasons why I run on Thanksgiving.  Yes.  Yesterday, hubby and I - for the third year in a row - ran a local gobble jog.

Official 5K race time: 34:43

And this got me thinking...  What are some reasons why everyone should consider running on Thanksgiving? I came up with three:

Three reasons why you should run on Thanksgiving!  

1 - Crush those extra unnecessary calories you will most likely consume later in the day.

The Caloric Control Council says, "The average American will consume more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day alone."  That is, on average, more than double the calories you need to eat in a day!  But do not fear, running can help; it is considered a high impact exercise and so burns more calories than walking or cycling.  It also helps to increase your metabolism, so you will burn more calories at rest - continuing to burn calories even after the run is over!    Lastly, running is easy to do - no gym membership or fancy equipment required :-)

2 - Typically, turkey trots and gobble jogs support great causes.

What better way to express your thankfulness for your many blessings on Thanksgiving than giving back to your community via a race?  The gobble jog my hubby and I ran yesterday benefited MUST Ministries.  This organization helps to provide food, clothing, housing, and employment services to those in need.

3 -  Running helps to improve your attitude.  

Perhaps Thanksgiving is a painful holiday for you? Perhaps it's associated with painful memories? Or perhaps you are just dreading the day with those relatives you hate?  Or perhaps you are dreading spending the day alone?  Whatever the illness, a run is just what the doctor ordered!  An article from Runner's World reports that running can help make you happier!  For depression and many other ailments, running can help improve your overall quality of life.


So, I hope I've convinced you to get out of the house next Thanksgiving and go for a run before popping the turkey in the oven.  I promise.  You won't regret it!

Today's forget-me-not: Sign up for a gobble jog in 2015!

Run For God

I ran another - yes, another - great 5K this past Saturday night.  It was a free - yes, I said free! - race sponsored by Run For God.

Hubby and I could not pass up a free race!  We registered and got my good friend and running buddy Jaimee to register as well.

Pre-run selfie!

It was a good race!  Although, I despise races where I have to loop three times to complete 5K - especially when there is a killer hill in the course, as this one had - I was pleased with my end result:

I was fifteenth out of fifty-two in my age group with a time of 34:50.

The race began and ended inside a high school gym - which was FABULOUS given it was really cold out.  Afterwards, a local church choir treated us to a song, and they showed an evangelistic video produced by Billy Graham. It was a wonderful way to end a race - with worship!

Run for God's mission statement reads, "Preparing people to be better witnesses for Christ... Physically, Mentally, and Spiritually."

I love that!  This is a group that focuses on aiding the entire believer and not just one aspect of his or her life. They sell devotionals - hubby got one - and they have a discipleship course which includes a couch to 5K program.  I could see Michael and I teaching something like this one day soon!

It's important to let God work on ALL of you - spiritually, mentally, AND physically.

We had a great evening!

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run; but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Today's forget-me-not: Do not neglect your training! #runningmetaphor

My Poem: "my struggle and my salvation"

I am really enjoying my current read: finding spiritual whitespace by Bonnie Gray.

In one of the chapters, Bonnie encourages her readers to find time to be creative:

"Do you ever find yourself thinking about her - the artistic you? God does.  He whispers, I see you. I made you. I love you."

The artistic me was exchanged for the practical me long ago.  Growing up, I wanted to be a poet, but I knew that wasn't going to pay my bills. So, I decided to go to college and major in English education.  I figured I could write poetry in my spare time. High school English teacher by day and poet by night! Well... it was a plan...

Anyway, I'm happy to say that after reading Bonnie's chapter on creative whitespace, I feel lead to try to write more poetry - and publish it here.  So, I hope you enjoy it!


"my struggle and my salvation"

my self craves control
I am the potter and I work the clay
the world is mine
I hear my mind say

but it is not
it is Yours
this is my struggle and my salvation

things I cannot mold
are the things I fight to shape
I squeeze and pinch the clay
and then I hear You say

it is not yours
let Me do the work
this is My struggle and your salvation


Today's forget-me-not: my inner poet

What gets your creative juices flowing?

