I just hit my 1 year race-iversary with Aravaipa- the big trail racing name here in Arizona (and honestly fairly notable on a national level.) It was really fun to think about what I’ve experienced in the past year and what I might want to experience before this race rolls around again next year. Continue reading
running
Here We Go Again: TWENDE MBALI PAMOJA
This week’s post actually falls in the Keep Moving Forward theme, but here’s a little knowledge about this Team World Vision favorite phrase: “Twende Mbali Pamoja” basically translates to “Go Farther Together/ Let’s Go Together” and this idea that the solo act of running a race is actually a communal event that can be used for so much good has shaped so much of the last 5-6 years of my life. Continue reading
10 Books I read in 2022 that brought me JOY
Once again, I read over 100 books last year… (I promise I’m TRYING to find a better balance of my life activities but reading is just SO good and SO comforting!) Some years, I read a lot but find myself in a bit of a slump for enjoying what I’m reading. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case in 2022- I read a lot of great books last year. These are my top 10 books that brought me joy… (not necessarily my highest rated or objectively the best books, though there is definitely some cross over) Continue reading
The Shame of the Backslide…
Today I am writing about something that may seem only tangentially related to my themes for the year, but it actually ties into several of them. I want to talk a little bit about battling with feelings of shame when you backslide in one area or another, especially living in a culture that is obsessed with productivity and progress. It can feel so discouraging to experience a regression of any sort, and no one really wants to talk about that stuff, which is why I feel like it is really important to talk about my own struggles with the backslides I have had this year. Continue reading
Three Questions I ask Myself Daily
OK, so this post is full of some real talk… I have been on the struggle bus for a while. I KNOW this is a seasonal challenge- August and early September are truly just the time of year when Phoenicians are constantly wondering if they should pack it all up and move… and this year has been extra hard with all the humid heat instead of our typical dry heat. Plus, while I have been outside training, I am doing all of it trying to avoid the sunlight as much as possible- running super early, taking the shadiest paths possible, etc. And my mental health is just SO much better when I can actually go out and ENJOY the sunshine. So while I am in a season of struggle, one of my go-to practices is to “do in the dark what you know how to do in the light” and that means things like continuing to move my body, practicing gratitude, hydrating, praying, and asking myself the following 3 questions when I start to get really overhwelmed and critical of myself…which can pop up a lot during this training cycle, especially as my miles for the week keep getting more intense… Continue reading
“I’ve never run this far before…”
Last weekend I ran 15 miles for my long run. This was a HUGE shift in my marathon training as up until this point I have run a half marathon distance or less for my long runs- a distance that I have run before. While that distance started getting hard with no “course support” or cheering fans that I am used to having if going above ten miles, it was not nearly as intimidating as suddenly being back in the place where I have to think to myself “I have never run this far before.” Continue reading
You Can’t Harmonize Alone…
If you read my intro posts for the year, you know that one of my themes is Instrument and that refers not only to our familial undertaking of becoming a more musical household, but also to the prayer that inspired me to have instrument as my word of the year– Lord, Make me an Instrument of your Peace. Continue reading
How I Started Trail Running and Tips If You Want to As Well!
It is finally cooling off again! One of the most exciting things about that for me is that I can return to trail running- something I still consider myself to be a bit of a beginner at, but that I have done for about a year now. SO I thought I’d share a bit about how I started trail running and what I would say to someone who might be interested in doing the same! Continue reading
Runners High: OR, How Starting is the Hardest Part
When I first started running I was convinced that a runner’s high was a cruel, inhumane lie that runners told other people to trick them into joining in on the misery. So I thought I’d write a post about how I started my running journey and while I will be focusing on running, I think some of the lessons from it apply to starting anything new and difficult. I also have been just really missing running because it is INSANELY hot here in Phoenix already, but I know that summer is prime running time for my readers in other parts of the country so it seemed like as good a time as any to share this! And even if you are not a runner and never become a runner, I believe there are some parallels that will apply to you anyway… Continue reading
Sometimes a Did Not Finish is the Best Choice…
When I was training for my half marathon back in late 2018/early 2019 I had one possibility that pulled me out of bed to train even on the mornings where I was least interested in doing so and on the evenings when I had insanely long days with the kids… Continue reading
Alphabet Resolutions 