It's no surprise to people that God is a huge part of my life and I don't shy away from writing about it. Many have heard me say that I feel God's pleasure when I run (Eric Liddell, Chariots of Fire) and being able to juggle life as a mom, marathoner, wife, and dietitian is a gift from God.
So, here it is:
Hebrews 12
1. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. 2. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honour beside God's throne in Heaven.
As a Christian, I strive to remove those things from my life that slows down my relationship with God; I focus on what will bring me closer (reading scipture, praying, serving others, being active at our local church, etc.). If I do or do not make a new Canadian record at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, I will be very excited to see how God will continue to use me to glorify him.
So far this week, I've had many ways to be thankful for what he has done:
1) I was interviewed by Sean Allen for the Brant News (click here), in which he quoted me, “My faith plays a huge part in what I do. God gave me that zeal to go to bed at 10 p.m. and be excited to wake up at 5 a.m. for a 30 kilometre run. I love that feeling on the weekends when I run faster to get home to have pancakes with my family. It’s the simple things that drive me. I love the hard work.”
2) I was privileged to be interviewed by fellow running mom, Rebecca Gardiner, author of her blog, "Couch to Kenyan" for Canadian Running. Again, I was able to talk about how blessed I am to able to "do it all". She plans to have a write-up about me Oct 1st. Thanks, Rebecca! And have a great race too! See you out there on the road, Oct 14th.
3) My heel is sooo much better and my plantar fasciitis isn't too bad. Also, I'm over a cold that I likely picked up while spending Sunday at emerg with my 4 yr old (just a virus, thankfully).
4) Saucony sent me my racing kit and fall/winter gear. Wow, sweet stuff! As per tradition, the kids dressed up and "pretended to be Saucony runners".
5) Tomorrow will be my last long run (32-34 km) to finish my last hard week of training. The week will total the usual 160 km, consisting of a steady tempo run (16 km at race pace) and 5, 1 mile repeats (average 5:19/mile or 3:19/km). So far, my training has been text book. I haven't missed one key workout or long run and am thrilled with that.
6) I am down to about 117 lb, which is a decent race weight. I'm not one to get too caught up on weight but believe that there is no use carrying extra weight for 42.2 km, which can slow you down! Also, my resting heart rate is about 30.
As for the next 2 weeks, I will continue to "strip off every weight that slows us down"; I'll be diligent about eating well, going to bed early, resting, and preparing to "run with endurance the race that God has set before us" while "keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish".
.gif)
2nd Woman.