It is time to make time!

It has been one of those weeks.

You know what I'm talking about.  A week where seemingly everything goes wrong...

Your children are particularly whiny and disobedient.
You don't sleep well because your mind just won't rest.
You run late to every engagement on your calendar.
You're the mom who forgets to bring the snack when it's your turn.
And to top it all off, you have a headache you haven't been able to shake for days.

You know.  THAT week.

Well, that describes my past week.  A week where I battled moments of depression and abused myself regularly with tirades of, "You suck!"

It's at times like these when I most crave quiet and rest and time with my savior.

However, how do you find the time for you when your entire day is dominated by investing in others from sunrise to sunset and leaves you physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted?!

This is my current struggle.

When I do find time for myself, blogging and running are things I enjoy.  But at the risk of sounding greedy, here's my real problem: I want more! I need more!! 

I want to start a personal journal - a space where I can clear my head of the mental vomit that has no business being published here.

I would like to train for another 10K - believe it or not.  

I want more time to sleep. I want days where I can sleep in and wake up without the assistance of my alarm.  

I want to run away to a cabin - alone - and enjoy nature and a good book!  

Am I wrong for wanting these things? Am I wrong for trying to make plans to deliberately fit these things into my life?  

Are moms not to have time for themselves?

I stumbled across a piece on Facebook entitled "To The Momma at Chickfila."  In this blog post, the author talks about how moms always put their needs second to the needs of their children.  She states that when it comes to our (moms) needs, "It will finally be our turn... later."  

And while that is a noble way of looking at motherhood, I don't think it's a wise approach.  Moms have needs too.  Needs that can't just be put off indefinitely until "later."

It's like what the stewardess on a plane says before liftoff when giving instructions in case of an emergency: if you are traveling with small children, be sure to put on your air mask before attempting to secure your child's mask. Now, consider why that advice is given: because you can better take care of your children's needs if you have first met your own.

Jesus understood the need for personal time and space.  

Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Matthew 14:23  After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.  Later that night, he was there alone.

Mark 7:24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.  He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet, He could not keep His presence secret.

Jesus needed alone time. It's something we all NEED. And it's something I have to make a priority in my life right now.

I think I have found the perfect personal getaway...

How do you make time for you?

Today's forget-me-not: Me.  

the running bug

I never feel better physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually than after a run.

I'm more focused.  I'm more optimistic.  And I feel as if I have the energy I need to tackle the day.

Running is a form of rest for me.  It's refreshing.

It affords me the solitude I need and crave.

Me. Alone. Just me.

And my creator by my side.  Us. Together.

Relief.

Deliverance from the worries of this life.

You really need to try it!

Now, I know what you're thinking. You think you could never be a runner.  I know.  I was that person.  I was the girl who said, "If you see me running, it's because someone is chasing me!"

But then, out of a desire to run a couple races for some good causes, I gave it a chance.  Armed with a couch to 5K program, I dove in, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Give running a chance.  The reward is an overall healthier you.  AND, when running in God's creation, you'll have moments to take Him and His awesomeness into your soul. Moments of rest.

I took this picture a couple weekends ago on a morning run.
I thought it was beautiful how the light shone through despite the trees trying to hide it. #hope

My oldest daughter, Beth, and I ran in a race this past weekend.  She ran the 1K, and I ran the 5K. It was the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Superhero Run.

One of my goals in having Beth run occasionally in races is the hope that she might get bitten by the running bug.  I could think of no better physical activity for her to adopt in her life.  Only time will tell if she comes to love it as much as her mom and dad do...

As for me, the running bug is not something I'm going to "get over" any time soon. I ran this race at a leisurely pace to take time to enjoy the run, so my official race time of 35:08 isn't a great race time for me; however, I had a great race time, and that's what matters most.

crossing the finish line

Today's forget-me-not: The running bug - a virus you should catch!